Introduction to Software Engineering Methodology

Software development methodology is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system. What are different approaches, and what are the basic principles of each approach?

History

The software development methodology framework didn't emerge until the 1960s. According to Elliott (2004) the systems development life cycle (SDLC) can be considered to be the oldest formalized methodology framework for building information systems. The main idea of the SDLC has been "to pursue the development of information systems in a very deliberate, structured and methodical way, requiring each stage of the life cycle from inception of the idea to delivery of the final system, to be carried out in rigidly and sequentially". within the context of the framework being applied. The main target of this methodology framework in the 1960s was "to develop large scale functional business systems in an age of large scale business conglomerates. Information systems activities revolved around heavy data processing and number crunching routines".


As a noun

As a noun, a software development methodology is a framework that is used to structure, plan, and control the process of developing an information system - this includes the pre-definition of specific deliverables and artifacts that are created and completed by a project team to develop or maintain an application.

 

The three basic approaches applied to software development methodology frameworks.

A wide variety of such frameworks have evolved over the years, each with its own recognized strengths and weaknesses. One software development methodology framework is not necessarily suitable for use by all projects. Each of the available methodology frameworks are best suited to specific kinds of projects, based on various technical, organizational, project and team considerations.

These software development frameworks are often bound to some kind of organization, which further develops, supports the use, and promotes the methodology framework. The methodology framework is often defined in some kind of formal documentation. Specific software development methodology frameworks (noun) include

  • Rational Unified Process (RUP, IBM) since 1998.
  • Agile Unified Process (AUP) since 2005 by Scott Ambler


As a verb

As a verb, the software development methodology is an approach used by organizations and project teams to apply the software development methodology framework (noun). Specific software development methodologies (verb) include:

1970s

  • Structured programming since 1969
  • Cap Gemini SDM, originally from PANDATA, the first English translation was published in 1974. SDM stands for System Development Methodology

1980s

  • Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM) from 1980 onwards
  • Information Requirement Analysis/Soft systems methodology

1990s

  • Object-oriented programming (OOP) has been developed since the early 1960s, and developed as a dominant programming approach during the mid-1990s
  • Rapid application development (RAD) since 1991
  • Scrum, since the late 1990s
  • Team software process developed by Watts Humphrey at the SEI
  • Extreme Programming since 1999

Source: WikiBooks, https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Software_Engineering/Process/Methodology
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.