Development Approaches: Waterfall Versus Agile By Clare Bittourna, Codal Inc
______________________________________________________ Web and app developers in Chicago and all over the world will tell you how important it is to come up with a game plan for how a project process will go. Agile and Waterfall are potentially two very different ways of delivering project. As an agency that specializes in UX services, we’ve learned time and again why these two ways are very important to understand. The choice you make on which to use of course impacts how your team will operate, and while it totally depends on the project and requirements you should understand the difference between the two. Waterfall has been known as the traditional methodology for software development and its rapidly losing popularity as agile methodology is increasingly being adopted by companies. Agile methodology follows a linear sequential approach while providing flexibility, waterfall is a sequential model where software development is segregated. This agile methodology provides flexibility in a way that as project requirements change so does the methodology approach. So what are some advantages and disadvantages? This is a great way to put these two models into perspective. Advantages of the Agile model:
● This is focused on client process which in turn keeps them involved at every stage. ● Agile teams are motivated and self-organized which is likely to end in a better result. ● The process is totally based on the incremental progress. Advantages of the Waterfall model: ● An easy model to manage with each phase having specific deliverables and a review process. ● Results in a faster delivery of the project. ● Works well for smaller projects with easy-to-understand requirements. And, of course, there are some disadvantages. Disadvantages of the Agile model: ● Agile only works best when members of the development team are completely and totally dedicated to the project. ● The involving nature of Agile development may lead to a frequent rethinking if the full scope of the system is not accounted for in the initial architecture and design. Without this rethinking, the system can suffer from a reduction in overall quality. Disadvantages of the Waterfall model: ● It can be time consuming to gather and document requirements on each step since its difficult to assume things about the project at the beginning.
● In general, the risk is higher with the Waterfall approach because the scope for mistakes is higher. If something goes wrong, fixing it can be hard because you have to go through a few steps back. Still not sure on which to go with? Think long and hard about your project requirements and what the best possible outcome could and should be. Looking to work with a ux company or a mobile app design and development agency in Chicago? Are you wanting to develop an app or website or simply want more information on our UX design agency? Visit Codal’s blog, or come talk to us here! We’d love to hear from you.