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Commonly confused · Project Management & Agile

Agile vs Waterfall: What's the Difference?

Waterfall is a predictive, sequential approach in which each phase is completed before the next begins and scope is fixed up front. Agile is an adaptive, iterative approach that delivers working increments in short cycles and welcomes changing requirements.

Agile

vs

Waterfall

AgileWaterfall
Life cyclePredictive, sequential phasesAdaptive, iterative and incremental
RequirementsDefined fully up frontEvolve through a prioritized backlog
DeliverySingle delivery at the endFrequent working increments
Customer involvementMainly at start and endContinuous collaboration
Change handlingFormal change control, costlyExpected and welcomed
Best fitStable, well-understood requirements, regulated construction-like workUncertain or evolving requirements, software and innovation
Remember it

Waterfall plans the whole river; agile paddles one bend at a time.

Exam tip

PMP scenario questions often ask which life cycle fits: high uncertainty and changing requirements mean agile; fixed scope and strict regulation suggest predictive. Hybrid approaches combine both.

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