Bridging the Gap: A Comparative Evaluation of Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid Methodologies in Modern Software Projects

This research aims to analyze and compare software development methodologies using a two-level decomposition based architectural approach. In this framework, each methodology is dissected into three main system areas: work management, release management, and team management. Each of these areas is further broken down into detailed elements such as work units, test integration, release scheduling, and team formation. Using morphological tables, this research shows the different characteristics and flexibility of the methodologies in handling scope changes, risk assessment, and team collaboration. The analysis shows that Agile excels in flexibility and rapid iteration, Waterfall is suitable for projects with fixed scope and rigid structure, while Spiral is effective for complex and high-risk projects. This decomposition provides a systematic way for project managers to match methodology characteristics to project needs precisely.