SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle models. To develop a software methodically, there are various methodologies available to get the job done.

During the development process, the software has to be planned, developed, tested and modified many times. If you don’t choose the right methodology to work with, everything will be topsy-turvy and the end product might not be what was intended.

Software Development methodologies are a set of rules to carry out the development process efficiently. Though every SDLC model has some strong and weak points and the model that fits one project might not look appropriate with another.

Here are six methodologies, or models, to consider.

1. Agile

The agile model has been around for quite a time, and it is known as a fast development model. It is a go-to model for companies that develop projects at a fast pace.

In the Agile model, the approach produces ongoing release cycles, each featuring small, incremental changes from the previous release, making it better. At each iteration, the project is inspected and bugs are fixed.

 The biggest advantage of this model is it picks up the issues in the project early, thus preventing big loss later. Moreover, it engages business stakeholders and gets their feedback throughout the development process until the product is ready. 

2. Waterfall

This is the oldest of SDLC models, and quite different from Agile. It does not allow you to do iterations, and that makes this model “rigid”. Means you can do one step at a time, and a particular phase is completed, you can’t go back. This is perhaps the biggest drawback of the Waterfall model because today, you can’t work at such a low pace. 

However, this step-by-step going can be very effective in risk mitigation in the software development life cycle, as you have enough time to find bugs, fix them and release the end product.

3. Iterative

The Iterative model is flexible and ubiquitous today. It allows you to start your project in a whim and make changes, according to the requirements, even in the middle of the project.

You don’t have to worry about gathering all the requirements before begin working, instead, you can focus on the task in hand. A new version of the software comes out, as a new iteration, overcoming all the flaws in the previous version. 

One of the advantages of the Iterative model is it is cost-effective. You can improve the product with every iteration, thereby reducing the changing/modifying cost. The only advantage of this model is repetitive iterations, that often steam you out due to lack of resources.

4. Lean

The lean process is about working only what matters at the given time and there is no room for multitasking. The seven Lean principles are: eliminate waste, amplify learning, decide as late possible, deliver fast, empower the team, build integrity in, and test the product.

Moreover, the team working on it look for ways to minimize the cost, cut waste at every turn throughout the SDLC process, from avoiding unnecessary meetings to unnecessary documentation.

5. Spiral

The spiral model is ideal for large projects as it allows the team to incorporate user feedback in the early stage and proceed according to them. The project passes through four phases in series, planning, risk analysis, engineering, and evaluation over and over in a “spiral”.

One of the benefits of the Spiral model is risk management. Before every iteration, the team looks ahead to potential risks and figuring out how best to avoid them. The exact number of iterations to be through depends on the project and the one who is managing it.

6. V-Shaped model

The V-shaped model is pretty similar to the Waterfall model because the completion of the first task in it is necessary before you could move to the next one – as we have in the Waterfall model. The V-shaped model emphasizes on verification and validations as it is a sequential process. The next step only begins when the previous one is verified and validated.

It is easy to use as test designing happens well before coding. This saves a lot of time and the end product is always up to the notch. Moreover, the defects are found early in the development, that saves a lot of time and cost.