The Complete Tutorial to the Waterfall Model Project Management Methodology

Knowing about the different techniques for efficient Project Management is an important skill for web developers. Edureify has previously discussed the Complete Guide to Project Management Skills and the Agile Methodology with the JIRA Software.

In this article, Edureify will discuss another method of Project Management, i.e., the Waterfall Management Model. Interested students can also download the Edureify AI Learning App and join the best coding Bootcamp courses to learn more web development skills.

Read on to know more about the Waterfall Management model.

What is the Waterfall Model?

The Waterfall Management Model is the sequential, linear, step-by-step process of project management. It is a project management model that efficiently maps out all the steps of a project right from the birth of the idea of the project to all the different sequential phases.

The Waterfall Model is a traditional system of project planning and management. The model defines each step and its goals clearly based on which the team progresses. The model is planned as such that none of the steps are expected to change. The Waterfall Model provides a clear concept of the linear progression of a project with a proper timeline.

Phases of the Waterfall Model

The Waterfall Model has five to seven stages. They are-

1. Requirements Analysis- Before beginning the planning of a project, one needs to first gather all the important information. The information can be collected in various ways, such as through interviews, surveys, questionnaires, interaction, and more. The project manager collects the information and analyzes them properly with proper documentation. Some of the important features of this stage are-

• Identify the project scope, whether it is a feasible idea for investment or not
• Understand and meet the Stakeholder’s expectations
• Carry a proper and detailed research
• Assemble the team for bringing the idea into action
• Begin working on the next phases and kickoff the idea generated

2. Design- After gathering the important requirements to begin project planning, the developers begin designing the system. The system design step studies all the information collected in the first step and starts assigning the programming languages that will be best suited for scripting the collected data. Coding does not begin from this step but the team decides on which language to use and what hardware tools are required. For efficient system design, the team can-

• List all the tasks that are to be performed
• Schedule the tasks properly along with deciding the budget and funding of the project

3. Implementation- From hereon, the coding begins. The team starts dividing the project into smaller units which are later integrated in the next step. These small units begin to be developed and tested for their functionality. This is also termed Unit Testing. To ensure a better and smooth flow of the planned work, the following tips can come in handy-

• Assign the members their tasks and properly define them their roles and responsibilities
• The project leader must keep monitoring and tracking the progress of small developments in each unit
• Maintain a proper balance in the workload and ensure proper distribution of the resources
• Provide daily updates to the Stakeholders to keep them in the loop

4. Integration and Testing- After the implementation of the codes for each unit, the individual units are integrated. The combined unit now gets tested as a whole unit and is tested to check faults or difficulties. If there are any errors detected in this stage, the entire project is returned to phase one of the model for reevaluation.
5. Deployment of System- After the successful integration and testing of the project, the project gets launched for customer use. This is also known as the verification stage where the developers verify the product’s authenticity and functionality for use by the developers. Some pro-tips for efficient execution of this stage are-

• Pay all the dues to the contracts
• Keep a blueprint of such plans in software like ProjectManager that helps create templates from a project
• Complete the paperwork and document everything properly

6. Maintenance- Once the product is launched and is available for use by the customers, there might arise some situations where there are difficulties in the usage of the product. Here, the team needs to create and release certain patches to help resolve the issue. The team can also come up with certain updates and newer versions of the product for satisfied customer usage.

The Waterfall Model Application

Identifying the correct method to approach a project is very crucial in software development. Some of the situations where using the Waterfall Model is most suitable are-

• When a project requires proper documentation and the goal is clear and fixed with less to no chances of change
• The product is well defined
• The technology that is to be used is not that dynamic
• The requirements and expectations from the project are clearly defined with zero ambiguity
• The product must be supported with sufficient resources
• The project period is short and does not require a lot of time

Advantages of the Waterfall Model

So far, readers must have understood that a lot of paperwork and planning go into the structuring of the Waterfall Model. Some of the benefits of using Waterfall Management are-

• Enables departmentalization and control over the entire project
• Has a linear progression towards achieving the goal of the project by taking into consideration all the loopholes and overcoming them successfully
• It is very easy and simple to use
• Has a rigid model and therefore is easy to manage
• Each phase is completed and developed with proper care
• The Waterfall Model is most suitable for small projects where the needs are well defined
• The stages are clearly defined
• The project idea is very comprehensive for everything is well documented
• One can keep track of each and every progress
• Helps in saving time and cost for everything is pre-defined

Disadvantages of the Waterfall Model

The major drawback of the Waterfall Model is that it is too rigid that it lacks the scope of any improvement or enhancement of ideas. Some of the other major disadvantages of the Waterfall Model are-

• Cannot accommodate change
• The trial software is produced at the end of the stage, so developers cannot comprehend what changes might be required until late in the project development process
• There are high amounts of risk associated for nobody can guarantee the success of the project until it is completely developed without any prior demo software
• This model of project management is not suitable for object-oriented, complex projects
• At any phase of the project development if an error is detected, the team needs to restart their work again from phase one
• Developers cannot scale or measure the project’s success until it is finished

Here was the complete guide to the Waterfall Model.

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Some FAQs on the Waterfall Model-

1. What is the Waterfall Model?

The Waterfall Management Model is the sequential, linear, step-by-step process of project management. It is a project management model that efficiently maps out all the steps of a project right from the birth of the idea of the project to all the different sequential phases.

2. Mention the name of the phases of the Waterfall Model.

The phases of the Waterfall Model are-

• Requirements Analysis
• Design
• Implementation
• Integration and Testing
• Deployment of System
• Maintenance

3. Mention any three advantages of the Waterfall Model.

The three advantages of the Waterfall Model are-

• Has a linear progression towards achieving the goal of the project by taking into consideration all the loopholes and overcoming them successfully
• It is very easy and simple to use
• Has a rigid model and therefore is easy to manage

4. Mention any three disadvantages of the Waterfall Model.

The three disadvantages of the Waterfall Model are-

• Cannot accommodate change
• The trial software is produced at the end of the stage, so developers cannot comprehend what changes might be required until late in the project development process
• There are high amounts of risk associated for nobody can guarantee the success of the project until it is completely developed without any prior demo software

5. From where can I garner the skills to efficiently work in Project Management?

Join the best web development coding Bootcamp of Edureify and learn all the skills required for efficient Project Management skills.