1. Introduction of Waterfall Model

The waterfall model is the oldest model used by the IT industry to develop software. Different companies use different models and processes, but the waterfall model is the oldest, safest, and simplest model in the IT industry. The waterfall model can be divided into the following stages.

Image Sources: JIRA Waterfall Model

Since the waterfall model in Jira software is configured by workflow, we will focus on the waterfall model of ZenTao.

2. Your guide to Waterfall in ZenTao

ZenTao Project management Software provides a new tool and a new method, users can choose a management model according to their actual needs, and enhance the flexibility of project management. The tutorial for creating a waterfall project is introduced as follows.

2.1 Create a Waterfall Project

Click the "Create" button, and on the "Select Management Type" page. Click then Waterfall (Waterfall Project Management) to jump to the Create Waterfall Project page.

The page for creating a waterfall project is basically the same as the page for creating a Scrum project. Fill in the information and click Save.

Different from the Scrum projects，after the waterfall project is created successfully, it will directly jump to the setup phase page. On the setting stage page, you can set the workload ratio of each stage, the start and end time, access control, milestone phase or not, phase leader, etc.

After setting up a stage, you can view it in the project stage. It can be searched and viewed by All, Incomplete, Not Started, In Progress, Suspended, and Closed tags.

Click on the stage name to jump to the stage's task list page. Click the "More" button, the drop-down list can view other stages under the waterfall project.

2.2 The Process of Waterfall Projects

ZenTao's waterfall project model divides the software life-cycle into six basic phases: Requirements, Design, Development,Testing, Release, and Review. Scrum projects have a completely different life cycle, consisting of one or more executions, each of which is relatively independent of the other, independently developing requirements and solving some bugs.

A waterfall project is a fixed set of stages, and each stage is closely related. If the previous stage does not end, the next stage will not start.

• Requirement Stage: The main purpose is to organize, analyze user requirements, review requirements, and clarify the list of requirements. Tasks of transaction type can be created to manage the requirements sorting and review.
• Design Stage: The main purpose is to write summary design, detailed design, database design, and interface design documents for the defined requirements, and to review the design documents. Associated requirements, create design-type tasks and transaction type tasks for management.
• Development Stage: It is almost the same as the iteration/sprint of Scrum project, that is, associate the identified requirements for development. Associate requirements, create development type tasks to manage, and view development progress based on burn-down charts, task boards, and various views.
• Testing Stage: Test the requirements that have been developed during the development phase. Associate requirements, write test cases, and perform test case reviews. Create test-type tasks, transaction-type tasks to manage. Create a version and submit a test order, associate the test order with the test case, and execute the test order's case to complete the test.
• Release Stage: Release testing is performed for the version that has passed testing. Create transaction-type tasks and test-type tasks for management. After passing the test for the release version, you can perform "Project - Release" to complete the release of the entire project.
• Review Stage: Requirements start from sorting, to writing design documents, development, testing, and the final release. The summary review stage provides a 
• conclusive review for the previous five stages, draw the experience and problems, to provide a reference for the subsequent project.

2.3 The Advantages of ZenTao Waterfall Projects

• Using the project Gantt chart, it is possible to check the tasks created under the stages.
• The design of waterfall can manage the Summary Design, Detailed Design, Database Design, and Interface Design.
• The requirements tracking matrix can show the derivative relationships between requirements. Product managers can continuously track the changes in requirements and learn about the progress related to the requirements.
• By initiating a baseline review, the reviewer will evaluate and record the non-conformities. After resolving the non-conformities, the baseline review can be initiated again. After all the items are passed, the audit can be submitted. Once the audit is also passed, you can make a baseline, do configuration management, and check the baseline report.
• Research plans and research reports can be created.
• Project estimation can make a preliminary estimate of the project scale, estimate the workload, duration, and cost of the project based on the scale estimate, and record the result of the estimate in the project estimation.
• Project managers can manage issues, risks, and opportunities during the project practice.
• Project process tailoring enables you to tailor the company's standard project process and formulate the project's development process.
• Project QA can formulate a quality assurance plan based on the tailor-made process of the project.
• The metrics function enables continuously and quantitatively define the data of the project process and its products, so as to understand, predict, evaluate, control and improve the project.
• The training function allows you to analyze the competency gap for project development needs, develop project training plans, and fill out training summaries.
• The meeting function allows you to initiate meetings for project development and record meeting minutes.