There are two basic methodologies used in product development. They are the Waterfall method, generally applied to traditional hardware development, and the Agile method, most commonly applied to software development. Choosing the right method for the Product Development at hand requires at least a basic understanding of the two. The following is a brief outline, and the pros and cons of each.
The term Waterfall Development describes a sequential process wherein the requirements for each step in the process must be met before moving on to the next step. Some variations include Spiral and V-Model.
The process generally consists of five major steps;
- Requirements
- Design
- Implementation
- Verification
- Maintenance.
The process relies heavily on the ability to fully define the product requirements up front. It has the advantage of allowing design details to be worked out at the beginning of the process, thus providing a clear set of deliverables at the Requirements stage. The downside to this is that the customer is unable to see anything tangible until well into the process.
The Waterfall method is best applied to Hardware development, and some software development, wherein the product requirements can be clearly understood at the start of the project.
The term Agile Software Development describes a number of development methodologies based on iterative and incremental development, also referred to as Lightweight Development. It encompasses such terms as:
- Rapid Application Development (RAD)
- Rational Unified Process (RUP)
- Extreme Programming (XP)
- Lean
- Scrum
- Test-driven development (TDD)
Unlike the Waterfall method, the process does not try to fully define the project up front. Rather, the product is developed in increments with each new iteration building on what has been developed and learned in the previous iteration.
The method was developed primarily for use in software development, with the focus of getting working software into the user's hands for evaluation, as quickly as possible. The user's input then determines what changes and additions to include in the next iteration.
It has the advantage of getting product to the customer and soliciting feedback early on in the process. The disadvantage is that as the requirements evolve, some or all of the previous work may become unusable. When deploying the Agile method, the desire to hold on to what has been produced must be put aside in favour of the developing project requirement.
The Agile method is best suited for User Interfaces and emerging technologies, where the overall requirements cannot be fully defined up front, but rather will emerge as the development proceeds.
I, Robert Shular, have 20+ years experience designing & developing products, and now operate Creator Consulting; Helping small business develop Products and Services for the Electronics Industry.
Since my postsecondary education at DeVry Institute of Technology, I've worked professionally in the electronics industry. During this time I've done original Analog and Digital Circuit Design; ran a Quality Assurance program for customers such as AECL, Ontario Hydro, & DND; Managed off-shore manufacturing in China/Taiwan; and Managed Operations for an Electronics Technology Company; to mention a few.
My areas of expertise include: Design & Development, Product/Project Management, Technical Analysis & Problem Solving, Documentation & Process Development, Mentoring/Coaching
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