Selecting the Appropriate Development Methodology
As the previous section shows, there are many methodologies. The first challenge
faced by project managers is to select which methodology to use. Choosing a
methodology is not simple, because no one methodology is always best. (If it were,
we’d simply use it everywhere!) Many organizations have standards and policies to
guide the choice of methodology. You will find that organizations range from having
one “approved” methodology to having several methodology options to having
no formal policies at all.
Figure 2-9 summarizes some important methodology selection criteria. One
important item not discussed in this figure is the degree of experience of the analyst
team. Many of the RAD and agile development methodologies require the use of new
tools and techniques that have a significant learning curve. Often, these tools and techniques
increase the complexity of the project and require extra time for learning. Once
they are adopted and the team becomes experienced, the tools and techniques can significantly
increase the speed in which the methodology can deliver a final system.