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Project Management vocabulary · Waterfall & Other Methods

Waterfall

Meaning in project management, with examples

/ˈwɔːtərfɔːl/nounCore term

In project management, waterfall means: A traditional way of running projects in which work moves through fixed phases in order, such as requirements, design, build, test and handover, and each phase is finished before the next starts.

In Turkish: şelale modeli, şelale yaklaşımı, waterfall

How it is used

Often used as an adjective too: waterfall project, waterfall approach. It suits work with stable, well-known requirements, such as construction. It is usually mentioned in contrast with agile.

Example sentences

  1. The factory build follows a waterfall plan, because you can't pour the foundations after the walls.

  2. In a waterfall project, a late change to the requirements can be very expensive.

Common collocations

  • waterfall approach
  • waterfall project
  • waterfall model
  • traditional waterfall
  • agileDescribes a way of managing work in short cycles, delivering small usable parts often and changing the plan based on regular feedback.
  • phaseOne of the main stages a project is divided into, such as design, build or testing, each with its own goals and deliverables.
  • phase gateA formal checkpoint at the end of a project phase where decision-makers review the results and decide whether the project continues, changes direction or stops.
  • hybrid approachA way of running a project that mixes traditional, plan-driven methods with agile practices, for example a fixed overall plan with sprints for the software work.
  • methodologyA defined system of processes, roles, documents and rules for running projects in a consistent way, such as PRINCE2 or an organisation's own method.

More terms: Waterfall & Other Methods

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