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App Development Methods Decoded Not sure what 'waterfall,' 'agile' or 'scrum' are? Here we explain the three most popular app development processes.

By Mikal E. Belicove

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Q: I've heard software development shops talk about various methods--"waterfall," "agile" and "scrum"--for building apps. What's the difference?

Choose wisely: Kim Heldman, senior IT director for the state of Colorado, says app-building methods can make or break your project--so do your research.
Choose wisely: Kim Heldman, senior IT director for the state of Colorado, says app-building methods can make or break your project--so do your research.
Photo© Jacob Pritchard

A: Be assured, the developers who use scrum aren't billing you for a daily rugby match to help brainstorm your product. In this case, the term describes one of more than a half-dozen software development processes used to organize a project's work flow. And whether you need an e-commerce site for your T-shirt startup or a smartphone app for your pizza delivery business, you should decide on the approach to development that addresses the requirements, design, production, testing and deployment phases of the software in a manner that works best for your management style and, ultimately, your business.