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Agile VS Waterfall

Your team likely has an established way of completing projects. As the leader, you need to be the master of the system development life cycle (SDLC). To generate a high quality product, you’ll almost certainly wind up evaluating the benefits and drawbacks of Agile vs Waterfall.

The models Agile and Waterfall are both popular, although they are incredibly different. Both of these provide well-defined procedures, or SDLCs, to assure a premium product. To help you decide between Agile vs Waterfall, we will cover their core components and when is the best case for each method.

Agile vs Waterfall: Definitions

The Agile approach is an incremental software development methodology based on concepts emphasizing people, outcomes, collaboration, and adaptability to change. It breaks down development work into small chunks performed in iterations or short periods rather than planning for the entire project. Each iteration comprises all phases of the SDLC, resulting in a functional product at the end. A new or upgraded product is released after numerous revisions.

The Waterfall approach is a conventional model for designing engineering systems that was developed for projects in the manufacturing and construction industries. When it comes to software development, specific activities that have been accomplished in one phase must be evaluated and validated before going on to the next. It’s a sequential and linear method, with stages flowing down (much like a waterfall) to the next.

Agile vs Waterfall: Pros and Cons

Agile Methodology

Agile methodology is a team-based strategy that stresses the quick deployment of a functional product with a customer-centric focus. It establishes a sprint, time-boxed period when a project team completes a defined amount of work. A sprint is the core component of the Agile methodologies.

A list of deliverables is prioritized based on client feedback at the start of each sprint. The team and the client discuss and assess the work after the sprint, making comments for future sprints. Agile methodology refers to more particular approaches based on processes, such as Scrum and Kanban, as a methodology based on broad principles.

What Are the Benefits of Agile?

The following are some of the well-known advantages of agile methodology:

  • You can complete the SDLC more quickly.
  • Sprints offer a predictable timetable
  • Customer-centric, which leads to higher customer satisfaction.
  • Accepting changes with openness
  • Teams are empowered to handle projects.
  • Encourages effective communication
  • Ideal for projects with a variable budget.

What Are the Disadvantages of Agile?

The following are some of Agile’s drawbacks:

  • Agile necessitates a high level of client participation, which not all consumers are comfortable with or desire.
  • Agile presupposes that every team member is entirely committed to the project.
  • A time-boxed phase may not be enough to handle all deliverables.
  • Agile recommends co-location for effective communication. However, this is not always practical.

Waterfall Methodology

The waterfall technique splits the SDLC into phases, and only when the preceding step has been finished can the following phase begin. Managers must sign off a deliverable or a document between stages. All stages are only done once. Therefore all requirements are gathered as much as feasible from the outset to give information for planning, scheduling, budgeting, and resource allocation. Because it is plan-driven, any modifications made after the project has begun will cause the initial plan to be thrown off and necessitate a redo.

What Are the Benefits of Waterfall?

The advantages of Waterfall technique are as follows:

  • Since the team and stakeholders agreed upon the project’s deliverables at the outset, planning and design are smooth.
  • With a holistic approach to design, you can create a better product.
  • It offers easier costing with a defined scope of work.
  • Clear progress indicators help define team roles.
  • For their specialized duties, dedicated resources can operate simultaneously.

What Are the Disadvantages of Waterfall?

The following are some of Waterfall’s drawbacks:

  • It has rigid tenets, which reduce adaptability.
  • There is no room for ambiguity.
  • Customer involvement is low, leading to potentially low satisfaction.
  • A sequential method is not suitable for a huge project with an ultimate deadline that is too distant in the future.
  • Testing is only done in the last stages of a project.

Agile vs Waterfall: Which Is Better?

You’ll frequently hear that Waterfall is an antiquated methodology, but it still has a place for specific SDLC. Conversely, Agile isn’t necessarily always the best option. It all boils down to your individual requirements and the most effective means of achieving your goals.

Each software development project has its own set of problems and requirements. It’s not a question of selecting which development methodology is “best” in general; instead, it’s a matter of determining which is best for your product’s development so that your team can use the right tools, technologies, and procedures to produce a successful outcome.

When Should You Use Agile?

Agile is the method for projects that demand a more flexible process due to their uncertain and changing characteristics. Essentially, if the product vision and its components are subject to change due to external circumstances (such as market dynamics), it is preferable to create and modify the product utilizing Agile. It’s also the greatest way to guarantee that the project doesn’t languish in development for months before delivering a final product. After each sprint, there will be a checkpoint where the product owner may test and approve the finished work.

When Should You Use Waterfall?

The Waterfall technique is the better option when the project is restricted by a firm time constraint or a fixed budget, and the requirements and scope are clearly known. In these situations, the Waterfall approach provides a set of methods based on the idea of prior phase approval.

Still Have Questions?

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