Agile vs Waterfall
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES: WATERFALL VS AGILE
The differences between Waterfall methodology versus Agile can be summed up in two words: rigid vs flexible. Waterfall is a much stricter, rigid process whereas Agile is flexible and continuously evolving. Here’s more on their differences:
Waterfall is a structured process, where you can’t start on a new phase until the previous one has been completed. On the other hand, Agile is a flexible process, allowing you to move through the project as you like.
Waterfall is sequential and Agile does not enforce a linear process.
Waterfall projects usually include defined requirements in advance, whereas requirements are expected to change and evolve in Agile projects.
In Waterfall projects, you can’t change things that were done in previous stages, whereas Agile is very accommodating to changes.
There are not many similarities between Agile and Waterfall; Agile was specifically created to be the opposite of Waterfall. However, you can say that both Agile and Waterfall have the same goal. They both want to deliver quality products in an efficient way. If you have any other similarities between Agile and Waterfall to share, please leave us a comment!
WHEN YOU SHOULD USE WATERFALL AND WHEN TO USE AGILE
We recommend using Waterfall if:
You don’t expect changes in scope and you’re working with fixed-price contracts
The project is very simple or you’ve done it many times before
Requirements are very well known and fixed
Customers know exactly what they want in advance
You’re working with orderly and predictable projects
And you should use Agile if:
The final product isn’t clearly defined
The clients/stakeholders need the ability to modify the scope
You anticipate any kind of changes during the project
Rapid deployment is the goal
When deciding between Agile versus Waterfall, it can all boil down to this: if you anticipate or expect any changes throughout the project, go with Agile. If you know the project is fixed, unchanging, and predictable, Waterfall may be a better choice.
WHICH ONE IS BETTER? AGILE VS WATERFALL
Agile and Waterfall are such opposites that it’s hard to say which one is better. It really depends on the project, the level of clarity around requirements, and how flexible you can be.
If you have a clear picture of what the final product should be, you have fixed requirements that won’t change, and you’re working on a relatively simple project, some argue that Waterfall is a better choice than Agile. If you don’t expect to deal with change, Waterfall is a straightforward, efficient process. The issues with Waterfall come when you have to accommodate changes.
If you don’t have a clear picture of the final product, you anticipate changes, and you’re working on a complex project, Agile is superior. Agile is designed to accommodate new, evolving requirements any time during the project, whereas Waterfall does not allow you to go back to a completed phase and make changes.
HYBRID: AGIFALL OR WAGILE
If you’re still wondering about Waterfall versus Agile, you could always combine principles of both and use a hybrid model.
Agifall, for example, increases speed and quality by adding Agile methodologies to the Waterfall process. In an Agifall project, you would break out the research, strategy, and planning phases into tasks and proceed with sprints to complete them. The development phase would be just like any other Agile project, with more information up front. You also don’t need to wait for one phase to end to start the following phase, which is traditional in pure Waterfall. With Agifall, when the project can begin, it should begin.
Wagile has a more negative connotation than Agifall. The definition of Wagile on Wikipedia is, “a group of software development methodologies that result from slipping from Agile back into Waterfall, doing a lot of short Waterfalls and thinking it is Agile, Waterfall model masquerading as Agile software development.”
Wagile adopts Agile practices like short iterations, daily stand-ups, or continuous integration on top of the Waterfall model, without really changing the traditional Waterfall model.
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