The Waterfall method of software development, otherwise known as the “traditional method” is one of the oldest processes that software development teams utilize in software solution implementation. The waterfall methodology is based on five phases that must be followed consecutively to reach the final goal. The five phases of the waterfall method include analysis, design, implementation, testing and maintenance. Each stage of the waterfall software development cycle is equally as important and must be followed consecutively. It is essential that each phase of the cycle is completed to an entirety prior to moving on to the next phase. The waterfall software development life cycle methodology …show more content…
It is a necessity that the software development teams define the method they choose to implement change and stick to that methodology until the project is completed. Software development teams cannot choose to develop a software solution utilizing both a waterfall and agile methodology. When a software development team chooses to utilize a waterfall method they must ensure that they stick to the defined steps of the waterfall method. If experiencing difficulties during the implementation phase, the team can-not choose to turn the period into a short iteration and change the path of the project. Software development teams following the agile method must adhere to the same guidelines. When defining the project plan it is critical that the team follows the defined schedule until their goal is achieved. To stay on track throughout the course of the project, it is critical that software development teams following the agile method ensure they have highly skilled individuals that are capable of completing the task at hand. To achieve success in implementing a software solution it is essential that the team stick to the process of the methodology that they …show more content…
As a software development team progresses through the five phases of the waterfall method it is not uncommon to find a firm that will assign each phase to a different department within the company. The firm will choose a department that is specialized to handle the task at hand for each phase of the project. For example, the finance department may handle the analysis phase to document a complete and comprehensive description of the software that is necessary to make their jobs easier. After the analysis step is complete the project can move to an IT department to implement the design and analysis phases. When using a waterfall method it is common for a firm to involve a numerous number of resources to handle different tasks. An agile software development team environment is much different than that of a waterfall. While a waterfall team consists of multiple individuals across the organization, an agile software development team works best as a small group that is co-located. These teams will usually consist of 4 to 15 resources that will work together to implement the software solution through each sprint of the project. A critical characteristic of an agile team is that they must work together in a central location. Unlike the waterfall method, the agile method is constantly changing to adapt to the client