Although we have considered how the Waterfall Model fails the needs of computer software development and many other spheres of project design and management in the modern world, particularly if it is compared to the success of the Agile alternative, perhaps in the end we could be a little more lenient towards the concept.
Its application, or partial application, where deemed appropriate may be relevant in some contexts. You do not want failure, you want successful results, but what are your conditions? Traditional waterfall model is a sequential project management method with a linear approach to development where the majority of project deliverables and stakeholder requirements are defined at the start and documented into a rigid development plan.
Every phase of a project in the waterfall model typically depends on the deliverables from the previous stage. The model is easy to follow and explain: Waterfall model facilitates specific deliverables defined to every phase of the project. Swift resource allocation: Waterfall allows for easily allocating huge resources over a long timeframe.
End goals are early defined. Product definition is consistent: There are no ambiguous requirements throughout the whole project lifecycle.
Easy to manage: The majority of requirements are defined upfront and development phases are sequential, which makes the waterfall development predictable and easier to manage. The waterfall model was widely popularized by manufacturing, construction, and engineering industries that highly depend on defining rigid requirements upfront. Waterfall model was also widely adopted in software development before alternative development methodologies such as Agile gained more traction and support.
Your email address will not be published. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. It is easier to measure the progress of the project with this method since all the progress of the project is defined upstream. After the requirements phase, the presence of the client is not necessary during the course of the project, which is convenient for clients with limited availability. The main disadvantage of the waterfall method is its lack of flexibility.
As it takes place by following precise steps, it leaves no room for unforeseen events and modifications. With this approach, you are more likely to see your client dissatisfied and disappointed with the end result of the project. Since the client cannot intervene and will only see his project once it is finished, it is possible that it is not in line with his expectations and his needs which may have changed, along with the context of the project new competitors, new technologies, new markets, etc.
For any change, the team will have to review the entire project or the majority of it because all stages can potentially be affected.
This discourages any changes from being made to the project, a change may generate delays and additional costs. It is less practical and more expensive to add an additional option on an almost finished project than on a project in progress. The strict and rigorous organization of the waterfall method is very popular in some industries, however, today, the agile method is often preferred to the waterfall method as it offers greater flexibility and allows the customer to be involved throughout the project.
However, it is quite possible to create your own method by combining these two approaches. Digital transformation , Collaboration. Want to learn more about a specific topic? Check out our resources. Collaboration What are the main causes of project failure? By team and use. By sector. The Waterfall Method: An introduction for beginners. How does it work? The Advantages of the Waterfall Model While the waterfall model has seen a slow phasing out in recent years in favor of more agile methods, it can still provide a number of benefits, particularly for larger projects and organizations that require the stringent stages and deadlines available within these cool, cascading waters.
Adapts to Shifting Teams : While not necessarily specific to the waterfall model only, using a waterfall method does allow the project as a whole to maintain a more detailed, robust scope and design structure due to all the upfront planning and documentation stages. This is particularly well suited to large teams that may see members come and go throughout the life cycle of the project, allowing the burden of design to be placed on the core documentation and less on any individual team member.
Forces Structured Organization : While some may argue this is a burden rather than a benefit, the fact remains that the waterfall model forces the project, and even the organization building said project, to be extraordinarily disciplined in its design and structure.
Most sizable projects will, by necessity, include detailed procedures to manage every aspect of the project, from design and development to testing and implementation.
Allows for Early Design Changes : While it can be difficult to make design changes later in the process, the waterfall approach lends itself well to alterations early in the life cycle. This is great when fleshing out the specification documents in the first couple stages with the development team and clients, as alterations can be made immediately and with minimal effort, since no coding or implementation has actually taken place up to that point.
Suited for Milestone-Focused Development : Due to the inherent linear structure of a waterfall project, such applications are always well-suited for organizations or teams that work well under a milestone- and date-focused paradigm. With clear, concrete, and well understood stages that everyone on the team can understand and prepare for, it is relatively simple to develop a time line for the entire process and assign particular markers and milestones for each stage and even completion.
The Disadvantages of the Waterfall Model While some things in software development never really change, many others often fall by the wayside. Nonadaptive Design Constraints : While arguably a whole book could be written on this topic alone, the most damning aspect of the waterfall model is its inherent lack of adaptability across all stages of the development life cycle.
During the Maintenance phase, the customer is using the developed application. As problems are found due to improper requirements determination or other mistakes in the design process, or due to changes in the users' requirements, changes are made to the system during this phase. Due to these and similar problems, systems analysts began looking for alternative methods of designing systems. In the following sections, I will go over select methods that have been developed.
I will concentrate on methodologies that have been classified as Agile. Copyright Douglas Hughey. Content of this web page created for Information Systems course, taught by Dr. Vicki Sauter, and not endorsed by the University of Missouri-St. The Traditional Waterfall Approach The Waterfall approach to systems analysis and design wass the first established modern approach to building a system.
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