What are the drawbacks of Waterfall methodology?

Waterfall is a project management method with a linear approach. In Waterfall, each stage of the workflow needs to be completed before moving on to the next step. Waterfall is suited for projects where the objectives are clearly outlined from the beginning.

There are some disadvantages of Waterfall model:

1. Lack of Flexibility

When it comes to creating software, the Waterfall Model is about as stiff and inflexible as it gets. It presumes that the design requirements are completely understood at the outset and that no alterations are necessary. This can be problematic if more requirements arise or if the design needs to be altered. Sometimes development process can take a long time and the requirements of clients can change or even new technology can outdate the current version of the software.

The entire schedule can be thrown off if the project’s specifications are suddenly altered, rendering most of the work you’ve done up to that point meaningless. Hence, a lack of flexibility is something you should be cautious of before adopting this model.

2. Exclusion of Customer’s Perspective in the Development Process

The waterfall is mostly an internal procedure, with minimal regard for the project’s final user or client. The software industry can benefit from its primary goal of facilitating internal team progress through project phases. Outside of the software business, however, customers typically want to provide input and refine their needs as a project develops. 

Ultimately, the product you are trying to build has the only purpose to satisfy its buyer or the customer. Even though adopting to the waterfall model makes it quite easy for the development team to swiftly finish their work, the lack of customer involvement can make them unsatisfied in the end. Sometimes, their requirements can vary depending on the scope and timeframe of the project. This can lead to a lack of user adoption and project failure.

3. Risk of Project Failure

If even one step of a Waterfall Model project is unsuccessful, the whole process may result in failure. A project’s schedule might be severely pushed back if problems are uncovered during the diagnosis phase and require going back to the design or implementation phase. This model is a sequential approach and one step cannot be completed without the successful implementation of the previous one. So, this model is subject to a high risk of project failure.

4. Delayed Feedback/Testing

The waterfall model does not allow testing or receiving feedback until the last half of the project. Such delayed feedback poses a high risk and can significantly impact the quality of the project. Costs may rise and completion time may be extended as a result. Sometimes feedback may suggest changing the core elements of the software. If such cases occur, the development process can severely suffer as the team might have to go back to the design phase to implement such changes.

5. Difficulty in Alterations

The Waterfall Model’s inflexibility might be a disadvantage on projects when needs are prone to changes. There may be delays and cost overruns in the project if modifications cannot be made to the model without extensive rework. As a result, changes are very hard to implement if you choose to follow the waterfall model for your product development.