Analysis of Project Life Cycles in SIT773 Software Requirements Report

This report analyzes the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of two primary project life cycles: predictive and adaptive. The predictive life cycle, often exemplified by the waterfall model, is characterized by sequential phases and a clearly defined scope at the outset. Its advantages include well-defined objectives and the ability to measure progress, while its disadvantages include time consumption and the need for extensive upfront planning. The adaptive life cycle, incorporating agile methods, emphasizes iterative and incremental development, with customer involvement as a key component. Advantages of the adaptive life cycle include high collaboration and stakeholder engagement, but it may restrict re-usability and require application-specific adaptations. The report also discusses how project tasks vary based on the chosen life cycle, providing a comparative analysis of these two approaches to software development and project management.

Running head: SIT773 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND ANALYSIS
SIT773 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND ANALYSIS
Name of student
Name of university
Author’s note:

1
SIT773 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND ANALYSIS
Predictive life cycle
 The traditional waterfall model that is used in the software development is the
common example of this specific project life cycle.
 The main characteristic of this lifecycle is that the phases within this particular
lifecycle are mainly sequential and sometimes overlapping.
 Each of the phase has some particular work or any deliverable generated from it.
 The overall scope is mainly defined at the initiation point, the project plan is
created and it is then baselined prior starting the implementation of this stage
(Palacios Fenech and Tellis 2015).
Advantages
 Main advantage is that the objectives of project are significantly clearly defined as
well as understood
 Comprises of steady project requirements
 Allows the progress measuring extensively
Disadvantages
 Significantly time consuming
 Needs the outlining of planning before initiation of project
Adaptive project management life cycle
 The adaptive life cycle in project management is primarily viewed as change
driven or the agile methods.
 Main characteristic of this particular approach is that this approach is the
combination of the incremental and the iterative methods.

2
SIT773 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND ANALYSIS
 Within this particular approach, iterations are significantly swift and it is time
certain.
 Within Adaptive life cycle, the customer participation has been considered as key
to any effective project.
 The sponsor as well as the customers forms a section of the delivery team
(Nagashima et al. 2016).
Advantages
 Provides significantly high degree of collaboration
 Provides the opportunity extensive engagement with the stakeholders
Disadvantages
 Restricts the re-usability
 Needs to be applied in various methods for each of the applications

3
SIT773 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS AND ANALYSIS
References
Nagashima, M., Wehrle, F.T., Kerbache, L. and Lassagne, M., 2015. Impacts of adaptive
collaboration on demand forecasting accuracy of different product categories throughout the
product life cycle. Supply chain management: an international journal, 20(4), pp.415-433.
Palacios Fenech, J. and Tellis, G.J., 2016. The dive and disruption of successful current
products: Measures, global patterns, and predictive model. Journal of Product Innovation
Management, 33(1), pp.53-68.