Agile vs waterfall

Hi all !
In this blogpost I want to write about the differences between the two more use frameworks for project management.

Definitions

Waterfall is a linear approach to project management. In this methodology, there is a linear sequence of events. In a Waterfall project, each of these represents a distinct stage. Each stage generally finishes before the next one can begin. There is also typically a stage gate between each; for example, requirements must be reviewed and approved by the customer before design can begin.

Agile is an iterative, team-based approach to development. Rather than creating tasks and schedules, all time is organised into phases called sprints. Each sprint has a defined duration with a running list of deliverables, planned at the start of the sprint. Deliverables are prioritised by business value as determined by the customer. If all planned work for the sprint cannot be completed, work is reprioritised and the information is used for future sprint planning. As work is completed, it can be reviewed and evaluated by the project team and customer, through daily builds and end-of-sprint demos. Agile relies on a very high level of customer involvement throughout the project, but especially during these reviews.

Differences

Waterfall model is ideal for projects which have defined requirements, and no changes are expected, and the most important aspect is to monitor and control a project that is known by the company / team because similar ones have been done in the past.

On the other hand, Agile is best suited where there is a higher chance of frequent requirement changes. Agile is very flexible and it possible to make changes in any phase. In Agile process, requirements can change frequently. However, in a waterfall model, it is defined only once by the business analyst.

I encountered a really interesting summary between this two approaches:

Remarks

I think on an IT context, the same principles that make agile or waterfall good for a project applies. Normally in fields like web development, in which the customer will have a vague idea that needs to get defined along with the project, Agile is clearly superior. In other IT fields, like coding a database, because a clear step by step task list from beginning to end can be establish, waterfall is more appropriate.

I hope you find my research and thoughts on the topic interesting. Let me know what you think !