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    Waterfall Methodology

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    Sky Walker Tommie
    The waterfall methodology is a traditional sequential approach to project management where each phase must be completed before the next can begin, with requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance as the typical stages. It works well for clearly defined projects but lacks flexibility and requires extensive upfront documentation and planning, carrying risks if expectations change.

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    Waterfall Methodology

    Uploaded by

    Sky Walker Tommie
    50 views4 pages
    The waterfall methodology is a traditional sequential approach to project management where each phase must be completed before the next can begin, with requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance as the typical stages. It works well for clearly defined projects but lacks flexibility and requires extensive upfront documentation and planning, carrying risks if expectations change.

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    The waterfall methodology is a traditional sequential approach to project management where each phase must be completed before the next can begin, with requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance as the typical stages. It works well for clearly defined projects but lacks flexibility and requires extensive upfront documentation and planning, carrying risks if expectations change.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    50 views4 pages

    Waterfall Methodology

    Uploaded by

    Sky Walker Tommie
    The waterfall methodology is a traditional sequential approach to project management where each phase must be completed before the next can begin, with requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance as the typical stages. It works well for clearly defined projects but lacks flexibility and requires extensive upfront documentation and planning, carrying risks if expectations change.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
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    Waterfall methodology

    Waterfall project management is the most straightforward way to manage a project.


    Waterfall project management maps out a project into distinct, sequential phases, with
    each new phase beginning only when the previous one has been completed. The
    Waterfall system is the most traditional method for managing a project, with team
    members working linearly towards a set end goal. Each participant has a clearly defined
    role, and none of the phases or goals are expected to change.

    The typical stages of Waterfall project management:


    • Requirements: The manager analyzes and gathers all the requirements and
    documentation for the project.
    • System design: The manager designs the project’s workflow model.
    • Implementation: The system is put into practice, and your team begins the work.
    • Testing: Each element is tested to ensure it works as expected and fulfills the
    requirements.
    • Deployment (service) or delivery (product): The service or product is officially
    launched.
    • Maintenance: In this final, ongoing stage, the team performs upkeep and
    maintenance on the resulting product or service.

    Progress flows in one direction, like a real waterfall.


    Also like a real waterfall, though, this can quickly get dangerous. Since everything is
    mapped out at the beginning, there’s a lot of room for error if expectations don’t match
    up with reality. And there’s no going back to a previous stage once it’s completed.

    Try this project management methodology if:


    • The end goal of your project is clearly defined — and isn’t going to change.
    • The stakeholders know exactly what they want (and it isn’t going to change).
    • Your project is consistent and predictable (i.e. isn’t going to change).
    • You’re working in a regulated industry that needs extensive project tracking or
    documentation.
    • You might need to bring new people into the project midway through and get them
    up to speed quickly.

    This project management methodology might not be for you if:


    • Your project is liable to change.
    • You don’t have a full picture of all the requirements before you start.
    • You need to do continuous testing or adapt to feedback during the process.

    Here are the three basic principles the waterfall project management methodology
    goes by.
    • Sequential structure: The waterfall model divides your operations into
    sequential phases. You can only move to the next stage in your project once
    the current one is complete. This also means there’s no space for changing
    course or revisiting a phase after its completion. The only way to go back is to
    start all over again.
    • Minimal customer involvement: A waterfall project involves minimal customer
    interaction. This is primarily due to the fact that operations only start after the
    customer’s requirements and objectives are clearly defined. The first meeting
    takes place before operations begin and the next when the project is in its final
    stages.
    • Robust documentation: This methodology also involves in-detail
    documentation of all requirements, the development process, and the final
    outcome. This includes everything from the timeline to the precise route you will
    take to solve the client’s problems. Since there’s minimal to no customer
    communication during the development process, every essential detail needs
    to be documented upfront.
    Advantages of the Waterfall Method
    • In-depth analysis and design phases make sure the implementation follows the
    correct route. This helps your team take all the right steps and finish the
    implementation phase quickly.
    • The waterfall method gives an accurate estimate of the total cost and time
    required for a project.
    • It’s easier to evaluate progress since the model has a highly structured approach
    and defined milestones.
    • The new team members can easily get familiarized with the project as everything
    they need to know is already documented.
    • Limited customer involvement means customers aren’t adding new suggestions
    or requirements. This helps you avoid delays and reach completion according to
    the set timeline.

    Disadvantages of the Waterfall Method


    • The waterfall management model assumes all requirements can be enlisted at
    once, but this is not always the case. This incurs higher costs if a client requests
    an additional requirement midway through the development process.
    • Since requirements and design planning take up a lot of time, projects can take
    longer to reach completion.
    • Limited communication with the clients during design and implementation.
    • If one stage gets delayed, all subsequent stages are delayed.
    • Doesn’t allow processes to overlap, hence reducing efficiency.
    • A working deliverable isn’t available until the final stages.

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