Waterfall Vs.

Agile: Choose The Right Development Methodology

As a business, if you are about to get an application developed with a vision that it would
enhance your operations, managing productivity, and your workflows. The very first thing
you will encounter will be to plan out your approach for development. It needs a lot of
discussions, often a heated debate that you should follow Waterfall or Agile. If you have
no idea where to begin, It is best for you to think about the project as a whole and then
choose the right ​development methodology​.

What is the Waterfall Methodology?

Waterfall Model methodology is also termed as Liner Sequential Life Cycle Model which is
followed in sequential order. In this model, the development team only proceeds to the
succeeding phase of development or testing after the previous one is completed
successfully.
What is an Agile Methodology?
The agile development methodology is the practice that helps constant iteration of
development and testing in the development process. Under this model, development and
testing activities are simultaneous; also, the process lets better communication among
clients, ​mobile app developers​, managers, and the testers.

Moving onto which is better for ​mobile application development​; let us find out their
advantages and limitations to recognize readily, which development methodology is
better.

Advantages of the Waterfall Model:

● It is the most accessible model to manage because of its nature. Each phase
has specific deliverables and review process
● Works adequately for small projects where demands are merely
understandable
● Faster delivery
● Process and results are well documented
● Adaptable method for shifting teams
● Beneficial in managing dependencies

Advantages of the Agile Model:

● It is a client-focused process, ensuring the client is involved throughout every
stage
● Likely to provide a better result from the development projects
● Agile software development method assures the quality of the development is
controlled
 ● The entire process is based on incremental progress
● Reduced risk in the development process

Limitations of the Waterfall Model:

● Not an ideal model for big projects
● It is a less effective method if your requirements are not predefined at the
beginning
● Very complicated to makes changes in the previous phases
● Testing process starts once development is over
● Higher possibilities of bugs to be discovered later in development where they
are costly to fix

Limitations of the Agile Model

● Not a beneficial method for small development projects

● A requirement of experts to make all essential decisions in the meeting
● Cost of implementation is more compared to other development
methodologies.
● The project can evenly go mistaken if the project manager is not able to get
what outcomes the client wants
Making a choice between Agile and Waterfall:

We consider the below-written factors when considering which development

methodology to use:

Agile Methodology Waterfall Methodology

It divides the project development lifecycle The development process is divided into
into sprints.
An Agile methodology is an incremental
approach.
Agile methodology is known for its
flexibility.
Agile can be regarded as a combination of
different projects.
Agile is a flexible method that allows
modifications in the development
requirements, even if the initial planning
has been completed.
It follows an iterative development
approach because all development phases
may appear more than once.
The test plan is examined after each sprint. The test plan is considered rarely during
Ideal for projects in which the
requirements are expected to change and
evolve.
In Agile methodology, testing is performed
simultaneously with app development.
distinct phases.
Waterfall methodology is a sequential
design process.
The waterfall is a structured app
development methodology; that is why it
can be quite rigid most of the times.
Application development will be
accomplished as one single project.
There is no room for modifications in the
requirements once the project
development commences.
All the project development phases like
designing, development, testing, etc. are
performed earlier in the Waterfall model.
the test phase.
The method is ideal for projects having
definite needs, and changes are not at all
expected.
In this methodology, the Testing phase
comes next to the Build phase.
It works exceptionally well with Time &
Materials or non-fixed funding and may
increase stress in fixed-price scenarios.
A dedicated team with a high degree of
coordination and synchronization.
Test team can take a role in the
requirements to change without hassle.
The project details can be modified
anytime during the SDLC process.
The Agile Team members are
interchangeable; as a result, they work
quicker. There emerges no need for project
managers as the entire team manages the
projects.
Reduces risk in the fixed-price contracts by
accepting risk agreement at the
commencement of the process.
Team coordination/synchronization is
minimal.
It is challenging for the test team to initiate
any variation in conditions.
No scope for the change in the needs of
the project details.
In the waterfall method, the process is
straightforward; therefore, project
manager plays a fundamental role during
every stage of SDLC.

Final thoughts:

Well, agile and waterfall are different application development methodologies and are
useful in their particular way. However, there are significant differences highlighted above
that define which is best for application development. Most of the digital projects and
entrepreneurs opt agile methodology; on the other hand, if you are scaling up and have
stable project requirements & management, you may consider the waterfall approach.
Regardless of the approach you take, it is imperative to be flexible and ready to adapt on
the go as neither methodology guarantees project success. Right methodology matters in
delivering the sustainable product that meets your customers’ expectations.