A software process outlines all steps or practices used to create a software application. From the customer's requirements to the finished product, the software process that is used determines the organization and flexibility of the project. There are severl different software processes, and each describes their own solution to developing valid software.

This module will investigate several different software practices, including: waterfall, spiral, extreme programming (XP), and agile.

The waterfall software process is an almost linear path through software development. The waterfall model contains six major stages of development: requirements, design, code, test, integrate, maintain. Each stage is done one at a time with some little flexibility in repeating a stage. The waterfall model should be used on projects with few requirements changes.

The spiral model is a phased model that allows a program to go through several iterations of the development. The software goes through determination, evaluation, development, and planning phases until the final release of the product.

Agile methodologies, including XP, are more flexible programming processes that allow for more iterations and quicker prototype releases. Agile and XP practices are best used in small development groups with dynamic requirements.