Methodology Selection
“A software lifecycle is a model that describes all the
activities that go into creating a software product.
Product development styles vary tremendously among
different kinds of projects, requiring different kinds of
tasks and different task orderings.
Choice of the wrong lifecycle model can result in missing
tasks and inappropriate task ordering, which undercuts
project planning and efficiency.
Choice of an appropriate lifecycle model has the opposite
effect—ensuring that all effort is used efficiently.”
(McConnell, 1996)
McConnell, S., 1996. Lifecycle Model Selection. In: Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software
Schedules. s.l.:Microsoft Press.
Goal
1)
To shortlist (typically no more
than three) and properly
evaluate appropriate options
2)
To select (and justify the
selection of) the most suitable
option!
Students typically wonder…
Which approach should I
use?
Answer
It depends!
University Student
Personal Details
• Age: 23
• Income Level: Minimum Wage, mostly supported by
Family (Middle Class Family), Limited disposable
income
• Household and Family: Living in a dorm on campus, no
Spouse, no Children
• Interests and Priorities: Likes to eat both on the go and
with friends! Quick fun food and lots of it. Parties,
Sports and University related Events
• Concerns: Go Green! One step down from eco-warrior
General Contractor
Job Description
• A general contractor is responsible for providing all of the material, labor,
equipment (such as engineering vehicles and tools) and services necessary for
the construction of a construction project.
•
The general contractor hires specialized subcontractors to perform all or
portions of the construction work.
Personal Details
• Age: 47
• Income Level and Financial State: Upper Class, significant disposable income
• Household and Family: Spouse and Three Children
• Interests and Priorities: Fun and/or Romantic Dinning Experiences, Family
Road Trips
• Concerns: Overweight, High Cholesterol
Choosing a Car
Criteria
Cost
Fuel Economy
Reliable
Safety Features
Aesthetics
(Styling:
Sporty/Trendy
Look)
Environmental
Impact
Capacity
(Number of
Passengers,
Boot, Storage)
Comfort
Weight
Toyota Hilux
Suzuki Swift
BMW Z4
Choosing a Restaurant
Criteria
Cost
Cuisine
Service
Family Friendly
Features
Ambiance
Value for
Money (could
be different
from cost)
Hygiene
Healthy
Options
Weight
Chuck E
Cheese’s
Bob’s BBQ
(fictitious)
Texas de Brazil
Note
• When considering a range of options it is
important to remember that the most
appropriate choice depends greatly on the
context of the one making the selection
• Different things are important to different
people and different contexts
Choosing a methodology is no
different!
What criteria would you use?
Consider your project context and your context:
• What are the needs and goals of your project?
• What are the concerns, wants, needs, priorities and constraints of
your key stakeholders?
• What is important to you and your situation? What are your
concerns, wants, needs, priorities and constraints?
• What do you need to help with in order to achieve project
goals/aims/objectives? What do you need special support with?
Ian D. Mc Lean
Title:
An application of location-based crowd sourcing and pervasive computing technologies for rating
and locating access friendly establishments within a social directory
Aim:
To create a location-based context aware system providing crowd sourced information about
places that cater for or provide services to people with disabilities in an effort to enhance their
living standards and social lives
Criteria: Stakeholder involvement
Justification:
Stakeholder involvement is of paramount importance to this project. Prototyping will be used to
demonstrate the understanding of the system requirements to the stakeholders. This increases
the probability of understanding and meeting the requirements envisioned, while providing a
sense of ownership and helps build interest, as they can see their contributions manifested as
part of the finished product. This sense of ownership will encourage them to use the system and
recommend it to others, especially necessary as the system is highly dependent on crowd
sourced data. Therefore, it is imperative that this criterion have the most weight.
Varsha Teelucksingh
Title:
Mobile Time Management Activity and Motivation Planner
Aim:
To create a mobile study or focus support and motivational reward system for young adults
and students to better manage their time
Criteria: Iterative Development
Justification:
The application attempts to solve the issue of time management for students, and
considers factors such as planning, motivational tools and environment stimulation. The
specific functionality required is not clear at the beginning of the project, therefore an
iterative approach will support the development of the growing functionality as they
become clearer. Iterative development is important to keep development consistent for the
various functionality and supports growing scope.
Felicia Mohammed
Title:
Medical Emergency Assistant
Aim:
To develop a mobile application that will allow person(s) to send a silent alert to all medical
facilities in order to seek medical assistance
Criteria: Stakeholder involvement/End-user feedback
Justification:
Choosing a methodology that will allow the developer to receive feedback from the
patients and the paramedics will allow the application to be built to satisfy the needs of the
end-users and allow all the necessary information that the application needs to perform its
tasks well to be captured, since the end-users can provide feedback and suggestions that
can be used to improve the requirements that have already been developed or still have to
be developed for the application. This is important because the developer does not have
sufficient knowledge about the requirements that is needed by a paramedic for them to
carry out their duty efficiently. This will allow the developer to capture all of the relevant
information in the application to aid the paramedic in their duty.
Choosing a Methodology
Criteria
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Weighting (How
important is this criteria
to you)
Justification (Why is this
criteria important?
Project specific
Justifications provide a
stronger argument than
generic ones )
Choosing a Methodology
Criteria
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
Weight
Methodology
Option #1
Methodology
Option #2
Methodology
Option #3