Difference between Predictive and Adaptive Development

The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has gone through many changes and many effective ways resulting in the efficient and fast development of software applications. Predictive and Adaptive development are the methods used in developing software applications. In this article, we will see the difference between predictive and adaptive development.

Predictive Development

Predictive development is an old method but it is still being used in software development. The main aim of predictive development is to complete the process of developing a software application and matching all the goals. This approach has many problems when changes in the project have to be made.

In this method, there is an assumption that developers have the ability to predict the final product, and the planning of development is finalized accordingly. This helps in predicting the cost of software development at the initial period. Software is developed step by step in a sequential manner. The next step of development depends upon the previous one.

Professionals who can use Predictive development

Predictive development is recommended for the following −

• The team that has worked on similar types of projects
• No changes should be made in the identification of the project
• Documentation of the development has been done
• Project managers can handle this approach

Predictive Development Advantages

There are many advantages of the predictive development process and some of them are as follows −

• Predictive development can be followed easily and no special skill is required to understand the process
• The next step can only be started if the previous step is finished
• Goals are pre-defined which helps in completing the project easily
• The project can be completed within the deadline and budget
• Project management and monitoring is easy

Disadvantages of Predictive Development

Predictive development has many disadvantages and some of them are listed below −

• The final product is produced after the completion of the last step. If there are any bugs, it is difficult to eliminate them
• The bugs can increase the cost of software development
• Predictive development methodology cannot be used for making complex projects

Adaptive Development

Adaptive development is a new method which does not have any problem when it comes to make changes in a project. This is a flexible approach in developing a software application. Changes can be made at any stage of the project. The approach adopted in this methodology is cyclical which helps in eliminating the bugs at any stage.

Life Cycle of Adaptive Development

There are a few steps which are involved in adaptive development and they are discussed below −

Reflect

This is a step in which stakeholders may think that some of the assumptions may be wrong. This is a step in which strategies are planned to make the project successful. Various types of information are needed in this step which include delivery date, address of the customers, and other basic needs that are required to develop a software application.

Partnership

This is a step in which the development process of the software application is stabilized on the basis of strategies made in the previous step. This helps in recognizing the changes that need to be done as per the suggestions of stakeholders, vendors, and necessity.

Grasp Cycle

This is a step which is challenging for all the stakeholders. This process becomes challenging due to design repetitions, building, and testing. Errors can be caused due to some assumptions which are made incorrectly and have to be corrected later.

Advantages of Adaptive Development

Adaptive development has many advantages and some of them are listed below −

• The method can be followed easily and changes to software development can be made at any stage
• This method is considered as more efficient and effective
• Bugs can be removed efficiently and at any stage
• Quality software solutions can be provided with this method
• Team members with different expertise can work together to develop a software application

Disadvantages of Adaptive Development

Adaptive development has a few disadvantages which are listed below −

• The software has to be reviewed frequently because of client involvement
• The time of development is increased due to the continuous collaboration and communication between the teams
• Deep collaboration between the teams and clients can affect the quality of the software application
• A software application cannot be fully documented due to frequent changes

Difference between Predictive and Adaptive Development

Predictive and Adaptive Development have many differences which we can see in the table below −

Conclusion

Predictive and adaptive methods are adopted to develop a software application. Predictive development is a methodology in which everything is pre-planned and the project is developed accordingly. Adaptive development is a method in which everything is flexible so software can be tested at any stage.

FAQs on Predictive Vs. Adaptive Development

1. Which methodology is considered as agile predictive or adaptive?

Adaptive methodology is considered as agile because of its flexible nature. This helps in making sudden changes and also debugging the software application easily.

2. Which is flexible predictive or adaptive development?

Adaptive development is flexible.

3. In which method testing is done at the end of the project?

In predictive development, method testing is done at the end.

4. Which method is costly?

Predictive development is costly.

5. In which method elimination of bugs is easy?

In the adaptive development method, the elimination of bugs is easy.