- Are the project requirements and scope well-defined and unlikely to change?
- Does the project have a clear, predictable path that can be followed from beginning to end?
- Do the stakeholders prefer a hands-off approach, only wanting to review and approve the final product?
- Is the technology or domain well understood, with little risk of significant surprises or changes?
- Is the project short-term?
- Are you operating in a sector (such as construction or manufacturing) where detailed upfront planning and design are necessary?
- Do you have mechanisms in place to resist change?
- Does the project need thorough documentation from the beginning for compliance or reference purposes?
- Is the team inexperienced or uncomfortable with iterative development processes like Agile?
How these questions help you determine whether Waterfall is a good fit for your project
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Are the project requirements and scope well-defined and unlikely to change?
Waterfall works well when the scope and requirements are well-defined from the start, as in-flight changes can be time-consuming and expensive. -
Does the project have a clear, predictable path that can be followed from beginning to end?
Predictability is a strength of Waterfall. Its sequential stages make it easier to forecast timelines, resources, and the path to completion. However it struggles with even modest amounts of uncertainty. -
Do the stakeholders prefer a hands-off approach, only wanting to review and approve the final product?
With Waterfall, the bulk of stakeholder input occurs at the beginning during requirements gathering. If your stakeholders are more hands-on there’s a higher chance they will introduce change – the nemesis of Waterfall planning. -
Is the technology or domain well understood, with little risk of significant surprises or changes?
Waterfall relies on minimising the risk of surprises that would require revisiting previous stages. If you’re working in a domain that is subject to evolution, then Waterfall is not your friend. -
Is the project short-term?
Fundamentally, longer projects are inherently more susceptible to change: there’s just more time for it to happen -
Are you operating in a sector (such as construction or manufacturing) where detailed upfront planning and design are necessary?
Waterfall works well for heavily regulated or very process-driven industries where planning is crucial and there’s a fixed, measurable goal. -
Do you have mechanisms in place to resist change?
Waterfall doesn’t play well with change, so if your company has strong mechanisms to minimise change, you’ll succeed with a Waterfall project where others wouldn’t. -
Does the project need thorough documentation from the beginning for compliance or reference purposes?
Waterfall’s comprehensive upfront documentation can be an asset in regulated industries or when extensive reference material is needed. -
Is the team inexperienced or uncomfortable with iterative development processes like Agile?
Implementing Agile effectively requires some degree of experience and comfort with iterative, feedback-driven development. If your team lacks this, Waterfall might be a safer bet