The waterfall method involves a development cycle where one proceeds through each phase in sequence, only advancing to the next phase when all requirements of the preceding phase have been completed. Check out our list of the best project management software.
If you’ve been paying attention to project management and development methodologies, you’ve likely heard the term “waterfall”. So How Exactly Does the Waterfall Method Work? The waterfall method describes a development cycle where one proceeds through each phase in sequence, only advancing to the next phase when all requirements of the preceding phase have been completed. The first step in the waterfall model is to outline all requirements and/or specifications in the “product requirements document.” Once all requirements have been established, one proceeds to product design, or architecture.
Construction, or implementation, follows design, which results in the first workable product. Once all segments of the product have been successfully integrated and implemented, one proceeds to the verification, testing, or debugging phase. After all bugs have been squashed and the product is ready for delivery, the product is installed and/or brought to market. The final phase, maintenance, doesn’t end until the product is discontinued or replaced.
Why Should You Use the Waterfall Method? Various organizations have used the waterfall method, most of them in the aforementioned construction, manufacturing, and software development industries. The United States Department of Defense adopted the waterfall method in June of 1985 for software development of defense systems, but since then, most organizations have moved away from the methodology, for various reasons. For certain situations, namely when a process or product type has already been well-established, and there is little risk of failure or mistakes in the early stages, the waterfall method is still used.
For new products or processes, the risk of early-stage mistakes is often considered too great; if a mistake is made early in the requirements or design phase, it often isn’t discovered until the verification or testing phase. If the mistake is significant enough, it can cause the entire product or process to fail, resulting in a waste of potentially hundreds or thousands of hours of development time. Ultimately, it is up to the individual project or product manager and their teams to determine which methodology is best for their needs.
To find out more about waterfall-based project management systems, check out our website where we can help you find the right software for your work.
The waterfall method involves a development cycle where one proceeds through each phase in sequence, only advancing to the next phase when all requirements of the preceding phase have been completed.
Check out our list of the best project management software.
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