THE WATERFALL METHODOLOGY

What Is Waterfall?

Waterfall methodology follows a sequential, linear process and is the most popular version of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) for software engineering and IT projects. It is sometimes planned using a Gantt chart, a type of bar chart that shows the start and end dates for each task. Once one of the eight stages are complete, the development team moves onto the next step.

The team can’t go back to a previous stage without starting the whole process from the beginning. And, before the team can move to the next stage, requirements may need to be reviewed and approved by the customer. The Waterfall model originated in the manufacturing and construction.

Advantages of Waterfall
Waterfall is best used for simple, unchanging projects. Its linear, rigid nature makes it easy to use and allows for in-depth documentation. The advantages of Waterfall include:

– Easy to use and manage: Because the Waterfall model follows the same sequential pattern for each project, it is easy to use and understand. The team doesn’t need any prior knowledge or training before working on a Waterfall project. Waterfall is also a rigid model; each phase has specific deliverables and review, so it’s easy to manage and control.

– Discipline is enforced: Every phase in Waterfall has a start and end point, and it’s easy to share progress with stakeholders and customers. By focusing on requirements and design before writing code, the team can reduce the risk of a missed deadline.

– Requires a well documented approach: Waterfall requires documentation for every phase, resulting in better understanding of the logic behind the code and tests. It also leaves a paper trail for any future projects or if stakeholders need to see more detail about a certain phase.

Disadvantages of Waterfall
The biggest drawback of Waterfall is how it handles change. Because Waterfall is a linear, sequential model, you can’t bounce between phases, even if unexpected changes occur. Once you’re done with a phase, that’s it. Here’s more information on the disadvantages of Waterfall:

– Changes can’t be easily accommodated: Once the team completes a phase, they can’t go back. If they reach the testing phase and realize that a feature was missing from the requirements phase, it is very difficult and expensive to go back and fix it.

– Software isn’t delivered until late: The project has to complete two to four phases before the coding actually begins. As a result, stakeholders won’t see working software until late in the life cycle.

– Gathering accurate requirements can be challenging: One of the first phases in a Waterfall project is to talk to customers and stakeholders and identify their requirements. However, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what they want this early in the project. Many times, customers don’t know what they want early on and instead, learn and identify requirements as the project progresses.