Journal 76: Otters Have Lunch

These pelicans use both Agile as well as Plan and Document methodology for catching fish for lunch.

This week's assigned reflection is to compare and contrast the methodologies of Agile vs. Plan and Document (Waterfall).

Plan and Document (Waterfall) is a process used for project management which focuses on the end product goals and the steps assumed that will be needed to get there. (ProjectManager, 2021) Agile methodology focuses on incrementally nudging features into a project so it's never broken, merges don't lose features, and everyone is working on close to the same code-base as often as possible. Plan and document methodology aims at a linear progression of adding features until the final product is finished, while Agile methodology aims at adding small cohesive features with correctness assertions backed by unit and end-to-end testing schemes.

Plan and document is a tried and true methodology which would be used for things like government initiatives, where a specific piece of software is mandated with known requirements at the time of inception. Agile methodology is a tried and true methodology used by experienced software engineering groups focused on needs of reliable production. Using Agile methodology increases reliability because frequent pushes and thorough tests keep the system working, testable, verifiable, and documented as well as flexible.

Flexibility is probably the biggest difference between the two, Agile methodologies are focused on being able to accommodate possibly frequently changing needs of the client, while the plan and document methodology is used for projects with known requirements at the start.

Otters Have Lunch

References:

ProjectManager. (2021, August 18). Waterfall Methodology: The Ultimate Guide to the Waterfall Model. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from https://www.projectmanager.com/guides/waterfall-methodology