What is Waterfall?
Waterfall: A step-by-step project approach with fixed phases.
Where Waterfall fits
Waterfall is part of Planning in Project Management. Projects need a scope, a timeline and a team. Break work into a WBS, set milestones, map dependencies and find the critical path.
Practical tip
Write the scope down and kick off with shared goals.
Related terms
- Milestone
- A key checkpoint that marks progress in a project.
- Gantt chart
- A bar chart showing tasks along a timeline.
- Critical path
- The longest chain of tasks that sets a project's minimum duration.
- Deliverable
- A tangible output a project promises to produce.
- Resource allocation
- Deciding which people and money go to which tasks.
- Work breakdown structure
- Splitting a project into smaller, manageable pieces.
- Project charter
- A document that formally launches a project.
- Kickoff meeting
- The first meeting that aligns the team.
Formulas you will use with it
Test yourself
Which term means: “A step-by-step project approach with fixed phases.”?
Project charter · Kickoff meeting · Waterfall
Answer: Waterfall
Learn Waterfall by playing
Quizzes, a CEO simulator, a real estate tycoon game and startup tools. Free to start, in 7 languages.
Play BizJourney free →