Software Development Methodologies: Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Others — An Overview of Popular Methodologies and Their Practical Application

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Modern software development requires not only knowledge of programming and engineering but also a clear structure and project management. Effective organization of the software development process is a key factor that determines the success of a project. In this article, we will review the main software development methodologies, such as Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and others, their advantages, features, and how they are applied in practice.

Introduction to Software Development Methodologies
A software development methodology is a structured process that teams follow to efficiently develop, test, and deploy software products. The main goal of methodologies is to improve the quality and speed of development, minimize errors, and increase the overall productivity of the team.

Over the past decades, software engineering has evolved significantly, leading to the emergence of various approaches to software project management. The most well-known of these include Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall, Lean, and other flexible and waterfall models. The choice of the most appropriate methodology often depends on the specifics of the project, the required timeframes, and the level of team flexibility.

Agile: Flexibility and Adaptability
Agile is a set of principles aimed at creating flexible and adaptive software development processes. The main focus of Agile is to ensure continuous delivery of working software products in short iterations. The Agile Manifesto, developed in 2001, outlined key values:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
Working software over comprehensive documentation.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
Responding to change over following a plan.
The core principles of Agile include an iterative approach to development, close collaboration with the customer, and flexibility in changing requirements throughout the project. Agile methodology is widely used by software development studios working on startups or projects with evolving requirements.

Scrum: Emphasis on Team Collaboration
Scrum is a framework often applied within the Agile methodology. It focuses on dividing the development process into short, well-defined timeframes — sprints, typically lasting from one to four weeks. In Scrum, special attention is given to the role of the team and the interaction among its members.

Key roles in Scrum:

Scrum Master — helps the team adhere to Scrum principles and processes.
Product Owner — represents the customer’s interests and is responsible for forming and prioritizing the product backlog.
Development Team — a group of specialists who directly develop the software product.
The Scrum process includes daily meetings (Daily Standups) where the team discusses progress, obstacles, and plans for the day. After each sprint, a retrospective is held to analyze achievements and problems to improve the process in the future.

One of Scrum’s main advantages is the ability to quickly respond to changes and reduce the risk of delays in development. This framework is often used by software development studios working on large projects with many subtasks and changing requirements.

Kanban: Visualizing Processes
Kanban is a project management methodology aimed at optimizing processes through visualizing work tasks and controlling them. Originating from Japan, it was first used in Toyota’s automobile factories to manage production processes. Over time, Kanban was adapted for software development.

The key idea of Kanban is to use a board (physical or virtual) that displays current tasks and their status. A Kanban board is usually divided into several columns representing different stages of task completion (e.g., “Planned,” “In Progress,” “Done”).

Main advantages of Kanban:

Visualization of the workflow — the entire team can see the current state of tasks.
Flexibility in task prioritization — new tasks can be added and redistributed as the work progresses.
Continuous improvement — by analyzing processes, teams can optimize workflows and increase productivity.
Kanban is well-suited for teams working in conditions of constant change and multitasking. It is often used by software development studios where maintaining a high degree of transparency and flexibility is important.

Waterfall: The Sequential Approach
Waterfall or the cascade model is one of the oldest software development methodologies, which assumes a sequential execution of development stages. Each stage begins only after the previous one is completed, and returning to earlier stages is only possible in cases of critical errors.

Stages in Waterfall include:

Requirements Analysis.
System Design.
Implementation.
Testing.
Deployment.
Maintenance.
Waterfall is a more rigid methodology than Agile or Scrum, and is best suited for projects with well-defined requirements and unchanging deadlines. This model is often used for developing software in large corporate projects where strict adherence to deadlines and thorough documentation are essential.

Lean: Process Optimization
Lean is an approach to software development, borrowed from manufacturing processes, aimed at minimizing waste (resources, time) and maximizing value for the customer. The main principles of Lean include:

Elimination of unnecessary processes and tasks.
Increasing team efficiency.
Focusing on value for the customer.
Lean is often used in software development studios that focus on creating a minimum viable product (MVP) and then refining it based on user feedback.

Extreme Programming (XP): Improving Code Quality
Extreme Programming (XP) is a methodology designed to improve code quality and customer satisfaction through frequent releases of software in short iterations. XP is distinguished by a strong focus on testing, pair programming, and continuous integration.

XP is suitable for projects where constant code quality improvement and rapid response to changing requirements are crucial. Software development studios working in high-uncertainty environments often use XP to improve collaboration between developers and clients.

Implementing Methodologies in Software Development Studios
The choice of software development methodology depends on various factors such as team size, project specifics, customer requirements, and available resources. Software development studios usually select the most appropriate methodology based on the project’s goals.

Agile and Scrum are often chosen for projects requiring high flexibility and customer collaboration.
Kanban is applied where process visualization and workflow optimization are important.
Waterfall is selected for long-term projects with fixed requirements and deadlines.
XP is used to improve code quality and testing.
Benefits of Choosing the Right Methodology
Choosing the right software development methodology can significantly increase team efficiency, improve product quality, and reduce time-to-market. Software development studios that successfully adapt various methodologies can meet client demands, quickly respond to changes, and optimize development processes.

Conclusion
Software development methodologies play a key role in the success of projects, whether they are large corporate systems or small startups. Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Waterfall, Lean, and XP are just a few of the popular approaches that software development studios apply in their practice. The choice of methodology depends on the specifics of the project and the client’s requirements; however, flexibility, collaboration, and a focus on the final result remain the core principles for successful software development.