A good project lifecycle software program is a valuable asset to any business today. Even more so when trying to secure approval for any project they wish to undertake. However, when it comes to choosing the right kind of program, you need to look at the various models available. Then you have the data to evaluate which of these will best suit your requirements.

Below we will take a close look at the various models. However, there are points to note. None of these can be interchanged with the others. Thus, we need to examine their weaknesses and strengths closely. The one that you choose should be one that can easily identify the risks that you may face. Therefore, it will help you to reduce the chances of these risks occurring.

Model 1: Pure Waterfall

This is the classic of all the models we are going to be discussing in this article. It is ideal where you have clearly understood requirements or when working with technical tools or infrastructures.

This model’s main strengths are that it can save you money during the planning stages of the project. It can also be used by those who have plenty of technical knowledge and those who do not. However, there are disadvantages, the main one of these being that this particular model can be somewhat inflexible when being used.

Model 2: Spiral

This particular model allows you to break the project up into much smaller chunks, so not only is it much easier to handle but can also be divided around between those that are involved in the project.

The big advantage to be gained from using this model over the pure waterfall one is that it can be tailored to suit those parts of the project at every stage of the project. Nevertheless, it is somewhat more complicated to understand, and so is not really the kind of program one should be used where there are people who have little or no knowledge of such programs.

Model 3: Modified Waterfall

This approach Is very similar to the pure waterfall model. However, with this one, you can overlap phases of the project when you need to. Nevertheless, it still provides you with the capability to divide the project up into sub-projects. That makes it much easier to utilize throughout the project’s phases.

The biggest advantage of using this kind of project lifecycle software model is that it provides a lot more flexibility than the pure waterfall one does. Moreover, it allows you to use the program much the same way as the spiral one does. However, this can cause problems when mistakes are made because communications have faltered.

Rob Broadhead

Rob is a founder of, and frequent contributor to, Develpreneur. This includes the Building Better Developers podcast. He is also a lifetime learner as a developer, designer, and manager of software solutions. Rob is the founder of RB Consulting and has managed to author a book about his family experiences and a few about becoming a better developer. In his free time, he stays busy raising five children (although they have grown into adults). When he has a chance to breathe, he is on the ice playing hockey to relax or working on his ballroom dance skills.

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