Advantages of Waterfall Model

The classical waterfall model is an idealistic model for software development. It is very simple, so it can be considered the basis for other software development life cycle models. Below are some of the major advantages of this SDLC model.

Easy to Understand: The Classical Waterfall Model is very simple and easy to understand.

Individual Processing: Phases in the Classical Waterfall model are processed one at a time.

Properly Defined: In the classical waterfall model, each stage in the model is clearly defined.

Clear Milestones: The classical Waterfall model has very clear and well-understood milestones.

Properly Documented: Processes, actions, and results are very well documented.

Reinforces Good Habits: The Classical Waterfall Model reinforces good habits like define-before-design and design-before-code.

Working: Classical Waterfall Model works well for smaller projects and projects where requirements are well understood.

Disadvantages of Waterfall Model:

The Classical Waterfall Model suffers from various shortcomings we can’t use it in real projects, but we use other software development lifecycle models which are based on the classical waterfall model. Below are some major drawbacks of this model.

No Feedback Path: In the classical waterfall model evolution of software from one phase to another phase is like a waterfall. It assumes that no error is ever committed by developers during any phase. Therefore, it does not incorporate any mechanism for error correction. 

Difficult to accommodate Change Requests: This model assumes that all the customer requirements can be completely and correctly defined at the beginning of the project, but the customer's requirements keep on changing with time. It is difficult to accommodate any change requests after the requirements specification phase is complete. 

No Overlapping of Phases: This model recommends that a new phase can start only after the completion of the previous phase. But in real projects, this can't be maintained. To increase efficiency and reduce cost, phases may overlap. 

Limited Flexibility: The Waterfall Model is a rigid and linear approach to software development, which means that it is not well-suited for projects with changing or uncertain requirements. Once a phase has been completed, it is difficult to make changes or go back to a previous phase.

Limited Stakeholder Involvement: The Waterfall Model is a structured and sequential approach, which means that stakeholders are typically involved in the early phases of the project (requirements gathering and analysis) but may not be involved in the later phases (implementation, testing, and deployment).

Late Defect Detection: In the Waterfall Model, testing is typically done toward the end of the development process. This means that defects may not be discovered until late in the development process, which can be expensive and time-consuming to fix.

Lengthy Development Cycle: The Waterfall Model can result in a lengthy development cycle, as each phase must be completed before moving on to the next. This can result in delays and increased costs if requirements change or new issues arise