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Waterfall vs. incremental visibility

publish date: 2026/05/28 22:08:33.633704 UTC

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Managers often care about process visibility—how easily they can see progress.

How does the waterfall model compare to incremental development in terms of visibility?

Incremental development always has higher visibility because it produces no documents.

Waterfall has no visibility because it produces no intermediate artifacts.

Waterfall has high visibility due to documents at each phase; incremental may have lower visibility if documentation is minimized.

Both have identical visibility characteristics.

Correct Answer

Waterfall has high visibility due to documents at each phase; incremental may have lower visibility if documentation is minimized.

Explanation

The waterfall model’s document-driven nature makes progress visible, whereas incremental approaches may prioritize working software over documentation.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 9th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

The Waterfall Model