Which software development method is characterized by eliminating handoffs and delays associated with traditional methods?

The software development method characterized by eliminating handoffs and delays associated with traditional methods is CI/CD, which stands for Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (or Delivery). CI/CD focuses on automating the software development process by continuously integrating code changes into a shared repository and deploying these changes automatically to production or testing environments. This approach minimizes the time between code development and delivery, thereby reducing the potential for delays and errors that often occur in more traditional development methodologies where handoffs between teams can slow down the process.

In CI/CD, developers frequently merge their changes into the main branch, triggering automated testing, which helps catch issues early in the development cycle. This streamlined process enables teams to respond rapidly to feedback and enhances the overall efficiency and quality of the software being developed, making it a critical aspect of modern software development practices.

Other methods like Agile Development, Scrum, and DevOps also seek to improve software delivery but have different focuses. Agile emphasizes iterative development and flexibility, Scrum is a framework within Agile that organizes teams around specific roles and ceremonies, and DevOps promotes collaboration between development and operations teams. While they contribute to improving processes and reducing delays, CI/CD specifically targets reduction of handoffs and delays through its automation of integration and deployment steps.