Models & Methodologies

 

The Waterfall approach was created by Winston W. Royce in 1970. It follows a step-by-step process with five phases, where each phase needs to be completed before moving to the next. In Waterfall, the end goal of the project is defined upfront, making it suitable for projects like software development where the outcome is well defined. It works best for projects that need a high level of predictability and planning. The Waterfall methodology consists on five distinct phases: Requirements, Design, Implementation, Verification, and Maintenance (Hoory & Bottorff, 2022).

 

Hoory and Bottorff (2023) define them as:

 

Requirements: In this phase, you outline the overall needs of your project. These needs can be implemented in different ways. For example, a requirement might be to process a large number of transactions or serve a specific number of users.

 

Design: Once you understand the requirements, you come up with solutions to meet them. For instance, if you need to process a large number of users, you might design a system with multiple servers to ensure resilience and meet the goal.

 

Implementation: In this phase, you choose one design and use technology to put it into action. You collect data and check if the design can support the requirements.

 

Verification: Here, you test the implementation to see if it meets the requirements. For example, if the goal is to process a million transactions per day, you check if it's possible. If any issues arise, you go back to identify and resolve them.

 

Maintenance: After validation and verification, the project still requires ongoing care. Maintenance involves creating strategies for updating and upgrading the system. This includes patching, upgrading, and fixing any errors that may occur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference(s):

 

Hoory, L & Bottorff, C (2022) Forbes Available at: Your introductory guide to the waterfall methodology | MindManager Blog (Accessed in: 02/06/2023)