The Waterfall method in projects is a traditional project management model that follows a linear and sequential approach.
The term "Waterfall" derives from how the phases of the project flow in succession – similar to how water cascades from one level to the next in a waterfall. This model is commonly used in areas like software development, though it is applicable in many other fields as well.
The key features of the Waterfall method are:
-
Structured Phases: A project is divided into consecutive phases, such as requirements gathering, design, implementation, testing, delivery, and maintenance. Each phase must be completed before the next begins.
-
Documentation Focus: There is a strong emphasis on documentation at the start of each section. The requirements must be fully understood and documented before proceeding to the next step.
-
Planning Intensive: Planning is a crucial part of the Waterfall method. The entire scope and steps of the project are defined upfront.
-
No Going Back: Once a phase is completed, there is usually no turning back. Changes or revisions in earlier phases are generally avoided as they can be costly and time-consuming.
-
Clearly Defined Goals: Each phase has specific goals and deliverables.
-
Ease of Management: Due to its linear nature, the Waterfall model is relatively easy to manage, with clear milestones and deadlines.
However, the Waterfall method also has disadvantages, particularly its inflexibility towards changes and the challenge that customers often only see and evaluate the end product very late in the process. In many modern development projects, especially in software development, agile methods are preferred, as they can respond more flexibly to changes and involve continuous customer involvement.
How does Can Do support the Waterfall Method
Can Do can support the waterfall method in the following ways:
- Can Do has the ability to model projects and their sequential phases through its software. This allows modeling waterfall projects and their sequential phases like requirements analysis, design, implementation, and testing.
- Can Do's algorithm and ability to learn from large amounts of data as well as previous projects can help support better planning and management of waterfall method projects. As more waterfall projects are planned and executed using Can Do, it learns to further improve its support for this methodology.
- Can Do's centralized resource management and simulation capabilities help plan resource needs and availability across different waterfall phases. This helps address dependencies between phases and optimize resource utilization for the entire project.
- Can Do's reporting features allow effective tracking and communication of progress and status to stakeholders according to the predefined waterfall phases and milestones.