Agile vs. waterfall, what is the best methodology for managing your projects? There is no shortage of project management approaches when it comes to businesses. Agile is one approach that has taken off in the world of software development, with new practitioners even extending it well outside of the tech industry.

Waterfall is decidedly different, taking a systematic, sequential approach to accomplishing goals. While these approaches have their merits, it is certainly worth exploring your options when considering new workflows. So, with that in mind, let’s take both of these apart and see which one is worth implementing for your next project.

What Is Agile?

Agile is a project management approach that emphasizes people and processes over the technological prowess of a given organization. As such, it makes for a suitable project management approach for anyone looking to supercharge their output while maintaining clear and consistent communication.

Agile operates as an iterative approach, meaning that a constant cycle of revisions, prototyping, and giving feedback is to be expected. Software development is a difficult task to manage for most teams, as the parameters for a given customer can change at any time.

However, this inherent flexibility is what gives Agile such a sterling reputation in the tech industry. Most tech teams will use Agile, or at least core tools and components from the approach. Learning how to effectively use it is one of the defining factors of any modern tech business.

What Makes It Effective

There are a few different factors that are a testament to the efficacy of Agile. The aforementioned open communication is a huge consideration to keep in mind. This isn’t just communication between teams and leadership, but also between teams, stakeholders, and the end customer. Agile is a people-first methodology, meaning that you are constantly checking in on progress, listening to feedback, and gauging morale.

As far as project management approaches go, Agile has made a name for itself based on its inherent flexibility. Customer parameters might change throughout a project, but Agile can readily account for and adapt to those changes. It is also a stellar means of keeping track of risk throughout a project.

Since Agile is an iterative methodology, there is less of a chance for defects, problems, and other setbacks to arise. If something isn’t working, it can readily go back to the drawing board. This constant cycle leads to quality deliverables, happy customers, and a team that is involved in every step of the project.

The Drawbacks of the Agile Approach

Any methodology is going to have its drawbacks. While Agile is flexible, it also has a propensity for allowing features to spiral out of control when teams get a hold of a project. The inherent lack of structured phases, instead it relying on sprints can lead to delivery times not being met.

Further, it is a timesink, the constant meetings and getting teams on track begs for strong leadership. Simply put, if the culture isn’t Agile, then adopting Agile as a project management effort is going to fall flat on its face in no time.

Additionally, you’ll have to consider the variable output of a given project. While you’re paying closer attention to user feedback, you also have deadlines to meet. There is a real possibility that the end deliverable isn’t fully aligning with your customer’s demands, leading to dissatisfaction for all involved parties.

What Is Waterfall?

Waterfall is a project management approach that hews closely to structure. Each stage of a project has distinct phases that are meant to be accomplished in sequential order. Customer requirements are identified early in the project’s lifespan, meaning a tangible goal is being pursued. This structured approach is easy to implement.

Most teams are likely accustomed to something akin to Waterfall project management. Businesses that operate outside of the tech industry have used similar methods for the accomplishment of projects for decades at this point.

Phases in Waterfall can have some overlap, depending on the requirements of a given step. However, it relies less on strong leadership to accomplish goals. You’ve got a rigid and easy-to-use game plan to follow throughout the entire process.

What Makes It Effective

Waterfall is perhaps best exemplified by its rigidity. You have an approach that is predictable and easily reproduced for any project. Further, you’ve got plenty of documentation on hand to keep track of your entire project, which proves useful for future efforts.

The Waterfall approach is readily combined with other project management systems, thanks in part to its fixed nature. Further, by identifying all project requirements from the start, you’re preparing the means to accomplish whatever goals you need.

There is something to be said about a reliable means of handling a project, and Waterfall exemplifies this line of thinking.

The Drawbacks of Using Waterfall Project Management

Waterfall’s rigid nature poses some problems when setbacks start to arise. As you’re expected to complete each step sequentially, a change in requirements can result in hours of lost work. Further, it doesn’t truly allow for flexibility, especially if problems are found during the testing phase. Fixes can be expensive and time-consuming to implement.

Additionally, you’re not maintaining a pipeline of constant communication with your team. Inevitably, you’re going to end up siloing teams, allowing them to work in their lane, and deliver the expected results.

If you’re in an industry where project requirements changing is a normal occurrence, then Waterfall might be ill-suited for your workflow. However, understanding the right tool for the job is going to take you much further than sticking with a single approach.

Agile vs. Waterfall: What’s the Difference?

So, now that we’ve outlined the particulars and drawbacks of these two approaches, it is time to pit them head-to-head. Agile vs. Waterfall isn’t so much a comparison for the sake of finding the better tool, but rather understanding the shortcomings and advantages of adopting either of these approaches for your next project.

At the end of the day, any business is looking to maximize its output while meeting customer demands. Depending on your industry, you might do well to implement elements of both approaches for different aspects of a given project.

As such, it isn’t Agile vs. Waterfall you’ll need to consider, but rather what works the best for your teams depending on the workload expected of your next project.

Risk Management

Things happen in a project, that’s just a part of life. However, when it comes to managing risk, Agile has a definite edge over the likes of Waterfall. Agile allows teams to quickly adapt to issues as they arise, implementing changes rapidly. Compare that to Waterfall and you can see some deficiencies in the overall project approach.

Waterfall doesn’t allow for adaptation, at least from the start of a project. Fixes are implemented much later, well after most of the primary work on a project has been accomplished. Waterfall project management is averse to risk, meaning that it can be catastrophic for a project when it occurs.

Project Reliability

What I mean by reliability is less a measure of the project’s output, and more a measure of how well a team stays on track. Agile project management is very much freeform by design. While there might be an overall semblance of structure, it is up to team leads to keep their subordinates on track. This can inevitably lead to key objectives in a project falling by the wayside.

Conversely, when compared to Waterfall project management, Agile comes off as a bit lacking. As I’ve said regarding Agile vs. Waterfall, this isn’t so much a competition, but an analysis of toolsets. Waterfall’s structured approach to project management keeps teams on track.

There is a clear method to the madness, and it in turns lead to teams accomplishing their goals in a timely and effective manner.

Resource Usage

Anyone in business knows that resources can come in many different forms. However, when it comes to measuring how many resources you’re consuming, Agile is going to come off looking far worse by comparison. This is thanks in part to the looser flow of the work in Agile. You might have certain resources like funding and manhours allocated for a task, but they can balloon quickly.

Compare this to Waterfall project management, where the baseline budgets for your available resources are kept in mind as you progress through each stage. If price and time are a concern, then Waterfall might be the best approach, at least for getting things out in a timely fashion.

Flexibility

When it comes to Agile vs. Waterfall, this is arguably one of the largest sticking points. Waterfall project management simply isn’t flexible when you get down to it. By its very nature, it lacks the means of adapting on the fly to issues as they arise. Compare this to Agile, which is just as nimble as its name might imply.

Agile teams can readily adapt to issues as they arise, rather than waiting for the next stage to progress. The iterative approach lends itself well top adapting to problems, and can keep the stress levels down as you progress through each sprint.

Customer Needs

It’s hard to consider a bigger headache than crossing the finish line on a project and it doesn’t meet your customer’s requirements. With Waterfall, this is a real possibility, especially if the customer objectives have shifted over time. While Waterfall project management has definite benefits, it can lose sight of the customer throughout its stages.

Contrast this to Agile, where customers and stakeholders alike are kept in the loop as things progress. If you’ve got concerns about your communication pipeline with the customer, it might be worth considering adopting some Agile principles in your organization.

Scope Creep

My final talking point is scope creep, the bane of most of the tech industry. Agile is prone to this, thanks in part to new technologies becoming available or cross-functional teams bringing insight and knowledge to the fore.

Waterfall project management simply doesn’t allow much room for scope creep. You’re sticking to the plan, rather than improvising along the way. Consider it a Bach concerto versus a freeform Miles Davis record and you aren’t far off the mark.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for some other tools and tricks? You might do well to learn about the differences between Cpk and Sigma level. Both these measurements are key figures when factoring your business’s output, but learning where they apply is bit trickier.

Additionally, you might want to look over the differences between variable and attribute data. Both these data types are constant companions when conducting any sort of analysis, but there are marked differences between the two.

Conclusion

Agile vs. Waterfall won’t result in a clear cut winner. However, you’ve hopefully come away from today’s piece with a greater understanding about the advantages and disadvantages surrounding both methodologies. Picking the right sort of approach for project management for your team is a difficult task no matter how you cut it. Thankfully, you’ve got options, depending on your organization’s goals.

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