Waterfall Development Methodology
The waterfall model refers to a linear-sequential development process. “One at a Time” where any phase can’t start until the earlier phases are done. While each phase doesn’t overlap, it’s important to remember that not all phases happen at the same time.
The Sequential process are requirement gathering and analysis, Design, Implementation, Integration and Testing, Deployment and Maintenance.
The waterfall model is an extremely popular project management framework that’s been around for ages. Some industries where it’s particularly effective are construction, Manufacturing, Health Care, IT and software development.
Example of Waterfall Model
Building a Car Park? Well, if so, you should probably use waterfall Model. Using Agile would be extremely difficult. Build one car spot, show it to customer, then build the next. Its just foolish enough not to take advantage of economies of scaling and it ignores logistics etc.
Pros in Waterfall Model
1. Is ideal for projects that are well-defined with clear start and end points.
2. Documentation should be submitted for every stage of the development cycle, and a quality assurance test should be carried out before progressing to the next phase.
3. The project is completely dependent on the team with minimum client intervention. changes are only made during the development process.
Cons in Waterfall Model
1. It is not desirable for projects with frequent requirement changes. and Errors can only be fixed during the development phase
2. Developers and testers spend a lot of time working on documentation and Testing, which comes only at the end of the development process.
3. Even minor changes or mistakes in your completed project can cause a lot of problems and Clients are always interested in giving feedback on prototypes, but this cannot be combined with the development phase.
Agile Development Methodology
Agile is a software development methodology that promotes continuous iterations of testing and development. It provides both developers and testers with the opportunity to share information more often, which can help reduce many of the risks of building software.
It’s all about working collaboratively with your stakeholders and constantly improving at every stage. Once the work begins, teams go through a process of planning, executing, and evaluating. Continuous coordination is vital with your team members as well as your clients and prospects.
Example of Agile Model
Building a website, where there is no cost related to deployment, agile model works well. We can generate something quick, show it to the customer, fix as necessary with the customer feedback and push back deadlines or cut scope as necessary according to customers’ requirements.
Pros in Agile Model
1. In Agile missions’ software is developed in short iterations and delivered at regular intervals. Stakeholders are satisfied because, after every iteration, they receive working versions instead of complete versions that need to be continuously updated.
2. Customers can now look into the functionality that has met their expectations. Continuous customer feedback helps to improve the final product with high quality,
3. Requirements changes are accepted even at the end of the development.
4. Agile approach can help increase workplace synergy, by breaking down barriers and collaboration is fostered. Trust and a sense of partnership between colleagues will also grow to meet the needs of the business.
Cons in Agile Model
1. Documentation is minimum in this Methodology.
2. Since the requirement is frequently updated and changing it’s hard to predict the outcome beforehand.
3. Software development life cycle can be a challenge. Estimating the actual effort required for a project can be difficult or imprecise.
4. The project might never come to an end because of the constantly evolving features. Complex projects also have a hard time meeting deadlines because of underestimating the resource requirements and effort involved.
Benefits of combining both methodologies
If you are part of an organization requiring customized software for your electronic devices, combining both Methodologies will be of great benefit One of the examples is that Prototyping hardware can be expensive, but it’s worth it because the prototype helps develop the best possible product before any money is spent on manufacturing. so, they will generally release build revisions in waterfalls model, and the Software teams will be as dynamic as possible with agile workflows.