Waterfall. The waterfall application development method is aptly named so because once you go down, you can’t go back up. The keywords for this application development are planning and sequencing. That means that everything is planned and mapped out in the planning and analysis stages of the life cycle. RAD. The RAD method usually involves smaller teams of experienced developers who are skilled in various disciplines. If changes are needed, they are discussed and incorporated throughout the development process. RAD is all about minimizing development time and refining through prototypes. It’s particularly advantageous for new products that don’t yet have product market fit, or to explore development on top of unfamiliar platforms. Agile. Agile application development is very similar to RAD, except instead of focusing on prototypes, it focuses on breaking up complex software projects into short, manageable chunks. That makes it more suitable for larger projects, whereas RAD is used more frequently on smaller ones.