The two most common methods in application development are waterfall and agile. At the start of a project it is worth deciding which one fits the task, the business needs, how the organisation works and the resources available.
How does the waterfall method work?
In waterfall the project is planned up front and broken into consecutive steps: requirements, design (UX, UI, specification), development, testing, launch, operations. The next phase starts when the previous one is closed.
How does the agile method work?
An agile project moves in short, consecutive cycles (sprints): discovery, design, build, test, feedback, and again. The team (project manager, designer, developer, tester and the client) works closely together, sets priorities jointly based on business value, and delivers the committed tasks within the time box.
What are the pros and cons of waterfall?
Pros: goals and deliverables are clear to everyone from the start; schedule and cost can be planned in advance; documentation is good, so a new participant can join easily.
Cons: a larger conceptual change is hard, because it means going back to an earlier phase, which causes delay and extra cost; users see the product late, so a wrong concept is also discovered late.
What are the pros and cons of agile?
Pros: happier users, because their feedback is built in continuously; better quality thanks to short, focused cycles; flexibility; two-week sprints make planning and tracking easy; problems surface immediately.
Cons: on larger projects the total cost cannot be planned precisely up front; quick decisions are often undocumented; with several small teams the result can become fragmented; and since the product keeps evolving, the moment it is "done" is not always clear.
When to choose agile?
- For a technology product where deliverables change quickly as feasibility becomes clear.
- For the first version (MVP) of a new service or startup product.
- When the client and partners can work closely with the team.
- When several teams work on interdependent tasks with frequent coordination.
When to choose waterfall?
- For a critical service where a lot is at stake and there is no room for error.
- For a well-known or easily assessed need, such as a loan calculator.
- When predictable cost and deadline matter most to the business.
How do we work?
On most projects we combine the two. Discovery and design are waterfall-like: they produce the exact scope and the fixed-price proposal. Development moves in short cycles, so every two weeks you see where the work stands and can flag in time if something needs to change.
Updated: 4 November 2026
