The Waterfall Model of Software Development

The Waterfall software development model has been in use for a number of decades and it is still commonly used in software development projects today. It is a sequential model where the development process goes through a number of phases in a certain order.

While it has been replaced to a large degree by the iterative models of software development, Waterfall still has its place in today's IT world. Basically, it requires that any project goes through the stages of requirements analysis, design, implementation (coding), verification, and maintenance.

In comparison to iterative models, the Waterfall model is seen as inflexible and linear—though it's preferred by many who feel iterative software development methodologies lack discipline. Although there are variations, in the true Waterfall model, the project only moves from one phase to the next when a phase is completed in its entirety. Therefore, no work will begin on the design phase until requirements analysis is complete. Also, there is no room for backtracking, so when a phase is complete it has to be right.

The Waterfall model is often used for very large software development projects and may involve development teams working in different locations. Once implementation, or coding, is complete the various components will be integrated into a working piece of software. The verification phase will involve testing and debugging of the software before it is released.

Advantages

Fans of the Waterfall software development model will argue that the amount of pre-planning that goes into the requirements and design phases makes it the most economical and risk free way to develop software as it identifies and weeds out any potential problems at the outset. If these problems arose later in a project they could be very costly.

The Waterfall model also puts an emphasis on documentation and structure. This is an advantage when someone leaves the development team as the necessary documentation is there to help a new person take over.

Disadvantages

The Waterfall model certainly isn't to everyone's taste. Those who argue against it are usually opposed to its rigid structure and the inability to backtrack. It also isn't very client-focused as it makes any requests to change the software during the development process almost impossible to agree to. And while each phase of development should be 100% perfect before it is completed, it can become very complicated if they are not.

For these reasons, many modified Waterfall models have developed over the years that allow for increased flexibility.

 

Written by: Frank J Klein - CIO

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