Project Development Models: The Waterfall Method

Agile Project management is one of the industries dominating methodology for project management in IT. It is an incremental and iterative way to manage the build and design activities for constructing an IT product, services, and project development in manner which is highly interactive and flexible. In this methodology, scope is defined in granularity that is appropriate with time horizon and checked with the agreement on each feature with the customer. In this methodology work steps are divided with feature breakdown structures. In order to track the progress of the project progress charts are used instead of Gantt charts. Cross-functional and test-driven development teams starts working from the very beginning of the project to provide

The project will be managed using a modified waterfall technique. In this approach, the initial two phases of the

The waterfall lifecycle was the first process model to be introduced and widely known. It is also known as the linear-sequential

Written off as a dying approach to software engineering I found that the Waterfall approach process was in fact alive and largely in use according to a Queue opinion article (Neill, 2004). While surveying professionals for the article in Queue, the Waterfall approach was reported to be in use by a third of the professionals that responded to the survey (Neill, 2004). I could not help but wonder if the Waterfall approach was some sort of zombie process that was back from being presumed dead, or if the method was being used for convenience purposes. Before I would be able to answer these questions for myself I would have to look into why these presumptions were made in the first place.

It has been observed that in software development, change is unavoidable and must be accommodated for in the life cycle. A number of alternative process models have been introduced in order to attempt to fix the issues in the Waterfall model. An early modification to the standard Waterfall method introduced prototyping as a feedback and discovery mechanism to identify misunderstandings and omissions early on in the process (Neill, 2004). Other process models attempted to further get rid of the risks of misunderstandings by breaking down projects

In the world of Computer Science, Information Technology, and Software development, people always work together to get tasks done. Whether you get someone from the Business side, the programming side, the Cyber Security side, or even HR, these people all work together sometimes to work on a task and finish the task. Agile is one of the most prominent method of using and as well as building a design for a client’s needs. But to make it a little more complicated, there a few different subsets within Agile – Scrum and Waterfall.

Agile is a necessary and effective part of the evolution of project. As stated previously, in today’s environment traditional or plan-driven Project Management typically defines project success as delivering “on time, within budget, and meeting requirements”. In order to meet this definition of success, we have matured project management processes to try and “manage” what is a natural occurrence: chaos.

For the past years, waterfall process had been used by small and big companies as an approach to development process. This approach looks like a waterfall where it shows a steady downwards flow. This approach of development is the most mature and disciplined.

The use of structured methodologies in IT Project management is increasingly recognised as one of the fundamental drivers in reducing the likelihood of incomplete and costly IT project failures. The need for a systematic approach has been highlighted through a number of survey results on the failure of IT Projects. These results demonstrate that the significant issues associated with failed projects include the lack of; a defined project organisation, policy and procedures, implementation plans and integrated methods (Taylor 2003). It is apparent that these recognised issues can be significantly reduced through the implementation of standard project management methodologies. Lind and Culler (2013) completed research of 116 firms

Projects are composed of process. A process is “a series of action bringing about a result”. Project processes are performed by people and generally fall into one of two major categories:

There are numerous project management methodologies available for project managers to choose from. The best process or methodology must take into consideration the unique aspects of the project, including factors such as staff size and system criticality, as determined by the project manager and the core team (Cockburn, 2000). From my vantage point, the primary concern is the team member buy-in and keeping the process participatory, while managing the interaction, communication and contributions from the various team members towards the fulfillment of the objective. It also goes without says, that meeting time, scope, costs and performance, and quality standards are of the utmost importance; to guarantee that the final

The waterfall model consists of five phases such as requirements, Design, implementation, verification and maintenance. The method is a sequential design process where progress is seen as flowing downwards in a steadily manner, each development phase has its own distinct goals. The model is similar to water flowing down a cliff it can only flow in one way and cannot go back up it is the same with waterfall development ,after a development phase is completed it proceeds to the next development phase you cannot go back.

When assessing the reason “the field is young”, one may surmise that newer developers may adopt more modern methodologies. Agile modeling came about after more traditional practices. However, less experienced developers may lean toward a more known and proven theory like the waterfall approach which uses successive phases to be completed and finalized. The waterfall is rigid but more predictable and may be easier to manage for new project managers. Using different types of techniques may confuse a

Today, Scrum methodology is one of the most adopted/ popular project management methodologies out there. It is recognised as a simple to follow framework, but effective in terms of productivity, scalability and flexibility with change. The scrum adopts an empirical approach which bases on the idea that the problem cannot be fully understood or defined. So the framework focuses on maximising the team’s ability to deliver quickly while adapting and responding to emerging requirements. I believe this is a good place to start as often most development projects are prone to change and it is extremely difficult to have a “perfect” requirement at the beginning.

While the waterfall model has its flaws, it is important that an organization follows a model. With strict deadlines, tight budgets, and changing targets, a uniform process is required to meet the business needs. Ad hoc process cannot account for all the business constraints and timelines. The waterfall model provides a framework and clear track for software development. It is important to share best practices and evolve aspects of the waterfall method to meet today’s industry standards. Success can result from combining experience and knowledge, and best practices from the past and present and planning and adapting these for future expectations.