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by mattbrewsbytes
507 days ago
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For building software that is your basic web application/SaaS an important part of agile processes, including an MVP, is you build the minimum to get the product out there with lower priority features in a backlog. The idea behind vertical slices in traditional software development (not games) is you have a testable slice of software that can be shipped. A major benefit of iterative development is you may have features sitting in a backlog that keep getting pushed aside for higher priority features that you aren't expending software development and testing resources on those features. Contrast that with a waterfall approach where an entire product is designed up front, requirements documented and then built. The product likely ends up with features that are not important and rarely used. Iterative development, or agile, processes are not the best process for every project. You definitely want high risk projects like nuclear power plant control software to use a waterfall approach to ensure safety. |
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In software development, waterfall projects were often iterative, though in longer cycles. I'm sure there were some that weren't but each version is essentially a waterfall iteration. For example, way back when, we would do 2 major releases and 2 patch releases every year, so our iterations were 3 months. Keep in mind this was software that we cut onto CD's and shipped out.
The benefit of waterfall is that biz is required to think about the project as a whole instead of a wishlist. Sometimes with agile, you end up with a Homermobile because the biz isn't forced to think of everything at once. Both have plusses and minuses.