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DZone > Agile Zone > Agile vs. Waterfall

Agile vs. Waterfall

A list of exactly what Agile does differently than Waterfall.

Michael Sahota user avatar by
Michael Sahota
·
Apr. 09, 16 · Agile Zone · Opinion
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Here is my one page summary of some key differences between Agile and Waterfall.

I created this when I was asked to explain this to an exec earlier this month about this and I didn’t have anything good in my toolkit, nor could I find something on Google.

Image title

A comparison of key elements of Agile and Waterfall delivery approaches.

Key Differences

  • In waterfall, the focus is on creating documents that capture what is needed. In Agile, the focus is on working software.
  • In waterfall, people tend to work in sequence – like a relay race. In Agile, people collaborate – like a soccer team.
  • In Agile, the focus is on working together as a team and learning how to improve. There is a different mindset or culture.
  • In Waterfall, there is usually a messy whirlpool at then end where people abandon documentation to start figuring out how to make things work and/or what users really want.
  • In Agile, software is delivered incrementally so it is much easier to predict delivery dates.

Enjoy!

agile waterfall

Published at DZone with permission of Michael Sahota, DZone MVB. See the original article here.

Opinions expressed by DZone contributors are their own.

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