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A sequential development model with clearly separated phases and rigid handover points.
The Waterfall model is a sequential planning and development approach that executes phases such as requirements analysis, design, implementation, testing and maintenance in strict order. It emphasizes documentation, fixed milestones and clear handovers. Suitable for stable requirements, but inflexible and costly to change when faults surface late.
Measure of how well phase milestones were met.
Effort required for fixes arising from late-discovered defects.
Degree of formal documentation relative to required artifacts.
Stable requirements and contractual milestones led to a waterfall process with formal acceptance.
Regulatory constraints required documented phases and traceability, so waterfall-like processes were used.
Hardware dependencies and long test cycles made sequential phases practical.
Capture requirements completely and approve formally.
Create detailed phase and milestone plan.
Define and instrument documentation, testing and acceptance processes.