Waterfall Process Model Essay

I want to be on top of the mountains and look at the sun setting in the grassy sea.

There is a cross section of projects ranging from a few weeks to a few years. There are also a wide cross section of customers, those capable of articulating clearly their requirements and the ones that are not clear on their requirements and the overall outcome to be achieved. The level of programmers within the Information Technology Department, where development work is executed, range from intermediate to advance or above average programming competence. The Waterfall approach is easier to manage and can be utilized for projects where there are clear requirements and the project is determined to be a long term one. Also, this method may be best suited given the organization’s requirements for thorough documentation and project accountability, when it comes to budget and cost. The Agile methodology can be used for projects where the requirements as well as the expectation from the end product are not as clear. The developers that are above average in terms of their competence can also use this method. In addition, the Agile method is also best suited for the projects that would require rapid

In this paper we develop a new model for software development that lays special emphasis on highly structured lifecycle and defining an output with each stage and also tries to fulfill the objective of the Software Engineering of developing high quality product within schedule and budget. The new proposed model is designed in such a way that it allows client and developer to interact freely with each other in order to understand and implement requirements in a better way using the concept of process model.

Dealing with an increasingly volatile organizational environment is a serious challenge for managers of any software development project [11]. Traditional formal software development methodologies can be characterized as reflecting linear, sequential processes, and the related management approaches can be effective in developing software with stable, known, consistent requirements. Yet most real-world

can stand alone as the sole development strategy. Verner and Cerpa (1997) observed a relationship between the size of a department and the preference to utilize a prototype. They also discovered many of the aspects of a waterfall approach that made it widely used still hold true. Developer communication and project control have long been seen as positive characteristics of the waterfall approach. The increased control is the result of the rigid, phased structure that defines a waterfall development plan. A drawback to this development strategy is the lack of feedback that we see in the scrum or agile method. This lack of feedback makes having a complete requirements essential, the lack of which can mean an unsuccessful or scrapped project.

Waterfall does have its issues: the process is generally “uni-directional” meaning that once the project hits a certain stage, there’s no mechanism to go back to a previous stage. This prohibits this method from being responsive to changing environments and/or requirements. The extensive documentation required at each stage (requirements, specification, design documentation, test plans and status) requires a great deal of time to complete. Additionally if it is discovered that there was a major issue with a missing requirement or the coding (and it’s uncovered in time) it is extremely expensive to make an adjustment.

The article mainly focused on comparing an evolutionary method to the waterfall method. The author of the article believed that the waterfall model is very unrealistic and dangerous to use as a primary development tool for any project (Gilb, 1985). The waterfall method is scheduled for a single finished date and all planning, design and analysis is done in the very beginning before the software coding begins (Gilb, 1985). The evolutionary model is based on delivering to a real user, measuring the added value to the user, and adjusting any issues (Gilb, 1985). A key difference emphasized in the article was that a system built in the evolutionary model is real and always changing while the waterfall method is not (Gilb, 1985). The waterfall method is more focused on what the software will do as compared to the evolutionary method which is more focused on how well the software will work for the client (Gilb, 1985). Gilb had the opinion that the waterfall method is no longer a method to follow (Gilb, 1985). Back in 1985, Gilb wanted to show readers that the evolutionary method was the way software should be developed and that the clients were more interested in a technology that was perfected for them (Gilb, 1985). As seen in the waterfall approach, it was very common to have a software developed for a client and the client would not even know who the developer was (Gilb, 1985). The waterfall method was effective but it is a method

Due to its characteristics, the Waterfall method has some really good advantages towards it. First of it, the client knows what to expect. After all the requirements gathering and analysis a well estimated project is presented, with a good idea of the size, cost, and timeline for the project. More than this, the client will have a definite idea of what their program will do in the end. Secondly, its meticulous record keeping allows the ability to improve the existing program in the future, and because of waterfall’s strong documentation it allows for minimal project impact when facing an employee turnover. These two main points, predictability and well-documented projects are the Waterfall flagship in an industry that pursue the best cost

The first article I selected focuses on the Waterfall method of software development, entitled “The Demise of the Waterfall Model Is Imminent” and Other Urban Myths. Authors P. Laplante and C. Neill, take a conversational, slightly cheeky approach to dispelling the prevailing thought that the application of the Waterfall method was in steady, rapid decline. The Waterfall method is characterized by a methodical but rigid five step process to developing software:

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.

Traditionally, this organization has utilized a waterfall methodology to develop software. The two main reasons for this are that is a well vetted methodology, and it provides a very well defined scope that we can use to manage projects and stay within a defined budget. As the business climate becomes increasingly volatile, the benefits of using this methodology have quickly become detractors. As requirements shift, the waterfall methodology locks clients in to a specific predetermined scope. While this is a good way to control budget, it does not provide the flexibility required to meet client needs. Several new software development methodologies have gained traction in the industry over the past few years. However, none of them provides both the flexibility needed by the end user and the rigidity and control needed to manage both the scope and budget of a project in order to set client expectations appropriately. This proposal recommends a hybrid approach that utilizes three of the more flexible software

Waterfall model is based on sequential process that is used in software development process. It takes place in steps. It is called as waterfall because it moves step by step in downward direction. As seen in manufacturing and construction site, each process is well structured and carried out step by step, in software development Waterfall model carries out all phases in sequential manner. All the phases like Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design, Construction, Testing, Implementation and Maintenance are carried out in a sequential manner, step wise. It is stated that the first formal description of Waterfall model was made in 1970 in the article written by Winston W. Royce. Though the first use of waterfall model was made in 1976 in the article written by Bell and Thayer.

In software engineering, a software development methodology (also known as a system development methodology, software development life cycle, software development process, software process) is a splitting of software development work into distinct phases (or stages) containing activities with the intent of better planning and management. It is often considered a subset of the systems development life cycle. The methodology may include the pre-definition of specific deliverables and artifacts that are created and completed by a project team to develop or maintain an application.

Q1: Take a suitable example to develop a software and implement the waterfall Model technique in it to develop the software ?

Conventional heavyweight, document-driven software development methods can be characterized as extensive planning, codified process, reuse, heavy documentation and big design up front. These are some reason that conventional methods have been replaced by lightweight agile software development methods mostly in small-scale and relatively simple projects. This phenomenon is mainly due to the conventional methods’ shortcomings, including a slow adaptation to rapidly changing business requirements, and a tendency to be over budget and behind schedule The conventional methods also have not able to provide dramatic improvements in productivity, reliability, and simplicity. Despite the existing shortcomings, the conventional methods are still widely used in industry, particularly, for large-scale projects. Conventional methods come with their straightforward, methodical, and structured nature, as well as their capability to provide predictability, stability, and high assurance. Agile software development methods focus on iterative and incremental development, customer collaboration, and frequent delivery through a light and fast development life cycle. There are many positive benefits of the agile approaches.