The Waterfall
Method is one of the first publicly documented life cycle
model. This was documented in 1970 by Royce. This model
was developed to help cope with complicated aerospace product
development. The waterfall method of the system development
life cycle opened doors to new development lifecycles.
The method that followed the Waterfall Method was the Spiral
Model.
The Waterfall
Method or otherwise known as the Waterfall Model is also
known as the Classic Life Cycle Model or the Linear Sequential
Model.
- The waterfall
method is the least flexible of all of the life cycle
models.
- The waterfall
method is the most obsolete (and oldest documented) life
cycle model.
- The waterfall
method is the core base for other, more effective life
cycle models.
The waterfall
method is extremely document driven. All of the work is
carried from phase to phase through the system development
life cycle through series of documents. The waterfall model
has its' pros and cons however.
Pros:
- If you
have a stable product definition and know exactly what
you want, and your working with technologies that you
have a firm technical understanding of, the waterfall
method may be the best method to follow.
- All of
the planning of the waterfall method is done up front,
and so if you know exactly what you want and want to
minimize planning costs, the waterfall may be the best
method of the system development life cycle to follow.
- If you
have a project that is very complicated but the knowledge
of the product is high, the waterfall method provides
a system that is very linear and can tackle the products
complexity very simply.
Of course
there are cons to the waterfall method:
- The waterfall
method is very rigid. If your product requires changes in
the middle of the system development, the waterfall method
does not provide flexibility to make changes. All of the
requirements of the program have to be specified at the
beginning of the system development life cycle.
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Melissa Nava Consulting
http://www.melissanava.com
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