Comparing the models.
WHAT A SEQUENTIAL APPROACH LOOKS LIKE
Each stage completed and approved before the next begins.
WHAT IT PROVIDES
Clear documentation Predictable stages Suitability where approval gates are mandatory
WHAT IT COSTS
No working software until late Change being expensive and resisted Problems discovered when correction is hardest
WHAT AN ITERATIVE APPROACH LOOKS LIKE
Short cycles, each producing working software.
WHAT IT PROVIDES
Early and continuous feedback Ability to change direction Risk surfaced early
WHAT IT COSTS
Less predictability about the final scope Requires genuine user involvement Requires the ability to release often
WHAT THE INCREMENTAL APPROACH ADDS
Building in pieces, each complete and usable.
WHAT MOST ORGANISATIONS ACTUALLY DO
A mixture, with iteration inside a broader plan.
WHAT TO CHOOSE ON
How well the requirements are understood How expensive change is Whether the environment permits frequent release Regulatory constraints
WHAT NOT TO DO
Adopt iterative language while keeping sequential practice.
WHY
It produces the costs of both and the benefits of neither.
