How can you use tools and standards to support Waterfall SDLC?

1 Project Management Tools

Project management tools are essential for any software development project, but especially for Waterfall SDLC, where planning, scheduling, budgeting, and monitoring are crucial. Project management tools can help you define the scope, requirements, deliverables, and milestones of your project, as well as assign tasks, track progress, communicate with stakeholders, and manage risks and changes. Some examples of project management tools that support Waterfall SDLC are Microsoft Project, Gantt charts, Work Breakdown Structures, and Critical Path Method.

3 Testing Tools

Testing tools are vital for ensuring the functionality, reliability, and security of your software, especially in Waterfall SDLC, where testing is a separate and final phase before deployment. Testing tools can help you automate, execute, and report on various types of tests, such as unit tests, integration tests, system tests, and acceptance tests. Testing tools can also help you identify and fix bugs, errors, and defects in your code. Some examples of testing tools that support Waterfall SDLC are JUnit, Selenium, TestNG, and Postman.

4 Coding Standards

Coding standards are a set of rules and guidelines that define how to write, format, and organize your code, as well as how to name your variables, functions, classes, and files. Coding standards can help you improve the readability, consistency, and maintainability of your code, as well as reduce the chances of errors and bugs. Coding standards can also help you collaborate with other developers and follow the best practices of your programming language and framework. Some examples of coding standards that support Waterfall SDLC are PEP 8 for Python, Java Code Conventions, and Google JavaScript Style Guide.

5 Design Standards

Design standards are a set of principles and patterns that define how to design the user interface, user experience, and architecture of your software. Design standards can help you create a software that is user-friendly, intuitive, responsive, and scalable, as well as meet the expectations and requirements of your clients and users. Design standards can also help you reuse and adapt existing designs and components, rather than reinventing the wheel. Some examples of design standards that support Waterfall SDLC are Material Design, Bootstrap, and Model-View-Controller.

6 Quality Standards

Quality standards are a set of criteria and measures that define how to ensure the quality of your software, as well as how to evaluate and improve it. Quality standards can help you comply with the regulations and expectations of your industry and market, as well as satisfy the needs and preferences of your clients and users. Quality standards can also help you establish and follow a quality assurance and quality control process, as well as use quality metrics and tools. Some examples of quality standards that support Waterfall SDLC are ISO 9001, CMMI, and Six Sigma.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?