The Traditional Waterfall Method, And Common Methods Of Software Development

In this essay I will compare two well-known and widely used methods of software development, the traditional Waterfall Method and the more recently established Agile Method. The Waterfall method is a structured, linear approach that breaks down the software development process, or life-cycle, into distinct stages. The Agile method is just as the name states, it is flexible and adaptable. It breaks the development process into smaller segments defined by deliverable goals, each segment runs through a complete software development life-cycle.
In some capacity, both methods follow the five stages of the software development life-cycle. The five stages of this format in sequential order are analyzing requirements, designing the system, developing the system, testing the system, and
In the Waterfall Method, the only opportunity that clients have to communicate their requirements of the software to the development team is in the first stage, ‘requirement analysis.’ While this may be acceptable and/or preferred for more simple software programs, it can cause issues in the creation of complex applications. This is because it can be difficult for a client to identify all of their requirements at the outset of the project (Williams, 2004). If additional requirements are identified at a later time, it can be difficult and costly to make changes to an already designed and developed program. In the Agile Method, however, communication on all levels is encouraged continuously, throughout the entire life of the project. Because the client receives a deliverable at the end of each sprint, they have the opportunity to identify what is working and what is not and to communicate that to the development team. Whereas in the Waterfall approach, clients see only the finished product that satisfies only the originally decided-upon