Agile vs. Waterfall — from software development to project management.
08-13-2025
Agile and Waterfall are two common project management practices that are often misunderstood. They each have different qualities, but it’s easy to decide between them once you know the basic features each system offers. Here, we break down what these strategies bring to the table and compare Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- What’s the difference between Agile and Waterfall?
- What is Agile?
- Advantages of Agile.
- Disadvantages of Agile.
- What is Waterfall?
- Advantages of Waterfall
- Disadvantages of Waterfall
- How to choose between Agile vs. Waterfall methodologies?
- Mixing Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
- Software for Agile or Waterfall.
What’s the difference between Agile and Waterfall?
Agile and Waterfall are two popular methods for managing collaborative projects, but they have fundamentally different approaches. The core distinction lies in their structure. Agile is incremental and iterative, meaning it breaks projects into small, repeating cycles. In contrast, Waterfall is linear and sequential, progressing through distinct phases one after another.
These different approaches also lead to varied team management structures. In the Waterfall method, each project phase must be completed and approved before the next phase begins, with clear roles and a top-down approach. In contrast, Agile promotes continuous collaboration, adaptability, and cross-functional teams that work in short "sprints," allowing for flexibility and feedback throughout the entire project lifecycle.
What is Agile?
Agile is an adaptable project management system that reflects a quick-moving project lifecycle. Managing a project with Agile means dividing a large project into smaller tasks to track progress and thoroughly match changing specifications.
Working with an Agile philosophy also prioritizes individuals over processes by emphasizing team members instead of tools. Highlighting smaller tasks enables a faster workflow and clearer expectations, allowing teams to avoid overbearing workloads. Agile management’s structure naturally enables customers to voice their thoughts as tasks are completed and make changes when necessary.
Advantages of Agile
Agile can be an efficient project management tool for those with self-motivated teams. Here are some of the benefits that might make using Agile an ideal choice:
- Faster delivery because of short development cycles
- Reliable products thanks to in-flight testing
- Quick improvements enabled by frequent feedback loops
- Easier changes due to continuously revisiting steps
Agile project management works best with teams of independent workers who reliably contribute to the project.
Disadvantages of Agile.
While Agile is practical for fast-changing products and consistent feedback, it’s not ideal for every team. The primary disadvantage of Agile is that internal teams each have unique needs.
Requirements for Agile success include:
- More project management is required because there is no strict schedule
- A self-motivated team that can work independently on several in-process steps
- Flexibility for a moving schedule with deadlines and requirements that are subject to change
- Thorough funding management because of the sporadic project structure
What is Waterfall?
The Waterfall model is a sequential project management framework that emphasizes detailed planning and documentation in the early stages of product development. Waterfall relies on consecutively completing each phase of a project before continuing to the next one.
The Waterfall model requires completion of an initial task, allowing the team to build on it and begin working on the next task. With Waterfall, you’ll follow this process until the entire project is completed. This linear structure mirrors the flow of a Waterfall by starting at the top and working your way down, much like the flow of a river.
Waterfall emphasizes the importance of adequate preparation for each phase. The more preparation there is, the easier it is for team members to complete their tasks. This detailed research at the beginning of the process leads to more effective time management and release dates.
To further prepare for future steps, planning and research are carefully documented. Documenting the details of each step provides clear insight when encountering an error later in the development process. With the Waterfall model, workload balance requires significant effort in the research stage to achieve effective outcomes.
Advantages of Waterfall.
Waterfall’s thorough planning and documentation come with a set of advantages that make it effective to use with your team. This initial planning stage is responsible for many of the advantages teams enjoy with Waterfall, including:
- Clear direction for the team thanks to a detailed project plan
- Clear expectations for clients
- Easily traced errors
- True project costs calculated based on clear expectations
- Easy integration for new team members
Disadvantages of Waterfall.
Alongside Waterfall’s benefits come some disadvantages for teams that aren’t well-suited to this methodology.
- Setbacks or complications can derail the entire project because of Waterfall’s strict scheduling.
- QA and testing can be more complicated because it comes at the end of a Waterfall process.
- There is no flexibility for client changes or adjustments once the project is in motion.
- The chronological approach can take longer to deliver a product than an iterative approach.
How to choose between Agile vs. Waterfall methodologies?
Selecting the correct project management methodology isn't about picking a better one, but rather the right one for your specific context. The ideal choice relies on a careful evaluation of your project's unique characteristics, your team's dynamics, and your organizational culture.
1. Understand your project's nature.
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Requirement Clarity & Stability:
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Choose Waterfall if your project's requirements are clearly defined and unlikely to change. This rigid structure excels when you know exactly what you need to build from day one.
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Choose Agile when requirements are expected to evolve, and are initially vague, or you anticipate changes throughout the project. Its iterative nature allows for constant adaptation and refinement.
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Project Scope:
- Waterfall is suitable for projects with a fixed, unchangeable scope.
- Agile is more effective for projects where the scope can be flexible, refined, or discovered over time through continuous feedback.
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Project Size & Complexity:
- While Waterfall can manage large projects with stable requirements, Agile often proves more effective for highly complex projects by breaking them down into manageable, less risky iterations, fostering continuous learning.
2. Assess stakeholder & client involvement.
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Client Collaboration:
- Waterfall typically involves clients primarily at the start (for requirements) and at the end (for final review).
- Agile thrives on active, continuous client and stakeholder involvement, with regular feedback loops built into each iteration, ensuring the final product meets evolving needs.
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Project Visibility:
- If you need continuous visibility into working increments and early opportunities for course correction, Agile is generally the preferred approach. Waterfall provides progress updates against a plan, but a working product is typically not visible until later stages of development.
3. Evaluate your team's characteristics.
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Team Structure & Experience:
- Waterfall suits teams that prefer clear hierarchies, defined roles, and a structured, linear progression.
- Agile works best with self-organizing, cross-functional teams that embrace collaboration, rapid feedback, and continuous improvement. Consider your team's readiness for this level of autonomy.
- Geographical Distribution: While modern tools can bridge gaps, the frequent communication inherent in Agile (e.g., daily stand-ups) can be more challenging for highly distributed teams without robust communication strategies in place.
4. Consider your organizational culture & resources.
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Organizational Flexibility:
- Waterfall aligns with organizations that have a rigid, highly structured, and often risk-averse culture.
- Agile requires an organizational culture that champions adaptability, empowers teams, and values continuous learning over strict adherence to an initial plan.
- Resource Availability: Agile demands consistent availability of dedicated team members and engaged product owners throughout each iteration.
5. Risk management philosophy.
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Upfront vs. Iterative Risk Handling:
- Waterfall aims to identify and mitigate all foreseeable risks at the project's inception, thereby preventing potentially costly issues that may arise later.
- Agile embraces risk as an ongoing element, identifying and addressing it continuously in short cycles, allowing for quicker adaptation to emerging challenges.
Mixing Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
While Agile and Waterfall each offer distinct advantages, many teams find success by blending elements of both into a hybrid project management approach. This allows organizations to use the strengths of each methodology while mitigating their individual drawbacks.
A common approach to combining these frameworks is to adopt different techniques at various project levels. For instance, a project manager might use a Waterfall approach for the overall project structure, particularly for the initial planning and fixed requirements phases. Simultaneously, individual development teams within that larger structure could operate using Agile sprints for their specific tasks, benefiting from iterative development and continuous feedback.
The success of any hybrid model hinges on clear communication and well-defined expectations. By fostering an environment where team members can determine which system best aligns with their specific work, organizations can effectively combine the benefits of both Agile's adaptability and Waterfall's structure.
Get started with Agile or Waterfall.
When you’re ready to get started, Workfront can support all your projects, whether you’re using Agile, Waterfall, or a mix of both. Streamlining project management is easy with Workfront because the platform adapts to each project management system and every team.
When you’re ready to get started, book a demo to see how Workfront can help streamline your project management processes.
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