Waterfall Or Agile: Which One Is The Best App Development Methodology?

Deciding about right kind of development methodology is the most initial stage of app development. Waterfall and agile are the two most popular option which are widely different from each other but some companies end up mixing the two of them. It is always best to combine the best of the elements from both the methodology which can work perfectly for team and project.

Let us discuss some of the pros and cons of both kind of methodologies:

Waterfall methodology

Waterfall methodology as per android app development company professionals is a sequential model which has a clear path of events. The development process in waterfall methodology follow a static phase of conception, analysis of the requirements, design, implementation, testing and maintenance. Each phase is final and easy to retract. This mean that the design must be completed and moves final towards implementation stage.

Pros of waterfall methodology

• Clear deadline: this method gives a clear deadline in every stage of development. This way teams gets stick with schedule and has smooth flow.
• Documentation process: This method is beneficial as it is well documented. From the gathering of project requirement to documentation of each aspects of the process.
• Organized: all the deliverables are well defined and every team has their own responsibilities and goals.
• Clear expectations: clients are well aware about what should be expected at which stage of development and give better amount of trust and satisfaction.

Cons

• Difficult to manage: In waterfall method every step is final. Once the information procurement is done, it is difficult to get more details and clarification.
• Lack of collaboration: There is a very collaboration within different teams involved with the method. In any of the stage of the process, if developers want more information it holds no scope for it.
• Slow deliverables: The result obtained is really slow.
• Testing comes late and can be risky: testing comes in a long way in this process as too much is invested within the process and any problem found can be too much expensive. Generally, the testing process is overlooked which creates massive problem.

Agile methodology

This one is a more iterative methodology for application lifecycle management. Agile process is rather flexible process as identified by iphone app development company designers. This method focuses on keeping the process lean and creating MVPs which goes with lot of iteration before being finalized. Multiple phase of development proceed parallel to each other and the changes can be made at various stages.

Pros:

• Collaborative team based approach: this method focuses on making teams work together which brings better exchange of ideas.
• Iterative and flexible: Agile method allow quick rollout to the basic prototype which is opened for initial feedback process within the team itself. This way you receive and incorporate feedback.
• Gives better business value: rather sticking to a business plan, this method allows to grow the idea and evolve itself.

Cons

• It is tricky to manage
• It has unclear project scope
• Needs constant testings

Conclusion

Both the methodology has major pros and cons but what you choose depends entirely on project requirements and working style. You can also mix the methods to get best of the quality in app development.