Product development is making an idea into a product that people can use. Product development comes in all shapes and sizes, from making trinkets to developing new software for computers. For some companies the process of developing the product is over once it has been sold to customers or clients. On the other hand, for most companies they are using planned obsolescence so they will need to continue coming up with new products so existing ones don’t become outdated.
The agile product development process is difficult with so many factors to consider. This article will go over six of the best known product development frameworks that are being used today in 2018. Which one you choose will depend on what type of business or company you have and their size, resources, etc..
Finding the right product development method framework
There are many frameworks which you can use while designing your software product development methods (e.g.: agile, Scrum). The English language isn’t always clear when describing concepts like these; therefore, consulting someone who specializes in business might be helpful if you wish to get the best approach.
Techniques for building your product development methods
Front-loading the project with planning is key in creating effective product development methods. This means that you should do some research so you can estimate how much time and resources will be necessary to complete the entire project, right after it begins. These are just some of things which you need to take care of when developing product development methodologies: create short-term goals which are easily achievable, have a flexible schedule, use daily stand-ups (i.e.: quick meetings where everyone involved discusses what they’ve done since yesterday), establish work hours (which reflects on assignment completion deadlines) etc..
Teamwork is also important; therefore, make you get help from people who specialize in the necessary areas of expertise. This way you will have faster/better results and your product delivery won’t get delayed; which, in turn, might cause additional costs or even very unpleasant side-effects (which occur when clients try to enforce things they said before). And make sure that collaboration between team members produces great synergy.
Top 6 best product development method frameworks are:
- IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP)
IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a development process framework which was introduced by IBM in 1995. This model is published under the name “The RATIONAL Unified Process”.
It uses an iterative and incremental approach to guide teams through the whole project life-cycle of software development. Development process guides are being used every day, but there are some cases when it makes sense to have guidelines which can lead you through all stages of the product creation process, on different levels of abstraction, instead of having separate frameworks for specific stages only.
- Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) –
Microsoft Solutions Framework is a process framework for software development, originally developed by Microsoft. MSF has been improved over time which makes it one of the most widely used frameworks for professional software developers. It covers all stages of the product creation process, from project initiation to maintenance phase.
- Agile –
Agile methodologies are based on iterative and incremental approaches where work is divided into numerous iterations that usually take place within short periods of time, usually 2-4 weeks or even less. Short iteration lengths are meant to support fast feedback loops which enable constant course correction throughout the whole process, making sure that any changes can be easily implemented without negative impacts on already completed parts of the project.
Agile (also known as Agile development) is an iterative and incremental approach to product development. It advocates adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery and continuous improvement, and it encourages rapid and flexible response to change. At its foundation is a philosophy asserting that common situations are best addressed by adapting to the situation at hand rather than applying a one-size-fits-all solution. Methodologies from “extreme programming” have inspired the most well-known Agile methods.
- Waterfall –
Waterfall models follow sequential steps for product development with no provision for going back to previous steps once the project has moved on. Waterfall models are very rigid, requiring an extensive upfront planning and design process.
- Spiral –
The spiral model is a dynamic approach that builds upon the Waterfall model by providing flexibility to change already completed parts of the process without starting from scratch or significantly increasing cost estimates. The model consists of several spirals, where each spiral focuses on different phases of the product development life cycle which are repeated again and again iteratively until all requirements have been met along with product-market fit being established.
- SCRUM
SCRUM is a term in management science which represents a group of concepts for managing work in a complex system in a structured way. The practices used in SCUM help us to develop products in a structured way. The most important aspect of SCRUM is planning and the team members work together to deliver a product in short iterations which can be called as Sprints . A sprint is a fixed period of time where a team works towards completing a set of tasks until they have delivered working software.
