Spiral models of software development are suitable for large projects, where making mistakes leads to large losses and negative consequences. The emphasis is on risk assessment and elaboration of specific business tasks. The working principle is as follows:
The work proceeds in a spiral, with 4 main actions on each turn: creating a plan, analyzing risks, designing and developing, evaluating the result, and collecting feedback. If all 4 steps are successfully completed, the development moves to a new round.
The transition itself resembles an incremental model, where each block is developed independently and attached to the originally created core functionality. The peculiarity of the approach is that most of the time is spent on analysis and trying to perform calculations and assess consequences, rather than on the development itself. Programmers are sometimes much quicker to implement a feature than analysts are to study it.
The spiral model suits large companies because it is not cheap. In addition, development takes quite a long time. This method is for those who put everything on the line. If in the case of failure, the project ceases to exist, then you need to protect yourself and eliminate the risks. And this method is used for this purpose.
The advantages of the spiral model
- Great attention is paid to working out the risks.