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How Many Software Development Models Are There?

Nowadays, we know there are more than 50 recognized SDLC models in use. None of them is perfect, and each brings its favorable aspects and disadvantages for a specific software development project or a team. According to our experience, we’ve chosen 5 popular software development  models.

Scum

Scrum is an agile way to manage a project, usually software development. This paradigm states the development should be iterative, with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) always available for testing after each iteration (which are usually 2–4 weeks long). After each iteration new features are added to the product until it is considered feature-complete and ready for release. Such approach to software development allows adjusting project requirements on the go, should the need be.

Kaban

The Kanban Method gets its name from the use of kanban – visual signaling mechanisms to control work in progress for intangible work products. Kanban Board is an approach that can actually be used on top of any of the previous software development methodologies, though originally deriving from working under the Lean model. It concentrates on pinpointing the most important feature in development right now, shows the effort already spent on it, and helps to highlight the room for continuous improvement, helping to seek and find perfection in every product feature.

Also, the model has no separate planning stage, so a new change request can be introduced at any time. Communication with the customer is ongoing, they can check the work results whenever they like, and the meetings with the project team can happen even daily.

Waterfall

The Waterfall model refers to a cascading waterfall. This is the oldest, most trusted and most straightforward of the software development methodologies. Each stage can be completed only after the previous one is finished. The stages include product requirement gathering, design and development of the software, testing, release and maintenance. Hence, the methodology doesn’t work well when there’s a need for flexibility with long-term and ongoing projects.

Lean

Lean software development model has its roots in Toyota approach to doing things: when you need to change something, do only the changes that bring the most VALUE, require the least EFFORT (budget) to be accomplished and take only 30% of the TIME planned. Such approach helped Toyota build a workflow able to switch their car constructing conveyors to producing another model of Toyota vehicles in mere hours, while the other manufacturers needed weeks to do it.

Alige

The Agile method creates continuous release cycles, where tiny incremental changes from the previous release are implemented. The Agile methodology helps teams spot and tackle minor issues during software development. It’s important before they morph into more serious problems. There’s product testing at each iteration. The involvement of business stakeholders and their feedback is highly welcomed in the development process. Each Agile iteration usually takes several weeks and delivers a complete working software version.

[software-services-blog]

What is Web Development?

What is Web Development?

Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the internet or an intranet. Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web-based internet applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. A more comprehensive list of tasks to which web development commonly refers, may include web engineering, web design, web content development, client liaison, client-side/server-side scripting, web server and network security configuration, and e-commerce development. 

The field of web development is generally broken down into front-end (the user-facing side) and back-end (the server side). Let’s delve into the details.

What is front-end development?

Front-end web development, also known as client-side development is the practice of producing HTML, CSS and JavaScript for a website or Web Application so that a user can see and interact with them directly. The challenge associated with front end development is that the tools and techniques used to create the front end of a website change constantly and so the developer needs to constantly be aware of how the field is developing.

What you see and what you use, such as the visual aspect of the website, the drop down menus and the text, are all brought together by the front-end dev, who writes a series of programmes to bind and structure the elements, make them look good and add interactivity. These programmes are run through a browser.

What is back-end development?

The backend is the portion of the website you don't see. It's responsible for storing and organizing data, and ensuring everything on the client-side actually works. The backend communicates with the front-end, sending and receiving information to be displayed as a web page

The backend dev uses computer programmes to ensure that the server, the application and the database run smoothly together. This type of dev need to analyse what a company’s needs are and provide efficient programming solutions. To do all this amazing stuff they use a variety of server-side languages, like PHP, Ruby, Python and Java.

What about Full-stack development?

If both Front-end and Back-end development appeal to you, you could consider becoming a Full-Stack Developer.

Full-stackers take care of both the front-end and the back-end, and need to know how the web works on all levels, in order to determine how the client- and server-sides will relate. Naturally working up to this level of expertise will take longer, as there is more to learn.