Agile vs. Waterfall Project Management: Clarify Them with 10 Differences

Main Agile Methodologies

There are several Agile methodologies that IT companies often use. Even though the basic core elements are the same, there are a few differences along with their own advantages and disadvantages. If you want to use Agile as your software management method, here are a few you should consider choosing from:

1. Scrum

Scrum is undeniably the most well-known, most popular Agile framework for software management. The Scrum method is based on short cycles called sprints, where a full development rotation is done. The team also meets for a daily or weekly meeting to plan for the work day or the week. After every sprint, the feedback is collected, and the next sprint is planned. The full rotation is as follows:

• Establishing requirements
• Planning and designing
• Developing
• Deploying and testing
• Evaluating
• Collecting feedback
• And repeating

2. Extreme Programming (XP)

Developed by Kent Beck, this methodology prioritizes customer satisfaction over all else. This means the customer is constantly encouraged to make changes, even at the last stage of the project. Teamwork is crucial as once there is a problem, the whole team of leaders, developers, and customers is supposed to work together to figure out the best solution.

3. Kanban

Created by Taiichi Ohno and used by Toyota, the Kanban method focuses on maximizing efficiency and improving continuously. It is also called the “just in time” method for software management. The workflow is demonstrated on a whiteboard or an Agile task board, where the process is clearly stated, and everyone is updated on what everyone else is doing in order to coordinate in a timely manner and produce the best outcome in the least amount of time.

Advantages of the Agile Model

The Agile model is created to build the “perfect software” for clients. It is usually used for more complicated, large projects where more advanced technologies are used. The Agile model encourages testing and evaluating so there are fewer errors in the final product and makes sure that customers are satisfied with the project outcome, as their inputs are needed in every stage of the development process.

By including the customers and team members in the development process rather than barely relying on the control of the project manager, you can have a better sense of what the product outcomes are going to be and a better sense of ownership as they actively participate in the development process. Customers are also updated on the latest technologies and can be confident that their product is ahead of the trend and can attract end users.

A team leader is usually present in teams that use the Agile method. The team leader usually holds the teams together and can push collaboration between the teams and between the team and the customer. This improves communication and makes sure that everyone is in on what is going on so they can concentrate on doing what they do best.

Even though the Agile method might take longer than the Waterfall method, there is no potential delay or start over as the final product is usually as expected and of high quality with no bugs as testing is done throughout the process.

In short, the pros of Agile methodology include:

• Allowing for a high level of flexibility
• Elevating transparency through progress updates
• Having an iterative nature that fosters continuous improvement
• Promoting active stakeholder involvement
• Responding to changes swiftly

Disadvantages of the Agile Model

The Agile model is considered much more complicated compared to the Waterfall approach and might not be suitable for small-scale, short-time projects where all the requirements are already set in stone and the deadlines are short. The customer is also involved in all of the stages, so requirements might change very often, which leads to confusion and time extension on the project. This means that Agile projects are usually longer compared to Waterfall projects.

In order to execute all the stages properly, the teams are supposed to work together flawlessly. This means constant communication and teamwork are required, and the customer is always updated on the project. Even though this might sound amazing at a glance, having awesome teamwork requires a lot of work and can be very time-consuming. The responsibility lies heavily on the team leader to keep the project going and the customer happy.

Since technology is always changing, it is very tempting to continuously update and upgrade the project, even though it extends the time and delays the deadline. There is also a potential for disagreement as requirements are always changing, and the best solution that the teams offer might be different from what the customer wants.

In short, the cons of Agile methodology include:

• Uncertainty in project scope and timeline
• Resource-intensive
• Scope creep
• Additional training courses

Advantages of the Waterfall Model

As the traditional software management model, Waterfall is very easy to proceed and follow through. This model requires you to have specific conditions and goals for each and every part of the development cycle and makes sure that everything is ready for the next stage.

Waterfall is a very straightforward model as developers and decision-makers agree early on in the development process, and expectations are transparent from start to finish. Progress is also easier to measure, as it is linear and moves from one stage to the next. Thanks to this, the Waterfall method allows the fastest delivery speed for all projects and works extremely well on smaller, less complicated projects.

The customer is only involved in the first and last stages; this means that it is easier for developers to concentrate on their expertise, and less time is needed to review the project over and over again after each stage. Furthermore, if staff change occurs in the middle of the process, it is easy to adapt the staff to the change as tasks can be handed over swiftly and without compromises on quality.

The best advantage of this methodology is that you can expect a completed, working software at the end of the project, and the delivery time is usually measured accurately and with no delay.

In short, the pros of the Waterfall methodology include:

• Providing defined stages for project development
• Predictable timelines, budgets, and timelines
• Easy to manage and monitor the project’s progress
• Reducing potential scope creep as client involvement is limited

Disadvantages of the Waterfall Model

The first thing you should consider before applying the Waterfall model to your project is that it is not a very suitable method for large and complicated projects. If you are going to make a lot of changes or consider having a long-term project where technologies might change or be updated, this might not be the best method as the Waterfall model is not adaptable to changes.

Once the design stage is over, it is much harder to apply changes to the project. Since the team strictly follows the process set up during the planning stage, they will carry out all the tasks as planned instead of improvising or improving during the process. In addition, once a stage is over, it is considered finished, and it is much harder to revisit the previous stage in the future.

Another point is that the testing is only done after the development stage is over. This makes it harder for developers to fix the errors that occur earlier in the process and might delay completion time, or even worse, makes the project more costly.

Since the customer is only involved in the planning and delivery stages, there is a potential that the final product cannot satisfy the customer. This makes it much harder for developers to change according to the customer’s will, as this most likely means that the project has to be restarted and executed all over again.

In short, the cons of the Waterfall methodology include:

• Limited flexibility as changes cannot be easily implemented
• Late feedback
• Long delivery timeline that leads to slower time to market
• Testing challenges