SDLC Methodology Selection Guide
Project Characteristics Matrix
| Project Type | Best Methodology | Alternative | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Well-defined requirements, regulatory | Waterfall | Spiral | Stability suits sequential approach |
| Software products, frequent feedback | Scrum | XP | Structure with agility |
| SaaS products, meaningful completion | Shape Up | Scrum | 6-week cycles enable complete features |
| Maintenance, varied requests | Kanban | Lean | Continuous flow handles variability |
| High-quality code focus | XP | Scrum + engineering practices | Engineering practices are core |
| Resource-constrained, MVP focus | Lean | Kanban | Waste elimination maximizes value |
| Complex, high-risk systems | Spiral | Waterfall | Risk management is paramount |
| Continuous deployment focus | DevOps | Scrum + DevOps | Deployment automation is key |
| Large teams, feature tracking | FDD | Scrum | Scales to large teams |
| Small teams, low criticality | Crystal | Scrum | Lightweight suits context |
| Breaking feature factory pattern | Shape Up | Lean | Appetite-based planning eliminates backlog churn |
Selection Questions
How stable are requirements?
- Very stable · Waterfall
- Somewhat stable · Scrum, Spiral
- Evolving · Kanban, Lean, XP, Shape Up
- Unknown · XP, Lean, Crystal, Shape Up
How important is time to market?
- Critical (weeks) · Lean, XP, Kanban
- Important (6-week cycles) · Shape Up
- Important (2-week cycles) · Scrum, DevOps
- Flexible (6+ months) · Waterfall, FDD, Spiral
What's the team size?
- 1-3 people · Shape Up, Crystal, XP, Kanban
- 4-6 people · Scrum, XP, Kanban, Shape Up
- 7-12 people · Scrum, XP, Lean
- 13-40 people · Scrum, FDD, Crystal
- 40+ people · FDD, Scaled Agile (SAFe)
What's the team's Agile experience?
- New to Agile · Scrum (structure helps)
- Some experience · Kanban, Lean, Shape Up
- Experienced · XP, Crystal, Kanban, Shape Up
How critical is the system?
- Life-critical · Spiral, Waterfall
- Business-critical · Scrum, FDD, Shape Up
- Important · Most Agile methods
- Low criticality · Crystal, Kanban, Shape Up
How much customer involvement is feasible?
- Daily · XP
- Weekly/bi-weekly · Scrum
- Every 6 weeks · Shape Up
- Monthly · Lean, FDD
- Minimal · Waterfall, Spiral
What's the regulatory environment?
- Heavy regulation · Waterfall, Spiral (with documentation)
- Some regulation · Scrum/Kanban with documentation
- Minimal regulation · Any Agile method
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