Should your team use an agile or waterfall methodology? Agile and Waterfall methodologies shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. Whether it’s agile or waterfall, pros and cons exist for both. The type of project must drive the decision. Different project scenarios and expected outcomes determine which method is most appropriate. Do not box your teams and organization into one or the other. Choose the method that will deliver the best outcome.
In this short article, we will discuss both methodologies.
Waterfall
The waterfall project management is a widely used method that has been around since the 1970’s.
Waterfall is a linear methodology with distinct phases. Each phase cannot begin until the previous phase has been completed.
Agile
Agile follows an adaptive approach. It allows more flexibility for changing scope. Work is completed iteratively through a cadence of 1-4 week iterations. Initial high-level planning happens at the beginning and more planning happens as the project unfolds. The development team has more control over their work.
An essential component of agile development involves following a set of values and principles. The Agile Manifesto sets up a basic mindset teams should follow to be successful.
Agile follows short iterations (1-4 weeks in length) where small chunks of work are developed and tested into a potentially releasable product at the end of the iteration.
Agile allows for great flexibility to manage changing scope.
Value-Driven Delivery and Agile
An iterative agile process can provide business value early and continuously throughout the project. Feature prioritization is based on business value. High value features are developed before lower value features. The customer reviews the completed features incrementally as they are developed and provides feedback. The development team has the ability to make changes based on that feedback. Following this cadence through short iterations will allow the team to deliver valuable, working software to the customer. As the customer or stakeholder reviews the completed work, they have the opportunity to suggest improvements. These improvements allow the ability to focus on delivering more business value.
Conclusion
Which method should you use? There is no right or wrong answer, the method you use depends on several factors:
| Waterfall | Agile |
| Requirements are clear and well-understood | Requirements are not unclear and ambiguous |
| Project scope is not expected to change | Scope needs to be flexible |
| Limited stakeholder involvement | High stakeholder engagement |
Each methodology has its advantages and disadvantages. The most important factor to consider is to pick the method that will meet customer demands and deliver value. A point to consider is that some requirements may not be completely at the beginning. Users may need to use software to understand what they want. An Agile approach seeks to meet the requirements for a product in terms of minimal marketable features and only going beyond that level if it provides business value.
To conclude, both methods will deliver a successful outcome. Successful project delivery is the result of managing outcomes through communication, collaboration, setting expectations, and leadership. At the end, customers won’t care how you got there. All that matters is that you delivered a successful outcome.