Spiral Methodology

When working in software development organisations follow software development systems to ensure the project is a success. The spiral methodology is one such system.

Spiral methodology

The spiral methodology is similar to the waterfall lifecycle but features an iterative agile aspect to it.

Stage 1: Identification

The client and the project team collaborate to establish requirements from the user.
After the first spiral, this stage is also used to review what has been achieved before and what needs to be added.

Stage 2: Design

The project team then enter into the design stage.
During the first spiral they will develop a conceptual design for the project.
Then architectural design in the next spiral, then logical design and finally a physical design in the subsequent spirals.

Stage 3: Construction

The team will then enter the construct stage to develop the agreed requirements.
During the first spiral a proof of concept version will be built to get feedback from the client, then functionality will be added in each spiral.

Stage 4: Evaluation and risk assessment

Then finally evaluation and risk assessment is used to evaluate the product by the client and assess the risk of what still needs to be done.
This information is then fed back into the next spiral.

Merits & Drawbacks of the Spiral Methodology

Software development methodologies are suitable in different situations and all of them have positive and negatives.

Merits of spiral methodology

With the spiral methodology, a product can be developed at each cycle and more added to the system after each spiral.
This means the user sees a system very early on.
Spiral makes use of prototypes.
The client is able to see the product being developed to ensure it is what they want.

Drawbacks of spiral methodology

Like other agile methodologies, spiral can easily fall off track and the costs and time scales can escalate quickly.
The client is needed to make a significant time investment for feedback and evaluation to steer the project.
Spiral, again like other agile methodologies, produces poor quality documentation compared to waterfall.

Usage

Spiral is best suited to projects where the client can heavily invest their time in guiding what is being produced.
The client should have a clear idea of what they want.

1Components of a Computer

1.1Structure & Function of the Processor

1.1.1Structure of the CPU

1.1.2Fetch, Decode, Execute Cycle

1.1.3Factors Affecting CPU Performance

1.1.4CPU Architecture

1.2Types of Processors

1.2.1CISC & RISC

1.2.2Multicore & Parallel Cores

1.3Input, Output & Storage

1.3.1Computer Systems

1.3.2Magnetic Storage

1.3.3Optical Storage

1.3.4Types of Optical Storage

1.3.5Types of Memory

1.3.6Flash Memory

1.3.7Virtual Memory

2Software & Software Development

3Exchanging Data

4Data Types, Data Structures & Algorithms

4.1Data Types

4.1.1Data Types

4.1.2Arrays & Strings

4.1.3Representing Numbers

4.1.4Binary Arithmetic

4.1.5Hexadecimal

4.1.6Converting Binary Numbers

4.1.7Floating Points in Binary

4.1.8Floating Point Arithmetic

4.1.9Bitwise Manipulation

4.1.10Character Sets

4.2Data Structures

4.2.1Arrays, Linked Lists & Queues

4.2.2Graphs, Hash Tables & Stacks

4.2.3Trees

4.3Boolean Algebra

4.3.1Computational Logic

4.3.2Boolean Logic

4.3.3Karnaugh Maps

4.3.4Boolean Identities

4.3.5Flip Flops & Adder Circuits

5Legal, Moral, Cultural & Ethical Issues

5.1Computing Related Legislation

5.1.1Data Protection Act (1998)

5.1.2Computer Misuse Act (1990)

5.1.3Copyright Designs and Patents Act (1988)

5.1.4Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000)

5.2Moral & Ethical Issues

5.2.1Online Activity Tracking

5.2.2Censorship

5.2.3Cultural Issues

5.2.4Environmental Issues

5.2.5Layout, Colour Paradigms & Character Sets

6Elements of Computational Thinking

6.1Thinking Abstractly

6.1.1Abstraction

6.2Thinking Procedurally

6.2.1Decomposition

6.3Thinking Logically

6.3.1Pseudocode & Flow Diagrams

7Problem Solving & Programming

7.1Programming Techniques

7.1.1Programming Fundamentals

7.1.2Modularity

7.2Programming Construction

7.2.1Integrated Development Environments

7.2.2Testing

8Algorithms

8.1Algorithms

8.1.1Interpreting, Correcting & Completing Algorithm

8.1.2Sort Algorithms

8.1.3Insertion & Merge Sort

8.1.4Search Algorithms

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