Collaborating in Agile Projects

Collaboration in the Waterfall process model

Besides working in short iterations, there’s something else that differentiates Agile from Waterfall, and that’s the way people in different roles work together.

In Waterfall, roles are linked to phases. Analysts provide requirements. Designers create a functional and technical design. Developers translate this into code. Testers validate that the code implements the requirements. If the application is complete, it’s handed over to the maintenance team. Because all phases are performed only once, resulting in a final product which is called a milestone, it’s characteristic that all roles are performed sequentially. The transition between the different phases occurs when the final product is handed over to the people who perform the role of the next phase.