Waterfall model has been in the software industry for quite some time. Over the years, the industry has seen more popular software development methodologies like Agile, DevOps, etc. However, such methodologies have not been able to suit all project scenarios. In case of waterfall process, a mistake in earlier phase has proven to be costly to fix.

In order to overcome the challenges associated with such methodologies, software development process could combine the Agile’s interactivity with the steps of waterfall process.

The V-Model concept caters the need for verification and validation at each step ensuring a superior quality product.

Balancing Design and ValidationV Model

V-Model unlike the Waterfall process follows two pathways. Here, the linear path (Requirement->Implementation->Testing->Validation) followed by waterfall process is replaced by descending path and ascending path. The descending path is responsible for defining the project while the ascending path validates the phase. The implementation phase happens at the bottom, as shown in the figure.

The dependency among the phases of System design and System integration is nicely illustrated in a V- shape design. The model ensures that there is an interaction between the developers, QA, and stakeholders at each phase. This helps in cutting the cost of fixes that used to occur earlier. The model focuses on creating implementation strategies and testing plans in the early phase, so that they can be easily changed with the changes in the requirement during the life cycle.

DevOps Approach in Waterfall Process

The interaction that takes place at each phase of V-model suits the today’s DevOps era. With the testers working closely with the developers, the test plans are continuously developed from the beginning. The same collaborative interaction takes place between the individuals taking care of the application in production.

Agile approach supports completing the incremental parts of the application; however, it is not suited for all development scenarios. There are a few companies that still prefer the flexibility offered by Agile.

The V-Model supports DevOps by emphasizing on collaboration among teams. V-model is worthy for those looking for a balance between software methodology, flexibility, and testing throughout the development life cycle.

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