Implement the Waterfall method in your project management software

All around the world, the companies use many project management methods. Between these methods, we can find the Waterfall method. If your company wants to adopt a new methodology for your project management, this methodology can help you to step up.

Here, you will find more information about Waterfall method as his definition, his functioning, his advantages, how it can fit to your corporate culture, …

What’s the Waterfall Method?

The Waterfall Method is simple to understand: the project you want to develop has to be split in different tasks. Before beginning each task, the project team must finish the previous task to pass to the next one.

The difference with the other method is also simple. In the Waterfall method, you can’t come back in a task when you finished it and of course, even more when the client has given his approval.

The Waterfall method is usually used for development lifecycle. This method has been inspired by the construction industry.

Let us explain, when a house didn’t have the good foundation, it will be impossible to achieve the roof stage. In addition, you can’t come back to a previous construction task because it will also say that you will start over and increase your cost. That’s why the Waterfall method don’t allow you to do it.

To resume, the Waterfall method is based on:

• • The production of the deliverable which have defined at the beginning of the project.
  • The delivery of the deliverable at a certain date who has been defined at the frame of a project.
  • Every task is achieved only when they are check and they are approved by the client. If the deliverable didn’t fit to client needs, the project team must do it again until it fit to them.

The Waterfall development cycle has to respect to these outlines:

• • Frame of the project,
  • Overall design,
  • Detailed design,
  • Production,
  • Test and correction,
  • Delivery

What are the advantages of the Waterfall method?

The Waterfall method presents a lot of advantages. Thereby, if a company wants to respect the allocated time, they will use the waterfall method. As every task needs to be approved and can’t be reworked after the approval, it gives you the advantage to see how the progress of your project is. So, if a stage is taking delay, the other will be delayed too.

In this kind of situation, the project team members must respect the design time, production time and delivery time. To sum up, the respect of the schedule allows you to control your cost and have a better management of your client budget.

Thanks to her simple character, the Waterfall method is highly appreciated by every company. Every project team member can know what they must do. In addition, the use of a schedule allows them to not be lost between the various stages of a project.

Does the Waterfall method can fit in my company’s project management strategy?

Usually, the company who chooses to use the Waterfall method are the one who have a design stage before the production stage. If your company is in that case, we recommend you, to look out for this methodology.

Even though it’s not the most flexible method, she stays efficient to keep progressing in your project between the various stages.

If your company is looking for a more flexible method, you should leave this one and go on the Agile method. Indeed, the Agile Method allows you to come back on a previous stage even if the client has approved it.

Sometimes, during the realisation of the project, it happens that the client has new needs. If you have noticed that this often happens when you realise your project, it’s better to use a more flexible method as Agile method.

Visual Planning: the project management scheduling software working with Waterfall method

Our Scheduling Software is already working with the Waterfall Method. If your company wants to use this method to develop her projects, she can easily do it and implement a development cycle.

If you want to learn more about our software and his ability to work with the waterfall method, feel free to contact us!

Our teams are ready to explain you how our powerful project management scheduling software can help you to increase your efficiency and how he can fit to the Waterfall Method.

Visual Planning is available on premise or in the cloud. Find out more about all Visual Planning features here, or read our case studies to understand how we are helping many companies to leverage their inner strengths.