Agile vs Waterfall: Everything You Need To Know

In the previous article, we learned the difference between Agile vs Scrum, and in this article, we are going to learn the difference between Agile vs Waterfall and also the following

What is Agile?

Agile is an incremental and iterative approach to project management and software development that aims to deliver a software product as quickly and efficiently as possible with fewer headaches.

Must Read: Agile Principles

What is Waterfall Method?

The waterfall method is a traditional System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model. It follows a sequential, linear design process used for software design and IT projects. It goes through different phases such as Requirement Gathering, Feasibility Study/Analysis, Design, Coding, Testing, Installation, and Maintenance. Every next phase will begin only after the completion of the previous phase. This method is preferred in projects where quality is more important as compared to schedule or cost.

What is the difference between Agile & Waterfall?

Agile	Waterfall
Testing is done in parallel with the development activity which means that as the development progresses so does the testing	Testing is generally done at the end of the development
Agile is an iterative and incremental approach	It is a sequential design process where design, development, testing and other phases happens one after another in a sequential way
Testing is performed concurrently with software development	"Testing" phase comes after the "Build" phase
Requirements are collected even late in development.	Requirements are collected before starting the development in Waterfall model.
Agile teams participate in changing requirements.	Waterfall teams were not involved in changing requirements.
Agile methodology is known for its flexibility	Waterfall is a structured software development methodology, and often times can be quite rigid
It believes in constant feedback and accepts changes to requirements	Customer feedback is usually not collected until the very end of the project, and changes are discouraged
Agile focuses on collaboration, small releases and customer feedback	Team coordination is very limited
Agile divides the project into sprints.	The waterfall divides the project into stages.
Self-motivated and self-organizing teams drive the project	Project manager drives the project as a central controlling authority
It allows us to complete multiple small active projects.	It allows us to complete a single project.
Testing phase starts in parallel with development in Agile.	Testing phase starts only after the development in Waterfall model.