I frequently like to compare waterfall and Agile methodologies, or perhaps mindsets would be a better term. Yet, I realize that my descriptions are colored a lot by my own experiences. So, I do like to point you to other sources from time to time that take a different approach or describe the differences in other terms. I hope that gives the reader a more well-rounded look at things.
Robert Merrill on 18 February 2009 posted “A Tale of two processes”. He starts out describing “How to create software” by writing:
Let’s create some software value. It’s very simple.
- You tell the programmers what you want the software to do
- They create it
- You verify that it does what it’s supposed to
- You let people start using it, and out pours the value.
Sounds simple, right? Well, in a nutshell, he has summed up how waterfall is supposed to work.
I think the contrast is interesting and a worthwhile read. You can read his article here.
