Friday, January 13, 2012

What is Iterative Software Development ?

The iterative software development process was designed to cope with the flaw in the waterfall model. For those who aren’t aware, the waterfall model is a seven step sequential design process that simply allows a developer to run through the phases. The incremental development process has added various phases to the existing waterfall method to allow for a better model. As opposed to the waterfall model, the incremental development process begins with the initial planning, which then goes into the requirements stage. Depending on the framework, this revised model is a better alternative to existing ones.

With the waterfall method, there was no room for improvement during the process of building the software. However, with the incremental development model, a developer is now able to work in smaller increments, while still testing the software. This revised iterative softwaredevelopment process is what allows software developers to learn from testing the system. The testing phase for the waterfall model came near the end, and if there were errors in the design phase, it was too late to fix it. Once the design and implementation process is completed, the software is put into deployment mode. If the phase fails with errors, developers move back into the analysis phase.

By testing the software early on in the building process, errors and bugs could be fixed in a timely manner that does not require a lot of money. If deployment passes, the software is put into official testing and evaluation. There are gaps left in between each phase, which allows the developer to carry out tests at each step. For developers looking to save time and money along with production phase, it is best to follow the iterative software development method. More and more software developing companies are making use of this model, due to its notable advantages.

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