Comparison between agile development mode and other methods

Agile methods are sometimes mistaken for unplanned and well-trained methods. In fact, more accurately, agile methods emphasize adaptability rather than foresight.

Adaptive methods focus on quickly adapting to changes in reality. When the requirements of the project change, the team should adapt quickly. It may be difficult for this team to accurately describe what changes will happen in the future. There are not many similarities between them. Waterfall model is the most typical forecasting method, which strictly follows the pre-planned order of requirements, analysis, design, coding and testing. The results of the steps are used as methods to measure progress, such as requirements specifications, design documents, test plans and code reviews.

The main problem of waterfall type is that its strict grading leads to the reduction of freedom, and because of the commitments made in the early stage of the project, the change of demand in the later stage is difficult to adjust and the cost is high. Waterfall method is basically not feasible when the demand is unknown and may change during the project.

Relatively speaking, agile methods can complete relatively small functions in a few weeks or months, emphasizing that the smallest available functions can be delivered as soon as possible, and will be continuously improved and enhanced throughout the project cycle.

Some people may use waterfall method in every iteration on such a small scale, while others may choose to perform various tasks in parallel.