User:DSParillo/Drafts/Software development process models

Larry Putnam says that "software is the most complex undertaking ever attempted by the human race. Wordnet defines model as "a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process" and process as "a particular course of action intended to achieve a result".   In other words, a software development process model is an approximate description of a complex set of actions resulting in working software, produced on-time and within budget.



A decades-long goal has been to find repeatable, predictable processes or methodologies that improve productivity and quality. Some try to systematize or formalize the seemingly unruly task of writing software. Others apply project management techniques to writing software. Without project management, software projects can easily be delivered late or over budget. With large numbers of software projects not meeting their expectations in terms of functionality, cost, or delivery schedule, effective project management is proving difficult.

350px|frame|The Rational Unified Process breaks a project into 4 phases, each with multiple iterations

Image:Iterative_development_model_V2.jpg

[| The spiral model] combines advantages of top-down and bottom-up concepts and was the first model to explain the importance of small, incremental iterations.

[| The V-model] combines ...

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