Waterfall, Agile and approaches to systems development

Overview

Waterfall approach to systems development, two advantages of the Waterfall approach and two disadvantages of the Waterfall approach.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Describe the Waterfall approach to systems development.

   Model answer

   The Waterfall approach works through analysis, design, implementation, testing and maintenance as separate stages. Each stage is signed off before the next one begins.

2. 2

   State two advantages of the Waterfall approach.

   Model answer

   Deliverables and deadlines are known from the outset, which makes the project easy to manage. Full documentation is produced at every stage for later maintainers.

3. 3

   State two disadvantages of the Waterfall approach.

   Model answer

   The client sees nothing working until very late in the project. Requirements that change after sign-off are expensive to accommodate.

4. 4

   Describe the Agile approach to systems development.

   Model answer

   Agile development delivers a small working increment of the system in each short cycle. The client reviews each increment and helps set the priorities for the next.

5. 5

   State two advantages of the Agile approach.

   Model answer

   Changing requirements are absorbed easily because the plan is revisited every cycle. Continuous client involvement makes a badly misunderstood requirement obvious within weeks.

6. 6

   State two disadvantages of the Agile approach.

   Model answer

   The final cost and delivery date are hard to fix at the start. Documentation is lighter, which can make long-term maintenance harder.

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