Advantages & Disadvantages of Waterfall Models

Early Phases are Perfected

• When the waterfall method is done correctly, you spend a lot of time on early phases of planning to work out any bugs; this can save time later in the process. You do all the research before any building or implementation can start. That way, clients should know up front what to expect at the end and how much a project will cost.

Documentation

• The waterfall method requires extensive documentation at every step of the process, and you can use this documentation to show that research was, in fact, completed. Also, if team members move or quit the project, others can still continue because they have all the information they need; there is no need to worry that valuable knowledge will leave when a team member does. When the waterfall model is working properly, new team members should be able to pick up a project right where someone else stopped.

Problems with Linear Processes

• The waterfall model depends on a linear way of thinking; however, resources aren’t always best utilized from a model like this. For instance, every team player has to work on the same stage, but some might do better at other parts of the project. You also can save time when you divide a project appropriately, and you can lose time when everyone is expected to work on every phase of the project.

Changes are Difficult

• Software projects often depend on external factors, so it is difficult to foresee how much a project will cost and what the end result should really be. Builders often have a different vision than developers, and the developers might not know how best to tell builders what to do. If something toward the end of the project has to be changed, those involved have to start the entire waterfall model again to reflect the changes; this can be time-consuming. In addition, so much documentation is necessary in a waterfall model that the actual paperwork can be overwhelming, especially if it has to be completely redone toward the end of the project.