The Balance Between Process and Flexibility in Software Development

Software engineers have long struggled to balance process and flexibility in the software development process. This tension is evident in its two most popular, competing approaches.

Big Tech firms and software development services tend to prefer flexibility when building innovative software that seeks to disrupt the market. Flexibility is typically favored because it provides the development team with the space to test out different features with end-users. This helps ensure that the final product meets consumer demands.

On the other hand, software development projects for the medical industry and for enterprise systems, designed for internal use only, often elect to utilize a more process-focused approach to software development. These methodologies are best suited for software that doesn’t seek to reinvent the wheel. These approaches help engineers meet deadlines, reduce costs, and streamline the entire development cycle.

Agile & Waterfall Methodologies

The historical struggle between Agile and Waterfall, the two most important software development methodologies used today, is a useful proxy for the competition between process and flexibility.

A software development methodology is the process of breaking up software development work into a series of manageable steps.

Methodologies like Waterfall are considered linear approaches. Engineers are expected to closely follow a series of sequential steps to develop custom software. On the other hand, Agile is a flexible approach to software development. Programmers focus on producing a workable software iteration, which is then released to end-users for feedback. Steps are often repeated throughout the process.

Waterfall

Waterfall is the most popular linear software development methodology in use today. This approach emphasizes the need for structure throughout the entire software development lifecycle.

Development teams create custom software by completing each sequential step in the development process. Waterfall projects begin with the conceptualization and planning stage. Next, the team begins developing the software itself before moving on to formal testing and deployment.

Project managers prize Waterfall for straightforward development projects that require little innovation. That’s because the sequential process promotes efficiency, low budgets, and a short development cycle. It is also an ideal approach for first-time project managers who lack the experience necessary to manage an Agile project that can quickly spiral beyond its initial scope.

Agile

Agile development is the most popular flexible development methodology used today and is prized by companies seeking to produce innovative software with no real predecessor.

Engineers that follow the Agile methodology will focus on producing a minimum viable product, or software iteration, that can be released to end-users for feedback. These iterations are extremely valuable. They help developers avoid spending time and resources on unnecessary features and provide project managers with the data necessary to create the best software for the market.

Agile is favored by Silicon Valley companies and software development providers alike because it helps them produce high-quality software in situations where there is unknown market potential. However, the lack of structure in Agile often results in missed deadlines and bloated budgets.

How to Balance Process & Flexibility

The balance between process and flexibility is difficult, but not impossible, to attain. Researchers have found that mixed-use cases, which involve elements of Agile and Waterfall software development methodologies, can be more successful than using either approach exclusively. 

The key to balancing process and flexibility is introducing flexible components, like software iterations and end-user feedback, into the earliest stages of the development lifecycle. 

In addition, the process can be maintained by integrating stakeholder oversight into the project and by having the development team agree to a series of backlogs once initial end-user feedback has been gathered.

Flexibility

Software Iterations

Project managers interested in balancing process and flexibility must integrate software iterations into their projects. Software iterations are early, bare-bones versions of the final software. They typically contain only the most important features agreed upon in the planning stages and typically do not include security or user design features.

This minimum viable product is produced very quickly (development typically takes less than one month for even the most complex projects). Engineers will then release the product to stakeholders and a select group of end-users for feedback.

End-user feedback is the most important part of the Agile software development process. That’s because it enables engineers to gather useful information about their software from consumers before too much time or money has been invested.

Companies often find out that their predictions do not match up with customer needs. For example, a financial services startup may realize that customers do not need another merchant payment option, but are desperately looking for a reliable peer-to-peer money transfer service for friends and family.

Early end-user feedback helps companies avoid spectacular software failures and ensure that the features consumers want most are included.

Process

Backlogs

One of the easiest ways to integrate process into flexible software development projects is by creating backlogs. Scrum, a popular Agile methodology, uses product and sprint backlogs to introduce accountability into the process.

A product backlog is a set of features that must be included in the final product. This is agreed upon by stakeholders and developers, using feedback gained from early software iterations. Such a system helps engineers stay on track and avoid adding features or components that are not necessary.

In addition, a spring backlog is a list of goals that must be completed in order to release a software iteration. This is important since it keeps the development team on-task and helps them focus on process—with end-user feedback serving as the flexibility balance.

Stakeholder Oversight

Finally, it is important to include stakeholder oversight in the process. Traditional flexible methodologies like Agile often separate stakeholders from the development team—a process that is based upon the idea that programmers should have the flexibility to see what end-users want most.

By including stakeholders in the entire process, project managers can introduce a business-focused voice into development. This ensures that engineers not only focus on the end-user, they also focus on the bottom line and larger needs of the company.

In Summary

The balance between process and flexibility in software development is tenuous. Processes help ensure that development projects are completed under budget and on-time. This allows companies to save money and helps them accurately plan for the future.

On the other hand, flexible development teams used by software development services are capable of building truly innovative software that can disrupt an industry. However, engineers need a flexible schedule, budget, and strategy to figure out which features are most needed by consumers and to create a product that end-users truly love.

Project managers can best balance these competing goals by focusing on flexibility and a minimum viable product during the earliest stages of the development lifecycle. They can also focus on process by creating backlogs, or priority lists, and by integrating stakeholders into the entire lifecycle.

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Created on Feb 2nd 2020 14:42. Viewed 694 times.

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Yourteamin India  Get Your Own Remote Expert IT Team and Setup Your A great blog post. At Your Team in India, we are quite flexible in adopting the software methodology based on our client's requirements. Jul 24th 2020 09:01