Agile vs Waterfall: What BA Professionals Should Know

October 13, 2025

Business Analysts (BAs) play a critical role in ensuring that projects meet business objectives efficiently and effectively. One of the most important aspects of project success lies in choosing the right methodology—and two of the most widely used approaches are Agile and Waterfall. Both have distinct processes, advantages, and challenges, and it’s essential for BA professionals to understand how to adapt their role within each framework.

1. Understanding the Waterfall Model

The Waterfall model is a traditional, linear project management approach. It follows a step-by-step sequence—starting with requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and finally, deployment. Each phase must be completed before moving to the next.

For Business Analysts, the Waterfall model offers a structured environment. BAs gather all the project requirements upfront, document them in detail, and ensure every stakeholder agrees before development begins. This method works best when project goals are clearly defined, requirements are stable, and changes are minimal—such as in government projects or large-scale infrastructure systems.

Key Benefits:

Clear structure and well-defined stages

Easy to track progress

Detailed documentation ensures clarity

Challenges:

Inflexible to changes after project initiation

Late discovery of issues (often during testing)

Limited stakeholder involvement during development

2. Understanding the Agile Model

In contrast, the Agile methodology is iterative and flexible. Projects are divided into small, manageable cycles called sprints, allowing for continuous feedback, collaboration, and improvement. Agile is driven by adaptability and customer satisfaction, with a focus on delivering working software quickly.

For BAs, Agile means continuous engagement. Instead of finalizing all requirements at once, BAs work closely with stakeholders throughout the project—refining requirements, writing user stories, and ensuring business goals remain aligned as priorities evolve.

Key Benefits:

Encourages collaboration and communication

Quickly adapts to change

Delivers value incrementally

Challenges:

Requires active stakeholder participation

Less emphasis on formal documentation

May lead to scope creep without proper control

3. The Role of a BA in Agile vs Waterfall

In Waterfall, a BA focuses heavily on requirements documentation, process modeling, and change control. The emphasis is on creating detailed deliverables such as Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) and Functional Specifications.

In Agile, however, a BA acts as a bridge between the business and development team, ensuring that user stories, acceptance criteria, and product backlogs are well-defined and prioritized. The BA’s role is more collaborative and dynamic, often overlapping with responsibilities of a Product Owner or Scrum Master.

4. Choosing the Right Approach

The decision between Agile and Waterfall depends on several factors:

Nature of the Project: Waterfall suits fixed-scope projects, while Agile fits evolving requirements.

Client Involvement: Agile thrives on continuous feedback, while Waterfall requires approval at key milestones.

Timeline and Budget: Waterfall offers predictability; Agile provides flexibility.

For Business Analysts, understanding both approaches allows flexibility in adapting to diverse projects and organizations.

Conclusion

Both Agile and Waterfall have their place in modern project management. A skilled BA knows when to use each method—and how to adjust their approach to maximize value. In today’s fast-paced business world, hybrid models that combine the structure of Waterfall with the adaptability of Agile are also gaining popularity.

Ultimately, the best BAs are those who can navigate both worlds seamlessly—analyzing, communicating, and delivering value no matter the methodology.

Explore : Softlucid.com to learn more