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How to Decide the Best among Agile vs. Waterfall?

The success of any software development project is highly dependent on the chosen development approach. The first and foremost decision to be made when it comes to creating software is to finalize which development Agile vs Waterfall methodology to use. When selecting a model, the Agile vs Waterfall most renowned approaches are the Waterfall and the Agile methodology. 

  1. Waterfall – Mostly known as the traditional approach for project development.
  2. Agile – A newer approach compared to Waterfall but not that new; generally implemented using Scrum and help with rapid app development. 

To help your product team in assessing when to use the Waterfall vs. Agile product development methodology, we will show you some of the notable information. It will aid to decide where it may be more desirable to use one over the other or even combine the two of them. 

Waterfall methodology – Basic Information 

Waterfall project management is a traditional model to build engineering systems. It is primarily based on manufacturing as well as construction projects. 

When implemented for software development, certain tasks completed in one stage need to be assessed and verified before moving ahead towards the next stage. It is a linear and sequential methodology, where each stage streams in descending order to the next. 

Agile methodology – Basic Information 

Agile methodology is a software development methodology based on standards that are highly focused on the people, outcomes, cross-functional collaboration, and tailored responses to change.

Rather than planning for the entire project, it splits the development process into small iterations, or we can say short time frames. Each iteration contains all SDLC stages to deliver a working product at the end. After executing multiple iterations, a new or updated product gets released. 

Agile vs Waterfall

Agile vs Waterfall- Differences 

Agile Methodology Waterfall Methodology 
An incremental and iterative approach Linear and sequential approach 
Splits project into sprints Splits project into phases 
Simultaneously complete multiple small projects Complete one single project at a time
Focus on customer satisfaction Focus on successful project delivery 
Requirements are uncertain and evolving Requirements are certain and definite 
Testing is performed concurrently Testing is performed after the build stage 
The testing team can participate in requirement changesThe testing team can not participate in requirement changes
The project team operates without a dedicated project managerThe project team needs a project manager to play an important role in each stage. 

Agile Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • The client continuously stays engaged during each phase as it is a client-focused methodology. 
  • Deliver improved results as the teams are highly inspired and self-organized. 
  • It assures that the quality of the development is highly maintained. 
  • Learning is encouraged and adopted. 
  • The development process is based on incremental progress. 
  • The client and team are well aware of the completed and remaining tasks ultimately reducing the risks that arise in the development process.
  • It offers high flexibility.
  • Time to market gets accelerated and empowers the teams. 
  • More room for creativity. 

Negatives 

  • It is not suitable for small-sized development projects. 
  • It needs the presence of experts for significant decision-making during an important meeting. 
  • The results and timeline are less predictable. 
  • Implementation of agile methods is quite costly compared to other development approaches. 
  • Documentation in the agile approach is not deliverable. 
  • If the project manager is not clear about the desired outcome, the project can easily turn out to be an unmanaged and confusing one. 

Waterfall Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • It is one of the simplest models to deal with. Each phase has specific outputs and a review process. 
  • Helpful to manage dependencies. 
  • Process and outcomes are well documented. 
  • It is a well-defined approach leveraged in almost all business verticals. 

Negatives  

  • It is not suitable for large-sized development projects. 
  • It is quite complex to return to previous stages to perform any emerging changes.  
  • Already defined requirements restrict creativity during the development. 
  • More efforts on creating documentation rather than developing products. 

How to Choose Among Both?

Opting for Agile vs Waterfall the methodology is not the best choice for each project. Definitely, agile looks like a more suitable tactic for project management, but it is not always the perfect way to lead a project from beginning to end. Sometimes sticking to a more transitional model is what you can do the best for your project.  

The decision of choosing from these highly different approaches depends on the nature of your project. You may consider the above-mentioned factors to decide which one to implement. 

To Summary

The Agile vs Waterfall approaches are distinct forms of product development methodologies. Each one is excellent in some situations and ineffective in others. 

Software development projects that have emerging or undetermined requirements need to use the agile approach. In contrast, small-sized software development projects that have clear requirements find the Agile vs. Waterfall approach to be the best pick.

The success of any software development project is highly dependent on the chosen development approach. The first and foremost decision to be made when it comes to creating software is to finalize which development Agile vs Waterfall methodology to use. When selecting a model, the Agile vs Waterfall most renowned approaches are the Waterfall and the Agile methodology. 

  1. Waterfall – Mostly known as the traditional approach for project development.
  2. Agile – A newer approach compared to Waterfall but not that new; generally implemented using Scrum and help with rapid app development. 

To help your product team in assessing when to use the Waterfall vs. Agile product development methodology, we will show you some of the notable information. It will aid to decide where it may be more desirable to use one over the other or even combine the two of them. 

Waterfall methodology – Basic Information 

Waterfall project management is a traditional model to build engineering systems. It is primarily based on manufacturing as well as construction projects. 

When implemented for software development, certain tasks completed in one stage need to be assessed and verified before moving ahead towards the next stage. It is a linear and sequential methodology, where each stage streams in descending order to the next. 

Agile methodology – Basic Information 

Agile methodology is a software development methodology based on standards that are highly focused on the people, outcomes, cross-functional collaboration, and tailored responses to change.

Rather than planning for the entire project, it splits the development process into small iterations, or we can say short time frames. Each iteration contains all SDLC stages to deliver a working product at the end. After executing multiple iterations, a new or updated product gets released. 

Agile vs Waterfall

Agile vs Waterfall- Differences 

Agile Methodology Waterfall Methodology 
An incremental and iterative approach Linear and sequential approach 
Splits project into sprints Splits project into phases 
Simultaneously complete multiple small projects Complete one single project at a time
Focus on customer satisfaction Focus on successful project delivery 
Requirements are uncertain and evolving Requirements are certain and definite 
Testing is performed concurrently Testing is performed after the build stage 
The testing team can participate in requirement changesThe testing team can not participate in requirement changes
The project team operates without a dedicated project managerThe project team needs a project manager to play an important role in each stage. 

Agile Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • The client continuously stays engaged during each phase as it is a client-focused methodology. 
  • Deliver improved results as the teams are highly inspired and self-organized. 
  • It assures that the quality of the development is highly maintained. 
  • Learning is encouraged and adopted. 
  • The development process is based on incremental progress. 
  • The client and team are well aware of the completed and remaining tasks ultimately reducing the risks that arise in the development process.
  • It offers high flexibility.
  • Time to market gets accelerated and empowers the teams. 
  • More room for creativity. 

Negatives 

  • It is not suitable for small-sized development projects. 
  • It needs the presence of experts for significant decision-making during an important meeting. 
  • The results and timeline are less predictable. 
  • Implementation of agile methods is quite costly compared to other development approaches. 
  • Documentation in the agile approach is not deliverable. 
  • If the project manager is not clear about the desired outcome, the project can easily turn out to be an unmanaged and confusing one. 

Waterfall Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • It is one of the simplest models to deal with. Each phase has specific outputs and a review process. 
  • Helpful to manage dependencies. 
  • Process and outcomes are well documented. 
  • It is a well-defined approach leveraged in almost all business verticals. 

Negatives  

  • It is not suitable for large-sized development projects. 
  • It is quite complex to return to previous stages to perform any emerging changes.  
  • Already defined requirements restrict creativity during the development. 
  • More efforts on creating documentation rather than developing products. 

How to Choose Among Both?

Opting for Agile vs Waterfall the methodology is not the best choice for each project. Definitely, agile looks like a more suitable tactic for project management, but it is not always the perfect way to lead a project from beginning to end. Sometimes sticking to a more transitional model is what you can do the best for your project.  

The decision of choosing from these highly different approaches depends on the nature of your project. You may consider the above-mentioned factors to decide which one to implement. 

To Summary

The Agile vs Waterfall approaches are distinct forms of product development methodologies. Each one is excellent in some situations and ineffective in others. 

Software development projects that have emerging or undetermined requirements need to use the agile approach. In contrast, small-sized software development projects that have clear requirements find the Agile vs. Waterfall approach to be the best pick.

The success of any software development project is highly dependent on the chosen development approach. The first and foremost decision to be made when it comes to creating software is to finalize which development Agile vs Waterfall methodology to use. When selecting a model, the Agile vs Waterfall most renowned approaches are the Waterfall and the Agile methodology. 

  1. Waterfall – Mostly known as the traditional approach for project development.
  2. Agile – A newer approach compared to Waterfall but not that new; generally implemented using Scrum and help with rapid app development. 

To help your product team in assessing when to use the Waterfall vs. Agile product development methodology, we will show you some of the notable information. It will aid to decide where it may be more desirable to use one over the other or even combine the two of them. 

Waterfall methodology – Basic Information 

Waterfall project management is a traditional model to build engineering systems. It is primarily based on manufacturing as well as construction projects. 

When implemented for software development, certain tasks completed in one stage need to be assessed and verified before moving ahead towards the next stage. It is a linear and sequential methodology, where each stage streams in descending order to the next. 

Agile methodology – Basic Information 

Agile methodology is a software development methodology based on standards that are highly focused on the people, outcomes, cross-functional collaboration, and tailored responses to change.

Rather than planning for the entire project, it splits the development process into small iterations, or we can say short time frames. Each iteration contains all SDLC stages to deliver a working product at the end. After executing multiple iterations, a new or updated product gets released. 

Agile vs Waterfall

Agile vs Waterfall- Differences 

Agile Methodology Waterfall Methodology 
An incremental and iterative approach Linear and sequential approach 
Splits project into sprints Splits project into phases 
Simultaneously complete multiple small projects Complete one single project at a time
Focus on customer satisfaction Focus on successful project delivery 
Requirements are uncertain and evolving Requirements are certain and definite 
Testing is performed concurrently Testing is performed after the build stage 
The testing team can participate in requirement changesThe testing team can not participate in requirement changes
The project team operates without a dedicated project managerThe project team needs a project manager to play an important role in each stage. 

Agile Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • The client continuously stays engaged during each phase as it is a client-focused methodology. 
  • Deliver improved results as the teams are highly inspired and self-organized. 
  • It assures that the quality of the development is highly maintained. 
  • Learning is encouraged and adopted. 
  • The development process is based on incremental progress. 
  • The client and team are well aware of the completed and remaining tasks ultimately reducing the risks that arise in the development process.
  • It offers high flexibility.
  • Time to market gets accelerated and empowers the teams. 
  • More room for creativity. 

Negatives 

  • It is not suitable for small-sized development projects. 
  • It needs the presence of experts for significant decision-making during an important meeting. 
  • The results and timeline are less predictable. 
  • Implementation of agile methods is quite costly compared to other development approaches. 
  • Documentation in the agile approach is not deliverable. 
  • If the project manager is not clear about the desired outcome, the project can easily turn out to be an unmanaged and confusing one. 

Waterfall Model – Positives and Negatives

Positives

  • It is one of the simplest models to deal with. Each phase has specific outputs and a review process. 
  • Helpful to manage dependencies. 
  • Process and outcomes are well documented. 
  • It is a well-defined approach leveraged in almost all business verticals. 

Negatives  

  • It is not suitable for large-sized development projects. 
  • It is quite complex to return to previous stages to perform any emerging changes.  
  • Already defined requirements restrict creativity during the development. 
  • More efforts on creating documentation rather than developing products. 

How to Choose Among Both?

Opting for Agile vs Waterfall the methodology is not the best choice for each project. Definitely, agile looks like a more suitable tactic for project management, but it is not always the perfect way to lead a project from beginning to end. Sometimes sticking to a more transitional model is what you can do the best for your project.  

The decision of choosing from these highly different approaches depends on the nature of your project. You may consider the above-mentioned factors to decide which one to implement. 

To Summary

The Agile vs Waterfall approaches are distinct forms of product development methodologies. Each one is excellent in some situations and ineffective in others. 

Software development projects that have emerging or undetermined requirements need to use the agile approach. In contrast, small-sized software development projects that have clear requirements find the Agile vs. Waterfall approach to be the best pick.

Eleena Wills
Eleena Wills
Hi, I’m Eleena Wills. Being a writer and blogger, I strive to provide informative and valuable articles to people. With quality, constructive, and well-researched articles, one can make informed choices. I cover a wide range of topics, from home improvement to hair styling and automotive.
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