Which is best: Agile or Waterfall Approach for Business
For most Information Technology (IT) organisations, the first question to address before beginning a project is whether to use the Waterfall or Agile software development methods. However, we must note that Agile and Waterfall Approach is not only applicable for the IT industry. It is also applied by many businesses operating in different industries. Making a decision may not always be uncomplicated especially when you are working on a business project.
We may ask ourselves if the project is beneficial to the client, the company, or none of the above. With these considerations in mind, in this article, we will provide you the reason for using the different approaches but it is for you of course to figure out which one will work best.
The Linear Sequential Life Cycle Model is another name for the Waterfall Model technique. The ‘application development life cycle’ model may be characterised as a method that chooses to follow a series of steps in a particular order. Meanwhile, Agile stresses early product delivery and enables adaptable and flexible modifications that may be made at any juncture in the project’s lifetime, as the name suggests.
So to answer our question, which is best? Agile or Waterfall? Well, Agile is built on the concept of uncertainty. Information spread considerably slower in the past, and the economy was relatively stable. Things do change, monthly or weekly these days, and it’s difficult to prevent making important modifications in the production system that has already been established. On the other hand, Waterfall practitioners initiate their projects with a solid plan; it’s a step-by-step procedure with obvious, distinct gates between every task. Throughout phases, stage gates are used, and each stage is treated as a distinct, fixed component. There is no way to return to a previous stage.
If you are leaning towards flexible working, then Agile might be suitable. But if you are on the concrete side of the project, a Waterfall Approach may be a better guide to follow. In certain situations, a business may use both approaches at the same time to meet the needs of its various business units.
