Pros and Cons of Agile and Waterfall Methods

Pros and Cons of Agile and Waterfall Methods

Modern software development approaches have developed as quickly as they’ve delivered items. Numerous practices and procedures currently exist, likewise each individual team’s unique components.

Still, two of the most widely recognized and all-enclosing methodologies are the agile and waterfall processes to development. While they contain a large number of similar components, the two methodologies are boundlessly unique.

Project management software tools are a key segment to keeping teams on track. These tools often vary in their feature sets, some favoring long-term, waterfall planning, while others are adapted towards the quick-paced agile methodology.

Agile Methodology

Agile project management is based on quick iteration and user testing. While traditional procedures focus on long-term objectives and illustrating prerequisites in advance, agile teams take a pick-your-own-adventure’ approach. After continuously testing, pitching ideas and hearing from users, agile software development plan to form final products around users’ needs by learning what the products are as they go along. Well known items: JIRA, Targetprocess, Telerik TeamPulse, and Pivotal Tracker.

PROS

• Grasps ideas: Ideas are being tossed around at all points in the development process. Some might be rejected, however almost all will be tested.
• Users are heard: Developers can get a clearer idea of the clients' needs through various sessions of user testing and input.

CONS

• Hard to track: With parts of the project repeatedly changing, teams may have difficulties tracking changes, phases and schedules.
• Harder to plan: Teams may come into the process with a general idea for a completion date, yet they frequently change plans multiple times as objectives are included or surrendered.

Waterfall Methodology

Here is the regular, safe approach for managing software development. Team members and managers layout all requisites up front. From that point, strict schedules are closely monitored. Before teams move to a new phase of the sequential development schedule, requisites must be met and tasks must be done. Rather than testing changes throughout the process, teams develop a near-complete product and push it to user testing at a predefined date. Popular products: LiquidPlanner, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet and Basecamp.

PROS

• Simple and organized: One by one, tasks are monitored and team members know what to do next. New features are rarely be included, enabling developers to manage their schedules without interference.
• Clear timeline and goals: This often benefits bigger teams rather than smaller ones, however, managers know the date a project will start, tasks will be advanced and the product will be completed.

CONS

• Inflexible structure: As problems emerge during the development process, it is hard to accommodate new tasks while maintaining strict schedules, potentially resulting in decreased functionality.
• Longer process: It can be difficult and tedious to organize all necessities before initial development. Likewise, if the project planner is assigning realistic deadlines, the process will probably be drawn out.