The term Waterfall in the IT industry refers to the Waterfall model, which is a
renowned version of the systems development life cycle model that is used
for Software Engineering.
This specific model outlines a linear development method for creation of software. Each phase of the development has distinguishable goals that help aid the success of the project.
The model is referred to the waterfall to mirror the way a waterfall flows on its journey from the edge of the cliff and down the mountain in a forward-motion. Within the Waterfall model, once one stage is completed the team cannot go back to change any elements.
Advantages of this project model allows for departmentalisation and stronger and more focused managerial control. Teams benefit from being set concrete deadlines within their schedule of works and allows for work to completed on time.
However, some Project Coordinators reject this model because it will not allow for reflection or revisions when needed, which can sometimes result in challenging problems during the quality assurance stages or on the products release.
Therefore, Team Leaders may look toward alternative models such as the Rapid Application Development (RAD), Joint Application Development (JAD) or the spiral model.
