Abstract Science Construction’s business is in planning, developing and building road projects. The major of its clients are municipalities, city governments, and other public sector entities. While the bankruptcy rates for these clients is very low, when economic downturns happen, their ability to pay in a timely fashion also suffers. This leads to businesses such as Science Construction needing to take on additional debt and to find creative methods in order to stay afloat during times of recession. Methods such as selling accounts receivables at discounted rates and taking larger lines of credit through banks and other lending institutions are some of the ways organizations can remain viable when their cash inflows have turned into a trickle. Science Construction is asking the Turkish Courts to postpone their bankruptcy proceedings for a year while they attempt to restructure. Through this, suggestions such as forcing shareholders to pay their debt to the organization, gaining credi...
Systems Development Lifecycle
System development is the process of defining, designing, testing and implementing a software application. This includes the internal development of customized systems as well as the acquisition of software developed by third parties (Zandbergen, n.d.). The systems development life cycle, or SDLC, is the process of creating systems and the models used to develop these systems (Zandbergen, n.d.). There are following six phases in every Software development life cycle model (Linkedin, 2017):
Requirement gathering and analysis. Business requirements are gathered in this phase. These requirements are analyzed for their validity and the possibility of incorporating the requirements in the system to be developed is also studied.
Design. In this phase, the system and software design are prepared from the requirement specifications which were studied in the first phase. Test strategy is developed.
Implementation or coding. The code is produced; the longest phase of the software development life cycle.
Testing. The developed code is tested against the requirements to make sure that the product is actually solving the needs addressed and gathered during the requirements phase.
Deployment. The product is delivered/deployed to the customer for their use.
Maintenance. When the customers start using the developed system then the actual problems comes up and needs to be solved from time to time. This process where the care is taken for the developed product is known as maintenance.
Agile Development Methodologies
Agile software development refers to a group of software development methodologies based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams (Cprime, n.d.). Agile is an approach to projects that focuses on collaboration and responsiveness to change. One of the common misconceptions of Agile is that it is a methodology. Although there are different methodologies that fall under the Agile approach, Agile itself is merely a way to approach managing projects (Meyer, n.d.).
The foundation of the Agile approach is expressed in the Agile Manifesto, which was written in 2001 by a group of software developers who called themselves the Agile Alliance. They were looking for a new approach. Instead of prescribing a specific methodology, they wanted to express different values (Meyer, n.d.). The following are the Agile values that the alliance came up with:
individuals and interactions over processes and tools,
working software over comprehensive documentation,
customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and
responding to change over following a plan (Meyer, n.d.).
Since Agile is merely an approach or a way of thinking, a specific methodology is needed in order to implement it and there are plenty of methodologies that fall under Agile. The most common methodology is Scrum, which uses sprints to completes user stories written by the product owner, and is facilitated by a Scrum master. There is also Kanban, which is most identified by a continuous flow and WIP limits, as well as Extreme Programming (or XP), which is similar to Scrum except with shorter intervals and a focus on engineering (Meyer, n.d.).
Compare and Contrast
At Study.com, project manager Olga Bugajenko (n.d.) professes the following differences between SLDC and the Agile approach:
Philosophy. SDLC follows a predictive approach, with detailed planning and defined user requirements. Agile follows an adaptive approach, based on quick feedback exchange and continuous design improvements.
Management. SDLC teams comply with the organizational bureaucracy and control, while Agile teams are self-managed.
Objective. The main objective of SDLC projects is risk minimization achieved by thorough requirements analysis, while in Agile it is quick product and value delivery.
Customer involvement. In SDLC, the customer is involved only at the beginning of the project, when the requirements are analyzed and documented. In Agile, the customer representative continuously participates in the development process.
Change. In SDLC, the requirements are fixed on the onset of the project and changes are expensive, while Agile remains flexible and easily adapts to changing requirements.
Quality control. In SDLC, quality control is difficult, because the testing is performed only once the whole development stage is finished. If any issues are identified, the fixing process may become long and costly. Agile resolves this problem by performing testing after each iteration, ensuring permanent control and lowering the cost of fixing a mistake.
Project size. SDLC is best suited for large projects and teams, while Agile is preferable for smaller sizes.
Provide examples where it might be appropriate to implement each.
Eileen O’loughlin did a great job weeding out information on the implementation of both SDLC and Agile applications. At Software.com she offers not only examples, but she answers the question, why.
Your project is a better fit, posts O’Loughlin (n.d.), for Agile implementation if there are unclear requirements and deliverables and if the level of participation and input and buy-in from stakeholders is a factor. Use Agile development when the cost of change is minimal and when the emphasis is on teamwork, transparency and continuous movement. An example is software development and new product development projects. These are run as agile.
With respect to using SDLC (waterfall), the following circumstances are true:
Certainty, or stability, of requirements/deliverables (and lack of flexibility from stakeholders),
Strict budget or timeline constraints (cost of change is high),
Part of a program/portfolio where projects have interdependencies and risks, and
Compliance and regulatory requirements (O’Loughlin, n.d.).
Examples of SDLC use would be compliance heavy fields such as medical, aviation and food processing or any industry that must adhere to regulations. City planning and construction are two others.
What drawbacks or issues might an organization encounter when implementing an Agile development program?
On Inc.com, Adam Fridman (2019) posts information about the woes of Agile deployment. The following is a list of summarized drawbacks:
Less predictability
More time and commitment
Greater demands on developers and clients
Lack of necessary documentation
The project easily falls off track
Tends to open the door for more mistakes.
References
Bugajenko, Olga. (n.d.). Agile vs. SDLC Development. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/agile-vs-sdlc-development.html
Cprime. (n.d.). What is Agile? What is Scrum? Retrieved from https://www.cprime.com/resources/what-is-agile-what-is-scrum/
Fridman, Adam. (April 2019). The Massive Downside of Agile Software Development. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/adam-fridman/the-massive-downside-of-agile-software-development.html
Linkedin. (August 2017). SLDC Phases? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-software-development-life-cycle-sdlc-phases-private-limited
Meyer, Stephen. (n.d.). Wahtis Agile Software? - Definition and Methodology. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-agile-software-development-definition-methodology.html
O’Loughlin, Eileen. (n.d.). Agile vs.Waterfall: Matching Method To Project Requirements. Retrieved from https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/when-to-use-agile-vs-waterfall-project-management/
Peterheria, Nataliia. (n.d.). Why Agile SDLC Model is Good for Your Startup. Retrieved from https://producttribe.com/project-management/agile-sdlc-guide
Wikipedia. (n.d.). System Development Life cycle. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_development_life_cycle
Zandbergen, Paul. (n.d.). Systems Development Life Cycles: Software Development Process. Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/systems-development-life-cycles-software-development-process.html
System development is the process of defining, designing, testing and implementing a software application. This includes the internal development of customized systems as well as the acquisition of software developed by third parties (Zandbergen, n.d.). The systems development life cycle, or SDLC, is the process of creating systems and the models used to develop these systems (Zandbergen, n.d.). There are following six phases in every Software development life cycle model (Linkedin, 2017):
Requirement gathering and analysis. Business requirements are gathered in this phase. These requirements are analyzed for their validity and the possibility of incorporating the requirements in the system to be developed is also studied.
Design. In this phase, the system and software design are prepared from the requirement specifications which were studied in the first phase. Test strategy is developed.
Implementation or coding. The code is produced; the longest phase of the software development life cycle.
Testing. The developed code is tested against the requirements to make sure that the product is actually solving the needs addressed and gathered during the requirements phase.
Deployment. The product is delivered/deployed to the customer for their use.
Maintenance. When the customers start using the developed system then the actual problems comes up and needs to be solved from time to time. This process where the care is taken for the developed product is known as maintenance.
Agile Development Methodologies
Agile software development refers to a group of software development methodologies based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams (Cprime, n.d.). Agile is an approach to projects that focuses on collaboration and responsiveness to change. One of the common misconceptions of Agile is that it is a methodology. Although there are different methodologies that fall under the Agile approach, Agile itself is merely a way to approach managing projects (Meyer, n.d.).
The foundation of the Agile approach is expressed in the Agile Manifesto, which was written in 2001 by a group of software developers who called themselves the Agile Alliance. They were looking for a new approach. Instead of prescribing a specific methodology, they wanted to express different values (Meyer, n.d.). The following are the Agile values that the alliance came up with:
individuals and interactions over processes and tools,
working software over comprehensive documentation,
customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and
responding to change over following a plan (Meyer, n.d.).
Since Agile is merely an approach or a way of thinking, a specific methodology is needed in order to implement it and there are plenty of methodologies that fall under Agile. The most common methodology is Scrum, which uses sprints to completes user stories written by the product owner, and is facilitated by a Scrum master. There is also Kanban, which is most identified by a continuous flow and WIP limits, as well as Extreme Programming (or XP), which is similar to Scrum except with shorter intervals and a focus on engineering (Meyer, n.d.).
Compare and Contrast
At Study.com, project manager Olga Bugajenko (n.d.) professes the following differences between SLDC and the Agile approach:
Philosophy. SDLC follows a predictive approach, with detailed planning and defined user requirements. Agile follows an adaptive approach, based on quick feedback exchange and continuous design improvements.
Management. SDLC teams comply with the organizational bureaucracy and control, while Agile teams are self-managed.
Objective. The main objective of SDLC projects is risk minimization achieved by thorough requirements analysis, while in Agile it is quick product and value delivery.
Customer involvement. In SDLC, the customer is involved only at the beginning of the project, when the requirements are analyzed and documented. In Agile, the customer representative continuously participates in the development process.
Change. In SDLC, the requirements are fixed on the onset of the project and changes are expensive, while Agile remains flexible and easily adapts to changing requirements.
Quality control. In SDLC, quality control is difficult, because the testing is performed only once the whole development stage is finished. If any issues are identified, the fixing process may become long and costly. Agile resolves this problem by performing testing after each iteration, ensuring permanent control and lowering the cost of fixing a mistake.
Project size. SDLC is best suited for large projects and teams, while Agile is preferable for smaller sizes.
Provide examples where it might be appropriate to implement each.
Eileen O’loughlin did a great job weeding out information on the implementation of both SDLC and Agile applications. At Software.com she offers not only examples, but she answers the question, why.
Your project is a better fit, posts O’Loughlin (n.d.), for Agile implementation if there are unclear requirements and deliverables and if the level of participation and input and buy-in from stakeholders is a factor. Use Agile development when the cost of change is minimal and when the emphasis is on teamwork, transparency and continuous movement. An example is software development and new product development projects. These are run as agile.
With respect to using SDLC (waterfall), the following circumstances are true:
Certainty, or stability, of requirements/deliverables (and lack of flexibility from stakeholders),
Strict budget or timeline constraints (cost of change is high),
Part of a program/portfolio where projects have interdependencies and risks, and
Compliance and regulatory requirements (O’Loughlin, n.d.).
Examples of SDLC use would be compliance heavy fields such as medical, aviation and food processing or any industry that must adhere to regulations. City planning and construction are two others.
What drawbacks or issues might an organization encounter when implementing an Agile development program?
On Inc.com, Adam Fridman (2019) posts information about the woes of Agile deployment. The following is a list of summarized drawbacks:
Less predictability
More time and commitment
Greater demands on developers and clients
Lack of necessary documentation
The project easily falls off track
Tends to open the door for more mistakes.
References
Bugajenko, Olga. (n.d.). Agile vs. SDLC Development. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/agile-vs-sdlc-development.html
Cprime. (n.d.). What is Agile? What is Scrum? Retrieved from https://www.cprime.com/resources/what-is-agile-what-is-scrum/
Fridman, Adam. (April 2019). The Massive Downside of Agile Software Development. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/adam-fridman/the-massive-downside-of-agile-software-development.html
Linkedin. (August 2017). SLDC Phases? Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-software-development-life-cycle-sdlc-phases-private-limited
Meyer, Stephen. (n.d.). Wahtis Agile Software? - Definition and Methodology. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-agile-software-development-definition-methodology.html
O’Loughlin, Eileen. (n.d.). Agile vs.Waterfall: Matching Method To Project Requirements. Retrieved from https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/when-to-use-agile-vs-waterfall-project-management/
Peterheria, Nataliia. (n.d.). Why Agile SDLC Model is Good for Your Startup. Retrieved from https://producttribe.com/project-management/agile-sdlc-guide
Wikipedia. (n.d.). System Development Life cycle. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_development_life_cycle
Zandbergen, Paul. (n.d.). Systems Development Life Cycles: Software Development Process. Retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/systems-development-life-cycles-software-development-process.html
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