Key Differences Between Each Method
| Method | Waterfall | Agile |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Divided into distinct phases that do not repeat Follows a sequential design process Requirements gathering and scoping happen throughout the project Scope for changing requirements is limited Testing happens at the end of stages | Completes work through sprints where phases or stages repeat in each sprint Follows an iterative design process Business analysis happens at the beginning of the project A flexible and adaptive model which allows for change Testing happens throughout at the end of each sprint |
| Advantages | Easy to manage because each phase has its agreed deliverables Simple projects can be delivered quickly Dependencies are clear Clearly outlines responsibilities of each team member | Focus on quality – scope, timeline and cost is what is changed, never quality Cross functional, self-determining teams make for happy, effective, efficient and productive teams The client is involved throughout the process based on an incremental process, the status of the project is always clear |
| Limitations | Not ideal for a large scale project. The larger the project, the higher the risk as the original specifications can more easily go off course during the project Requires knowledge of the entire project to be known upfront which is not always possible and can make the methodology less effective It is difficult to go back and make changes in earlier phases Not ideal for technical projects because issues can be hard to resolve if they are not discovered until the testing phase | Not as useful for smaller projects The solution is driven by experts meaning the client generally has less knowledge of the actual (technical) implementation of the product The project manager needs to tightly control the project to ensure it stays on track in terms of priority, the end product and value for the client |