Methodology in Software Development Capstone Projects

Capstone projects which provide the opportunity for student teams to experience ‘real-world’ software development form part of the final semester of study in many computing degrees. This paper describes a number of development methodologies that are currently used both in industry and software development capstone projects. Such projects are carried out under a unique set of constraints due to their nature as instances of experiential learning in an educational setting. These constraints are discussed and then a number of methodologies are described along with a discussion of the suitability of the methodology for capstone projects. Issues that must be addressed by instructors are considered. Finally recommendations are made and a plan for a study into capstone development methodologies is described. The goals of this paper are to provide an overview of current methodologies available for software development capstone projects, to clarify the benefits and problems encountered when using these methodologies in capstone projects, and to indicate suitable resources for those involved in these projects.