The Waterfall Project Life Cycle Model

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

1. Introduction

Geoff Reiss (1996) denoted project management as such: "Project management is like juggling three balls - time, cost and quality". Traditional and agile project management methods for project planning provide similar evidence.

Project Management can be defined as making use of information, skills and abilities that have been gained through past experience or education in order to implement projects with efficacy and so as to obtain a peculiar desired product, service or outcome. In the neoteric business, time is of significant importance and numerous elements in a project are bypassed for the sake of competitiveness. Project managers are constantly facing the same dilemma with regard to deliverables in a timely and costly manner. Thus, different methodologies can be used in project management so as to optimise resources and eventually lead projects to success. There are two cardinal types of project management namely Traditional Project Management (TPM) and Agile Project Management (APM). Robert Wysocki (2009, p.343) recollects the fact that TPM was first known in the 1950s as Process Control System (PCS) which implicates a series of stages such as the define, plan, execute and close cycle. TPM is now primarily divided into Linear and Incremental Project Management Life Cycles (PMLC). In APM, Shore and Warden (2008, p.9) both described agile as being a philosophy rather than a procedure. Furthermore, they comment on the practical application of agile values and principles. Examples of APM are Extreme programming and Scrum.

In this essay, by research, a detailed survey regarding traditional and agile project management methods, tools, techniques, models and project life cycle models in pertinence to the ways that project planning is performed will be furnished. In addition to that, a thorough analysis of the prime variances between these two approaches will be made.

2. Overview of Traditional and Agile Project Management Approaches

2.1 Traditional Approach

In 2009, Robert Wysocki school of thought disclosed that TPM and APM are the two leading methodologies of project management and that the traditional approach utilises conventional ways and methods which has subsist since centuries in the management process. Numerous project management specialists and researchers have elaborated on TPM and each of them has their own definition. However, the best appropriate statement emerges from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

According to William Duncan (2001) and PMBOK (2008), this methodology is defined as a series of procedures and techniques that can be used to an operation that demands a complete terminated product, results or a service. Robert Wysocki (2009, p.344) explains that projects that function in an effective and desirable way with this kind of project management need to enclose the following traits - at first, an entire and certainly clear goal, solution, requirements, functions and features; secondly, whereby few anticipated scope change are experienced; thirdly, regular and repeated tasks and fourthly, utilisation of established moulds and finally, ensure that a clear comprehension of the project goal is perceived. Different models of traditional approaches are the Waterfall Model and Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology (SSADM).

2.2 Agile & Scrum Methodology

Kathleen Hass (2007, p.3) elucidates the fact regarding past researches testifying that for projects involving software element, TPM can be useless as the requirements are elusive, fickle and subject to change. This is where APM emerges as an alternate approach to deal with the flaws of TPM. APM can be portrayed to be a process that is greatly recurrent and gradually increasing, whereby developers and project stakeholders collaborate actively to comprehend the field dealt with, identify what needs to be built and emphasises on practicality. The main objectives of such an approach is to promote innovation, changes to a particular product, a condense delivery programme, enhance progression and productivity as well as to provide trustworthy results. Examples of agile methodologies are Scrum, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), Extreme Programming (XP) and Feature Driven Development (FDD).

3. Critical Analysis of the main differences between the two approaches in terms of the project planning process

As a thorough analysis is subjected to the different ways of dealing with both TPM and APM with regards to project planning, the strengths and weaknesses of each process are discovered and in what situations their applications are best convened. TPM works mostly with projects that have extensive and manifestly a pre - defined objective, prerequisites, roles, outcome and tolerance while in APM, risk is minimised by delivering tailor made software in brief recurrent parts. Though TPM has been exploited since past decades and its achievement has been justified by various researchers and specialists, frailties which were observed in projects due to low return of investment have proved that the traditional approach was meant to give room to a more contemporary methodology that could cope with more complex, linked and dependant business processes. Gary Chin (2004, p.3) corroborates that such a similar methodology is Agile Project Management when considering internal and external project insecurity, distinct proficiency and last but not least, if projects need pace or instant necessity. The author also provides a detailed explanation about internal and external uncertainty. Basically, internal project incertitude implicates circumstances comprising scope, schedule and cost that can be monitored by the project manager while external project incertitude encompasses factors like the business environment, competition and higher business strategy resolutions that are not manageable. Both components need to be reckoned as they are crucial for a project.

Besides, an established study that was carried out by David Rico (2008, p.9) indicates that when comparing the return of investment of agile and traditional processes, APM was found to be a less expensive method compared to TPM and noted that traditional methods were usually used on inordinately large systems. TPM was designated to make optimal use of productivity and quality while agile was best used for customer satisfaction, project success and risk reduction. In TPM, once a stage has been fulfilled, it is presumed that these stages shall not be encountered again. An illustration of such a project life cycle model can be found in the first appendix as in Figure 1. On the other hand, agile project management grants a project team the ability to amend the plan at any iteration stage as the product is always being developed and adjusted as per customers’ requests. Figure 2 in the first appendix best exemplify the Agile Development Model.

Ken Schwaber (2004, p.12) acquaints a method known as Scrum that amplified the possibility of designing software in a successful manner. Scrum is much oriented to mould useful results out of complicated issues. Over the past decade, Scrum has been applied with success in thousands of projects affecting a considerable amount of firms. Figure 3 in the first appendix points out The Scrum Skeleton and elaborates on its practicality. Moreover, Ken Schwaber (2004, p.71) states that scrum projects claim less planning than conventional Gantt chart - based projects as when each Sprint is terminated, there should be sight of advancement by those labouring to generate the awaited profits. The minimal scheme required to initiate a Scrum project is composed of a vision and a Product Backlog. The vision is all about the amendments and further amelioration or benefits that are expected in either a system or software. The Product Backlog (Figure 4 in Appendix A) specifies operational and non-operational conditions that a system is expect to attain so as to accomplish the desired and evaluated vision. The following table summarises the main differences between APM and TPM:-

Type of Project Management

Advantages

Disadvantages

Agile Project Management

- Lower Return of Investment.

- Changes are easy to experience as at any moment any phases can be revised as per customers’ demands and feedback is instantly acquired from users and stakeholders.

- Beneficial when there is presence of project uncertainties, sole skill & project requires pace and attention.

- Best used for customer satisfaction, project success and risk reduction.

- Excess of unwanted processes from participants need to be removed and might result to a potential reason for project failure.

Traditional Project Management

- Projects should have predefined objective, prerequisites, roles, outcome and tolerance.

- Beneficial when considering extremely large systems.

- Make favourable utilisation of productivity and quality.

- Higher Return of Investment.

- Rarely follow a sequential flow.

- Difficult for customers to make all their requests in advance.

Table 1:- Primary strengths and weaknesses of Traditional and Agile Project Management

4. Tools, techniques, models and project life cycle models used in the project planning process

There is a multitude of tools, techniques, models and project life cycle models that exist for the project planning process. In this section, the different categories shall be investigated in an exhaustive manner.

4.1 Tools

Software that is commonly used for the planning process is namely Microsoft Project, Gantt Chart, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Program Evaluation Review Techniques (PERT). Others tools that are not computerised but vital to project planning are Sticky Notes, Whiteboard and Marking Pens. Furthermore, Robert Wysocki (2009, p.115) declared that the Team War Room is a place which is booked only for a team working on a whole project. Thus, an unusual but efficient tool would be the Team War Room. Table 2 elucidates the application of each tool as follows:-

Project Planning Tool

Description

Microsoft Project

This software is used to create schedules, the time frame of a project as well as to perform a critical path analysis

Gantt Chart

Gantt Charts are used to plan project timetables, milestones and activities

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

WBS is a graphical or notched draft list used to express the tasks that needs to be done to complete a project

Program Evaluation Review Techniques (PERT)

PERT is a project management tool employed to program, arrange and correlate tasks in a project

Sticky Notes

Sticky Notes are used as a reminder with regards to unaccomplished tasks

Whiteboard

A whiteboard can be used as a medium to draw the WBS

Marking Pens

Marking Pens are used to highlight dependencies

Team War Room

Gathering place for all team member working on a complete project

Table 2:- Detail of each tool used in Project Planning

4.2 Techniques

There are six techniques that can be used to estimate task duration during the planning stage. They are tasks that are similar to other activities, investigating historical data, requesting advice from experts, the Delphi technique, Three - point technique and the Wide - Band Delphi technique. Other management techniques are managing scope, guide against scope creep, managing risks, constant evaluation of eventual risk within the project, and tackle problems in a timely manner.

4.3 Models

Different models subsist in the planning process.

5. Choice of two project planning tools and analyze these in more detail

6. Conclusion

Traditional Project Management and Agile Project Management

Appendix A - First Appendix

Waterfall Model

System Requirements

Design

Construction

Test

Deliver

Operations & Maintenance

Business Requirements

Figure 1. The Waterfall Project Life Cycle Model

Source: Kathleen Hass

The Waterfall Model is a sequential design process usually utilised in software development life cycles. This model consists of seven phases as shown in Figure 1. Such a model emphasises on one phase at a time and once a phase has been completed, it is plausible that the previous phase will not be reviewed. The benefits of such an approach are that it promotes the pace for progress and accentuates on the necessity of prerequisites. However, the restraints of such a model are the unusual experience of a consecutive flow and it is laborious for customers to demand all their requirements beforehand.

Agile Development Model

Initial Requirements and Architecture Models

Iteration #1

Iteration #3

Iteration #4

Iteration #N

Review Lessons Learned

Iteration #2

Review Lessons Learned

Review Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

Close Project

Figure 2. The Agile Project Life Cycle Model

Source: Kathleen Hass

In this model, there are n numbers of iterations and at any instance regardless of the previous iteration process, a project team can always assess the evolution of a product and acquire instant feedback from users or stakeholders. Thus, such a model is profitable as changes are easy to experience as at any moment any phases can be revised as per customers’ demands. However, one of the inconveniences of this pattern is that to be effective any excess of unwanted processes from participants need to be discarded and might result to a potential reason for project failure.

Scrum Skeleton

Increment of functionality

Product Backlog

Iteration

24 - Hour Inspection

Figure 3. The Scrum Skeleton

Source: Ken Schwaber

The Scrum Skeleton as shown in the figure above (Figure 3) operates as such: In the Iteration Section, tasks are successively evolved. The outcome of each repetition is value added to the product. The 24 - hour inspection portion assign a priority to a day - to - day review through the iteration, whereby each team member is expected to examine the progress of each activity during a meeting and make proper adjustment. There is a list of prerequisites prior to driving the iteration. The recurrence of this cycle subsist till the project stops existing. Once iteration begins, the team revises what should be done. Then, it chooses the possible enhancements that can be brought to the deliverable. Afterwards, the team tries it’s best solely to for the remaining iteration. Once the iteration is over, the team submits the gain in utility it achieved to the stakeholders for them to examine whether these improvements and opportune adjustments can be implemented in the project. In Scrum, there are only three roles namely the Product Owner, the Team and the ScrumMaster and all management obligations are partitioned among these three roles.

Product Backlog

This Spring: well-defined work that can be done in <30 days & pronounce executable

Product Backlog:

During a Sprint, that Sprint’s backlog is fixed and can only be changed as a result of the work being performed in that Sprint.

Backlog outside the current Sprint is always changing, evolving, and being reprioritized.

Release

Planned

Probable next Sprint: backlog next In priority, depends on results from prior Sprint

Figure 4. Product Backlog

Source: Ken Schwaber

The figure above is an example of a Product Backlog. The backlog is broken down into feasible Sprints and releases.

Appendix B - Second Appendix

Figure 5. The five Project Management Life Cycle Models (PMLC)

Source: Robert K. Wysocki

The figure above encompasses all the distinct PMLC models. The first model illustrates TPM which consists of Linear and Incremental PMLC. The second model emphasises on APM which is composed of Iterative and Adaptive PMLC. The last model relates to Extreme Project Management (xPM) which is made up of Extreme PMLC.