Waterfall vs Agile: What to Know Before Choosing Your Development Method

Quick Summary: Agile and Waterfall are two renowned methodologies for managing projects. These methodologies are very popular in software development. However, each model works best for different types of projects as per requirement. To give you an in-depth understanding of Waterfall and Agile development methodology, we are going to discuss every aspect of each model. We will also focus on what is the difference between Agile and Waterfall models, a comparison table, along with the benefits of Agile over Waterfall and why Agile is better than Waterfall.

Software development in modern times is a deal on its own. If you know where most of today’s tech giants started from, it all seems like an individual venture ‐ a small group of programmers working days and nights in the home garage; no company, no investment, just thousands of lines of code.

That works when you are setting out, but it cannot be a feasible strategy in the long run. After a point of time, you need to get other stakeholders involved (even if you don’t like it) and create a team (or teams).

On top of that, you need to make sure everyone is on the same page and getting along well. In other words, there should be efficient project management practices. And in the software development world, there are two main project management hitters ‐ Waterfall vs Agile.

As per Agile Statistics 2023, 94% of respondents indicated that their business is using Agile, indicating that Agile adoption has significantly increased. Moreover, 61% of businesses adopt Agile methodologies for both their software development and overall business transformation initiative.

If we try to explain Agile versus Waterfall in simple language, Waterfall is a linear sequential software development method, whereas Agile follows an incremental approach with continuous iteration.

While these two methodologies are like a double‐edged sword, IT companies often end up creating a hybrid model (Watergile?) with the reasoning that it's the best of both worlds. And although Waterfall and Agile may coexist in some projects, in most cases, it's one or the other. Hence, it’s not easy to decide which one to choose – Agile or Waterfall and when to use Agile vs Waterfall.

Don't fall for such traps. In this blog, we are going to talk about what is Agile and Watefall methodology and break down the difference between Waterfall model and Agile model - two project management methodologies, starting from the basics and answering some common questions related to each. All said and done, we will also explain why at Radixweb, we choose Agile over Waterfall.

Continue with the reading!

Waterfall vs Agile: Starting with the Basics

Picking a software development life cycle methodology is not a "one-size-fits-all" process. Understanding the nature of these initiatives is a necessary first step before choosing a technique that best suits the specifics of your project. Here’s a brief overview of Agile and Waterfall to help you become more familiar with the fundamental ideas.

What is Waterfall Model?

The "old school" method of project management is Waterfall. Throughout the project's lifespan, we have clearly structured phases with formalized hand-offs from one to another. Additionally, you must complete each phase before you start working on the next.

The principle behind Waterfall development methodology is rather simple ‐ decide what needs to be done and then do it. The three components of the so-called project management triangle ‐ time, money, and scope ‐ are what determine the to-dos of the project.

“Throwing it over the wall” or “passing responsibilities to the owner of the next stage” does not happen in a healthy waterfall environment. However, it is primarily a linear process that starts with requirements and ends with a final release or project completion.

What is Agile Model?

The agile software development methodology is, relatively speaking, the new kid in the town and prioritizes quick iteration, efficiency, and adaptability. It came to light expressly in response to Waterfall's perceived flaws.

The difference between the Waterfall methodology vs Agile is that the latter allows you to divide the work into multiple sprints, which are time-based activities that typically last one to four weeks. The amount of work that you will complete in a given timeline determines this cadence.

Delivering value to users as fast and frequently as possible is the primary aim of the Agile method, enabling you to break down the project into smaller modules and make progress during each sprint.

Agile teams are self-organizing, aside from obtaining their goals and use cases from the business. When needed, they consult the product owner or subject matter experts from different lines of business to determine the best approach to distribute their resources and suit the needs of each development task.

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Waterfall vs Agile: Demystifying the Pros and Cons

Like everything else, Agile and Waterfall methodologies have their positives and negatives. Let's walk through a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of Waterfall and Agile:

Advantages of Waterfall Model

Although it can be tempting to think of Agile as a superior development approach, that isn't always the case. Remember that the flexibility of Agile can often lead to uncertainty. Hence, the rigidity of waterfall methodologies may be exactly what you need in some projects. Let's go through what it has to offer you:

• Clear timeline and project goals
• Predictable and well‐defined end products
• Specified roles and responsibilities
• Precise project map and deadlines
• Fewer user involvement
• Minimized scope creep

Disadvantages of Waterfall Model

However, the waterfall model also has a few drawbacks, including its lack of revision opportunities and inflexibility. Some specific concerns are:

• Less adaptive to change
• Lack of flexibility
• Unsuitability for large-scale projects
• Late feedback and testing
• Less opportunities for course correction
• Bureaucratic change management

Benefits of Agile Methodology

Agile metrics have a lot of benefits, but ultimately, you'll have to determine if it's right for you. We've written down the three main advantages of Agile method for you so you can stay informed:

• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration
• Quicker time to market
• Improved customer value
• Frequent updates with flexibility
• Room for creative problem solving
• Self‐organized teams and resource usage

Drawbacks of Agile Methodology

Agile has flaws despite all of its advantages. (If it hadn't, the topic of the Waterfall model vs Agile model wouldn't exist!) Keep in mind the following drawbacks while deciding on the Agile methodology:

• Fragmented output
• No finite end
• Limited documentation
• Measurement difficulty
• Not suitable for small projects
• Higher cost

The Ultimate Difference Between Agile and Waterfall

You should now have a decent understanding of Agile and Waterfall difference. However, let's focus on a few of the most significant differences and how those factors influence your team:

1. Waterfall vs Agile: Project Scope

Following the waterfall methodology will help your team define the scope of the project in advance. This requires meticulous planning but provides you with a better idea of how long your project will last and the resources it will require to finish.

Agile software development also helps you get a sense of your project's scope before you start. The only difference is that the scope may change before you finish the project. Your dedicated development team can add sprints to create additional features if you decide you want changes.

It might be challenging to anticipate a project's time, scope, and cost with any degree of accuracy, yet this flexibility can enable your team to build an excellent product.

2. Waterfall vs Agile: Defining Requirements

Waterfall requires the planning of the entire development life cycle, whereas, in Agile, you do not need to define such definitive requirements.

So, in terms of planning project requirements, there is a stark contrast between the Agile and Waterfall model. While the prior does not need you to execute a comprehensive planning stage, the latter mostly revolves around a thorough evaluation of the project, along with well-specified requirements for resources, costs, risks, etc.

For example, developers need to come up with a software testing strategy and resources in a Waterfall environment. This makes it difficult to test any new feature. Contrastingly, the Agile approach gives the needed flexibility to change or modify resources in each sprint.

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3. Waterfall vs Agile: Feature Prioritization

Let’s now talk about feature prioritization in Agile and Waterfall project management.

Before the development starts, the analysis phase of the waterfall methodology is where you decide on product features. All features are equally important, and their completion is required before the testing phase starts.

More flexibility is possible with Agile software development services. All developers have to do is to move it to the bottom of the stack if a customer decides they don't want a feature. Likewise, if a new feature is added or an old one is given a higher priority, you can address those changes in the following sprint.

4. Waterfall vs Agile: MVP and Software Development

While talking about Agile software development vs Waterfall, the waterfall method is a viable choice for MVP projects with clearly defined requirements. Agile, on the other hand, works best for a faster time to market.

This is a key difference between the Waterfall approach vs Agile. The requirements identified during the requirement analysis stage are basically the foundation for Waterfall development. To put it another way, you write the code as per those requirements.

Hence, the waterfall methodology prohibits any code changes before the testing phase. On the other hand, Agile employs an incremental strategy, and hence, it is simple to modify the code to meet scaling and functional requirements, as well as keep pace with the latest software development trends.

5. Waterfall vs Agile: Team Structure

The project management methodology you select will affect how you create a product and how your team works and engages with stakeholders.

The waterfall method enables your team to operate independently. The users participate in the project's life cycle mostly at the beginning and end. And whatever happens in between is up to your development team. Plan meetings with the team as necessary, but communication may get limited.

On the flip side of the Waterfall methodology vs Agile talk, Agile demands the dedication of every team member. The idea of developers collaborating on multiple projects at the same time is absurd. Daily Agile meetings and at least one customer update per sprint are requirements for your team.

Waterfall vs Agile: TL;DR

• Agile divides the lifecycle of a project into independent sprints, but the Waterfall development method breaks down into various stages.
• Agile uses an incremental methodology, whereas the design process is sequential in the waterfall methodology.
• Agile methodologies are popular for their adaptability. Since Waterfall is an organized approach to software development, it may be rather rigorous.
• The difference between Agile and Waterfall is that Agile may is a collection of multiple unique efforts, whereas, in Waterfall, developers will execute the task as a single project.
• Using an Agile enterprise architecture framework, the product owner and teams create requirements almost every single day. In the Waterfall model, however, business analysts create the requirements before starting the project.
• In Agile, developers revise the test plan at the end of every sprint. In Waterfall, you rarely discuss the test plan during the testing stage.
• Agile development methodology is a technique where project requirements are most likely to change and evolve. However, Waterfall development methodology work best for projects with clear requirements and no scope of change.
• Agile needs small, focused teams with a lot of collaboration and synchronization. Contrastingly, there is very little synchronization or cooperation within a Waterfall team.

Agile vs Waterfall Comparison Table

Our Take on Waterfall Methodology vs Agile

In the end, why do we favor Agile over Waterfall? Because we have seen, you can leverage many benefits of Agile over Waterfall.

By now, we should be over those Waterfall model vs Agile explanations like "Waterfall is dead, long live Agile," given our experience as a DevOps services company so far.. One is not generally superior to the other, and it would be a mistake to think otherwise. Before switching to Agile, we tried our hands on the Waterfall method for a while and came to the conclusion that it was the best bet, given the nature of the majority of our projects.

So, we included the Scrum methodology ‐ a dynamic Agile framework ‐ into our Development Process and made a few changes to cater to the unique requirements of our clients. We realize that this is the preferable choice for our projects since it allows us to wrap them up with an MVP and include it in the Proof-of-Concept stage. We can also continue with a series of sprints that would incrementally improve the product.

Again, it would be incorrect to assume that it is always the best course of action, which is why we periodically examine and modify it as needed to meet our requirements. That's what first motivated us to go from Waterfall to Agile, and if necessary, we will make more advancements. In the end, at the end of the day, there is no such thing as “universal solutions“ in software development.

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Over to YouAs an ending note on Waterfall vs Agile, it is very evident that Agile is not the greatest option, and Waterfall is not dead. That is both the easiest way to see it and the riskiest way to manage development projects. It all boils down to your unique business requirements and the best possible solution to accomplish your milestones. Any more talks about it are uncalled for.Sure, being Agile is now a benefit to all, as it has been for the past few years. An outstanding attribute that a company may connect to and that immediately demonstrates its quality. Neither does everyone use Agile software, nor does anyone understand it. Even so, it might be difficult to fully comprehend the principles of Agile and Waterfall, given all the hubbubs.But we are here to help you with that. Radixweb has been at the forefront of offering stellar software development solutions with Agile methodologies.Our Agile experts understand each project's requirements thoroughly, choose the approach that works best for it, and adapt as necessary to go beyond existing technical hindrances and make an actual difference with a software development process.Let's take the plunge!