The 4 most common Agile methodologies
Agile software development is based upon notions of organization and incremental development. Teams and organizations practicing Agile are generally much more ordered, structured and controlled, in addition to being much more informed about the desired of the project owner and the developments of their team members. Agile itself has produced a number of supplementary methodological practices; four of the most popular / most common being: Scrum, RUP, RAD, and XP. Let’s take a look at what defines these four methodologies, shall we?
Scrum
While it’s always a good idea to “think outside the box” when approaching a creative task, this is not always the case. For example, when working with teams, where more work can be completed which covers a larger spectrum of interest, organization is paramount. Scrum takes the concept of compartmentalization to its next logical conclusion by allowing individual teams to focus on specific elements / goals of a project while at the same time, routinely coming together to create synergy.
RUP (Rational Unified Process)
RUP takes software development and effectively splits it into four subcategories called “gates”:
- Inception
- Elaboration
- Construction
- Transition
At each “gate”, those involved must meet or exceed what is required in order to progress; this effectively eliminates mistakes in addition to providing forward mobility for a project.
RAD (Rapid Application Development)
As its name might suggest, RAD is concerned with speedy development of product. In RAD, great emphasis is placed upon creating a highly functional prototype; in many cases, prototypes are so highly advanced that they need only be tweaked before being released. User interaction and feedback are also highly encouraged when applying a RAD methodology.
XP (Extreme Programming)
XP is reminiscent of both Scrum and RUD in that it uses a fractional system for measuring progress and allowing further development to continue. The thing that separates XP from these other methodologies however is its focus toward the desires of customers, or project owners / investors. In XP-based development, the entire focus of development may be altered given the shifting concerns of ones customer(s).