Waterfall Model vs Agile Model
Concepts of Software Development Life Cycle
What is the Software Development Life Cycle?
Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by the software industry to design, develop, and test high-quality software. The SDLC aims to produce high-quality software that meets or exceeds customer expectations, reaches completion within times and cost estimates.
Note:
SDLC is a framework defining tasks performed at each step in the software development process.
Following are the most popular SDLC models followed in the industry
- Waterfall Model
- Spiral Model
- V-Model
- Agile Model
- Prototyping Model
Let’s discuss the critical differences between the Agile Model and the Waterfall Model.
Waterfall Model vs Agile Model
Waterfall Model
The Waterfall model is the earliest SDLC approach used for software development.
This Model illustrates the software development process in a linear sequential flow. This implies that any phase in the development process begins only if the previous phase is complete. There is no overlapping in the phases
Agile Model
Agile SDLC model is a combination of iterative and incremental process models focusing on process adaptability and customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of working software products.
Agile Methods break the product into small incremental builds. These builds are provided in iterations. Each iteration typically lasts from about one to three weeks. Every iteration involves cross-functional teams working simultaneously on various areas like,
- Planning
- Requirements Analysis
- Design
- Development
- Unit Testing and
- Acceptance Testing
At the end of the iteration, a working product is displayed to the customer and important stakeholders.
Key Differences
The Waterfall is a Liner Sequential Life Cycle Model. In contrast, Agile is a continuous iteration of development and testing in the software development process.
Agile methodology is known for its flexibility, whereas Waterfall is a structured software development methodology.
Agile performs testing concurrently with software development, whereas, in Waterfall, methodology testing comes after the “Implementation” phase.
Agile allows changes in project development requirements, whereas Waterfall has no scope of changing the conditions once the project development starts.
Advantages of the Waterfall Model
- This method is very easy to manage. Because each phase has specific deliverables and a review process.
- This is better for smaller-sized projects where requirements can be easily understandable.
- Easily adaptable method for shifting teams.
Advantages of the Agile Model
- This makes sure that the client is continuously involved during every stage.
- Agile teams are incredibly motivated and self-organized, so it likely to provide better results from the development projects.
- The agile software development method assures that quality of the development is maintained.
- The process is entirely based on incremental progress step by step. Therefore, the client and team know exactly what is completed and what is not.
- Reduces the risk in the development process.
Limitations of the Waterfall Model
- It is not a suitable model for a larger project.
- If the requirement is not clear at the beginning, it is a less effective method.
- Very difficult to move back to makes changes in the previous phases.
- The testing process starts once development is over. Hence, it has a high chance of bugs being found later in the story where they are expensive to fix.
Limitations of the Agile Model
- It is not a practical method for small projects.
- It requires an expert to make crucial decisions in the meeting.
- The cost of implementing an agile method is a little more compared to other development methodologies.
- The project can quickly go off track if the project manager is not clear what outcome he/she wants.
Difference between Waterfall and Agile Model
Waterfall
- The development process is divided into distinct phases.
- This is a sequential design process.
- Software development will be completed as one single project.
- The test plan is rarely discussed during the test phase.
- Team coordination/synchronization is minimal.
- Detail description needs to implement a waterfall software development approach.
Agile
- It separates the SDLC into sprints.
- It follows an incremental approach.
- Agile can be considered a collection of various projects.
- Agile is a flexible method that able to change the project development requirements even though the initial planning has been completed.
- A test plan is reviewed after each sprint
- In this method, testing is performed concurrently with software development.
- Description of project details can be changed or updated anytime during the SDLC process.
Summary
Here we arrived at the end of this article, Today we learned the key differences between the Waterfall model and the Agile model in SDLC. Also, we explored the advantages, limitations of both models. Hope this article helped you to develop your knowledge about these concepts. Let’s meet with another interesting article in the near future.
Thank you for reading my article and Happy Learning 🙌😊
References
SDLC intro — Test Pro. https://testpro.io/lessons/sdlc-intro-10/
SDLC — Waterfall Model — Tutorialspoint. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_waterfall_model.htm
SDLC — Agile Model — Tutorialspoint. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/sdlc/sdlc_agile_model.htm
Agile Vs Waterfall: Know the Difference Between Methodologies. https://www.guru99.com/waterfall-vs-agile.html
Agile Vs Waterfall: Know the Difference Between Methodologies. https://www.guru99.com/waterfall-vs-agile.html
