What is Waterfall?

Waterfall is like following a straight path where you move from one step to the next in a defined order — like water flowing down a waterfall through different stages.

The problem is that each step can take a lot of time and resources to complete. Plus, you don’t get feedback until the entire stage is finished, which can lead to a lot of wasted time. This is especially tricky in software development, where things are always changing and evolving.

It usually follows a straightforward sequence like this:

The reality of Waterfall

Waterfall can be like communism in theory — it seems perfect on paper but doesn’t work in the real world.

• Clients often don’t know exactly what they want.
• Requirements are constantly changing.
• Businesses need to quickly adapt to market shifts and client needs.
• Software needs to be flexible to keep up with these changes.

So, in a constantly changing world, Waterfall can really hurt a business. It tends to frustrate developers and teams, and it can also annoy clients and the businesses paying for the software. This usually leads to delays and extra costs.

Why companies still use Waterfall

Even with its problems, a lot of companies still use Waterfall because it seems straightforward and logical. This makes them reluctant to take the time to learn Agile. Plus, getting management to agree to switch to Agile can be a tough sell, especially since it requires an investment in time and learning.

The big issue is when higher-ups dictate exactly how teams should work, leading to micromanagement. This messes up the flexibility that Agile brings. From what I’ve seen, this is a common problem.

Looking back, switching to Agile could have fixed a lot of issues.

Why Agile was created

Agile was created to overcome the limits of the Waterfall method. It focuses on constant interaction with clients and teams.

Agile builds autonomous and responsible teams that handle tasks from start to finish, reducing wasted time and resources. It emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback.

Unlike Waterfall, Agile uses iterative development, breaking projects into small, manageable sprints or iterations that last 1-4 weeks. Each cycle includes planning, development, testing, and review, aiming to deliver value quickly and gather feedback to improve.

Key aspects of Agile

• Iterative Development: Work in small chunks and adjust as you go.
• Customer Collaboration: Keep talking with clients to make sure they’re happy.
• Cross-Functional Teams: Teams with different skills working together.
• Adaptive Planning: Stay flexible and tweak plans based on feedback.
• Continuous Improvement: Always look for ways to get better.

Read the original Agile Manifesto.

Where can you start?

As a developer, you can boost your agility by diving into pair programming and TDD.

• With pair programming, two developers work side by side, which means you get instant feedback and shared problem-solving, leading to better code.
• TDD, on the other hand, involves writing tests before the code, which help specifying what you want to do, focusing on baby steps.

Together, these practices make your development process more flexible, collaborative, and high-quality, fitting right in with Agile’s focus on quick adjustments and continuous improvement. See more practices here.

The key is collaboration, baby steps, and quick feedback on everything you work on.

My experience with Agile

I’ve talked about Agile at various tech events and explored it in depth because I’m passionate about how it can supercharge software teams. When done right, Agile can completely change how teams work, making them faster, more efficient, and better at delivering what clients and businesses really need.

• 2022-06-26 | International PHP Conference [Berlin, Germany] (EN)
• 2022-09-16 | Code Talks [Hamburg, Germany] (EN)
• 2022-10-26 | International PHP Conference [Munich, Germany] (EN)
• 2022-12-21 | IES Ginés Pérez Chirinos [Murcia, Spain] (ES)
• 2023-01-19 | devm.io [Remote] (EN)
• 2023-07-28 | WeAreDeveloper World Congress [Berlin, Germany] (EN)

WeAreDevelopers World Congress in Berlin

Related posts

• What kills agility? Why Agile if you already do Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or Waterfall?
• Ignoring Scrum to get more Agile? Killing agility with excessive meetings
• Update your team to be more extreme How can you help your peers to embrace the change?
• Effective pair programming Embracing quality practices in your engineering culture
• Test-Driven (Development) What is challenging about it?

Related readings

• Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck
• Clean Agile by Robert C. Martin
• Peopleware by Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister