Share via

Unhappy with Agile … revert to Waterfall. part 2 – What are the options?

  • Article

In Unhappy with Agile … revert to Waterfall. Is this really The answer? we had a discussion around Agile and Waterfall. Since the dust has settled on that post, I was wondering … ‘so what are the options”. Well, there are gazillion software processes and software process models. perhaps we should look at some of the main ones, which we already covered in SDLC – Software Development Lifecycle … exploring common models (part 3 of many).

A snapshot…

image

Processes … at least some of them

Prescriptive Process Models Prescribes distinct set of activities, actions, tasks, milestones and work products in support of high quality software
Waterfall Model (ah, we are back on the topic) Classic, sequential, classical life cycle model  and often referred to as an old-fashioned approach, suitable for projects where requirements are known
Incremental Model Suitable model when a working core and derivative products are required quickly and at quick intervals
Evolutionary Model Suitable for environments that require iterations and that must accommodate requirement changes
Prototyping Model Suitable when requirements cannot be defined clearly
Component Based Model Suitable when object technologies are available and reusable components are available
Unified Process Model Suitable for environments using use cases, architecture centric, iterative and incremental processes.
Agile Suitable for teams that are competent, have the ability to make decisions, have an ecosystem of mutual trust, have respect for each other, have a need for short delivery cycles and must be able to adapt to change incrementally.

Conclusion … really?

So, which is the best one? If you know the question to the answer 42, I may try and formulate you a response. Until then, please evaluate them all, pick one that fits into your culture and meets your requirements, do not use a crowbar to implement a process and once you select one, chose a champion that can educate and guide your team(s). Once your teams embrace a process, it becomes a real value-add.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    September 24, 2009
    42 = what is the meaning of life