Waterfall project management is a traditional technique of breaking a project into distinct and logical phases where the accomplishment of each phase is required before moving on to the next. The method involves team members working linearly towards a predetermined endpoint, and each participant has a specific role to play. This approach fits best for projects that require a particular timeframe with detailed plans. There is no provision for changes, and alterations are frequently costly. Agile project management, on the other hand, encourages shortened project cycles, ongoing testing, and adaptation, and multiple teams working simultaneously towards project goals.

Waterfall project management typically follows a series of defined stages. First, the project manager analyzes and collects all the project's requirements and supporting documentation, followed by the creation of the workflow model for the project. The next stage involves the implementation of the system, and the team commences work. In the testing phase, each component is examined to ensure it meets the set standard. The product or service is deployed when it satisfies the requirements, and finally, the team provides maintenance and support of the product or service.

The waterfall project management technique can provide benefits to developers as they can identify design faults during the analysis and design phases, thereby avoiding writing faulty code during the implementation phase. The overall cost and timeline can also be precisely evaluated after the criteria have been established. Everything a developer needs to know is specified in the requirements document, simplifying the process of catching up. Clients do not usually add new needs to the project, which ensures that production is not delayed.

However, the waterfall project management technique has its downsides. Clients may not fully understand their needs initially, leaving room for modifications and additional feature requests later. The design and implementation phases do not involve clients, leaving fewer opportunities for collaboration, which can lead to disappointment in the project's final outcome. Moreover, phasing delays in one stage could result in an extended timeline for the subsequent steps.