What is the waterfall lifecycle?
Development proceeds through sequential stages. Each stage is reviewed and signed off before the next begins. Backward arrows show the need to check previous stages and modify deliverables if required.
What is the business analyst’s role in the waterfall lifecycle?
Involved in feasibility study, analysis, testing (UAT), implementation, and may support design/development by answering questions about business and solution requirements.
What is the V-model?
A variant of waterfall, “bent over itself.”
• Test criteria are explicit at each stage
• Acceptance criteria defined during requirements and used in testing
What is the incremental lifecycle?
Requirements are prioritised; high-priority requirements delivered early in Increment 1, lower-priority delivered later in Increment 2. Stages: feasibility → analysis/design → multiple increments (development, testing, implementation).
What are the stages of the iterative (Agile) lifecycle?
• Collaborative working
• Prioritised requirements
• Timeboxed iterations
• Evolutionary development
• Empowered teams
• Incremental delivery
• Continuous testing
• Experiential learning
Advantages of waterfall, V-model, and incremental lifecycles
Provides good project control and structured sign-off at each stage → leads to high-quality systems.
Disadvantages of waterfall, V-model, and incremental lifecycles
Long developments may miss current business needs
• Hard to define all requirements upfront → poor BRD
• Rapid business change can make requirements outdated
• Stakeholder dissatisfaction if changes cannot be implemented in time
Advantages of Agile lifecycle
• Accepts and expects changes during development
• Flexible, encourages incremental delivery and adaptation to evolving requirements
Disadvantages of Agile lifecycle
• Limited documentation and traceability
• Difficult for complex business rules or legal requirements
• Fragmented view of solution → inconsistent product
• Frequent releases may cause customer dissatisfaction
Key difference between traditional and Agile lifecycles
Traditional (Waterfall/V/Incremental) → sequential, structured, fixed requirements
Agile → iterative, flexible, requirements evolve, incremental delivery
