Why winners choose Waterfall software development

Right, you have an idea.

Some tech solution that’s innovative, fills a gap in the market, and/or will revolutionise the way companies/people go about their lives. 

So, how are you going to bring this vision to life?

There is a lot of debate around Waterfall and Agile methodology, and which is better for managing software development. On both sides of the argument, there is a long list of pros and a short list of cons. But, to really understand which is better, which is the right choice, is to truly understand the nature of your project and the goals of the organisation you work for.

This blog post focuses on the merits of Waterfall & why, assuming your project meets certain criteria, you should choose to build with a Waterfall team.

Waterfall Process:

1. Define: Ensuring that all project requirements are gathered at the beginning of the project, allowing us to move forward without demands on your time and input. If it’s not documented, it’s not designed.
2. Design: Through research and investigation, we define how the final product will function and what that will look like. If it’s not designed, it’s not built.
3. Build: This is when Engineering brings your requirements and designs to life.
4. Test: This is your chance to review the product to make sure that it meets the requirements laid out at the start. 

Waterfall is best used when:

1. Projects have clearly defined features and user roles that are unlikely to change over the course of the development lifecycle;
2. Customers have a fixed budget; 
3. Customers what to get an MVP to market quickly; 
4. Customers don’t need/want to be heavily involved after the initial documentation & design phases.

Waterfall is a winning methodology because:

1. Progress is easily measured as the full scope of the project is known from the onset;
2. Developers input from the beginning (Define & Design Phase) ensures that design errors are avoided to ensure a smooth development lifecycle; 
3. The cost and timeline can be accurately estimated based off project requirements; 
4. Every decision and consideration is documented to ensure no loss of valuable information.  

The holistic & detailed understanding of the project, by all participating team members, before the development cycle begins, guarantees a successful outcome and accurately manages client expectations!