Agile Vs Waterfall (For beginners Like me)

Both project management approaches are equally as good as each other. It is the project type itself which should drive which methodology is used.

There are many advantages and disadvantages of both approaches.

So Why Waterfall?

Waterfall is a structured stage by stage sequential approach where each particular bit of work to complete the initiative is done in phases. Once one phase finishes, the project then moves onto the next phase. The number of phases varies according to the particular Waterfall methodology chosen.



The advantages of Waterfall are:

• Easy forwards / backwards planning and implementation
• Tangible output at the end of each stage - This produces better visibility to others and provides a baseline to move forward on (+ caters for a sequential funding model).
• Ability to visually see and communicate a target delivery / end date based on scope agreed.

The disadvantages of Waterfall are:

• Change - Change in scope can seriously impact time/cost/quality.
• If tasks aren't done properly in each phase and essentially identified at a later stage, the entire project can be severely impacted.
• Dependencies - If the project has internal or external dependencies (key resource, external project(s) etc), delays can occur as the "plan" has already been written.

So Why Agile?

Agile is an iterative type approach where phases (requirements/design/build/test) needed to complete a project are generally done in parallel together. There are many Agile frameworks but each effectively has the same empirical structure where tasks are broken down into small tranches (planning cycles). Requirements and solutions are continually evolving and based on priority and discipline.

The advantages of Agile are:

• Change - Requirements are ever evolving so change can be catered for very easily given the shorter planning cycles.
• Encourages active involvement and interaction from key project stakeholders which allows for product build based on priority and accuracy. Continual 'show and tell' sessions allow for product agreement.
• Team interaction - Constant team involvement and structured communication channels allow for the discovery of progress, impediments and collaboration.
• Continuous improvement (i.e. lessons are learnt from and ultimately used to better the next iterations).

The disadvantages of Agile are:

• Planning (target delivery date consisting of x) can be sometimes be dubious.
• Business representation - Time and efforts will be continually required from product resources. This is crucial to cycle planning and success.
• External Stakeholder buy-in - Given its unique and alternative approach, on occasion resistance is common so training and education is needed (sometimes to a wide audience).
• Team members must be highly skilled / cross skilled in competencies as core teams are small. They must also be up-skilled on the Agile framework chosen.

Choose the most suitable approach based on your delivery type, organisational structure and resource accessibility considering the above fundamentals.

The two approaches can also be somewhat blended together. 'Agifall or 'Wagile' methodologies are starting to become much more common in global organisations. This blend allows teams to meet wider organisational requirements but also conduct traditional Agile development.