Methodologies – The Waterfall Model

The main characteristic of the Waterfall model is a sequential progression through the different stages of a project from initiation to the delivery phase. The waterfall model does have its limitations and because of this, there have been many spinoff models created over the years.

The Waterfall model consists of the following phases:

• Initiation
• Analysis
• Design
• Construction
• Testing
• Implementation

The waterfall model used with the SDLC progresses through the six phases. You can picture this process as a waterfall with one phase flowing into the next.

Initiation Phase
The purpose of the initiation phase is to conduct an initial high-level investigation of the business need and come up with a recommendation for the solution. Once approved by the management team, stakeholders, client, or project sponsor, it will proceed to the next phase.

Analysis Phase
The purpose of the requirements analysis phase is to conduct a detailed analysis of the current business needs and identify what options are available to achieve those business needs. During the Analysis Phase, the Business Analyst will create the Business Requirements Document (BRD).

Design Phase
The purpose of the design phase is to identify and document a solution that will be constructed including technical and procedural specifications. A design document will be created that should include but is not limited to technical, environmental, data, program, procedural, and testing specifications.

Construction Phase
The construction or development phase is where a resource will take the design document created during the design phase and translate it into a functional program or system.

Testing Phase
The purpose of the testing phase is to test the system and related procedures that it meets the requirements specified by the stakeholders and documented in the BRD, design plan, and testing plan.

Implementation Phase
The purpose of the implementation phase is to release a fully tested and operational product to an end user or customer. The product should meet all the requirements that were documented in the BRD and pass the testing phase before it can be released into a production environment.