INFO6007 Chap.2 Lifecycles, Methods and Requirements
Lifecycles, Methods and Requirements
This chapter chooses a delivery method from uncertainty, feedback needs, compliance and release patterns. It compares Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban and DevOps without treating any method as universally superior. Requirements gathering and the project charter then convert stakeholder needs into testable evidence, explicit boundaries and authorised work.
Waterfall can support stable outputs and formal phase approval, while iterative methods expose uncertain needs through frequent feedback. Scrum organises time boxed learning, Kanban controls continuous flow and DevOps joins development with release and operations. Hybrid choices need explicit interfaces so teams know which outputs require formal approval and which priorities can evolve.
Requirements techniques also produce different evidence: observation reveals actual work, interviews uncover individual concerns, workshops reconcile disagreement, prototypes test interpretation and documents expose existing rules. Traceability connects a stakeholder need to its requirement, deliverable and acceptance test.
Initiation then uses a charter to state purpose, high level scope, exclusions, risks and authority without pretending that detailed planning is already complete.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Project lifecycle and process groups
- 02
Waterfall phase control
- 03
Agile feedback cycles
- 04
Scrum and Kanban flow
- 05
DevOps delivery and operations
- 06
Requirements gathering techniques
- 07
Project charter and initiation
- 08
Match lifecycle choice to requirement uncertainty, feedback cost, compliance constraints, integration risk and stakeholder availability
- 09
Explain which decisions remain predictive and which work cycles adapt when proposing a hybrid delivery approach
- 10
Write measurable acceptance evidence and preserve traceability from business objective through requirement, design, work item and test
- 11
Distinguish validation of the represented need from verification that the delivered result conforms to its specification
- 12
Use the charter to authorise purpose, boundaries, risks and authority without pretending detailed planning is already complete
- 13
Reassess delivery assumptions when feedback changes uncertainty instead of defending the original method label
Worked example · free
Select a method for a clinic portal
- +1Separate fixed compliance needs from uncertain workflow needs.
- +1Use staged governance for privacy and architecture.
- +1Use iterative prototypes for workflow learning.
- +1Combine observation, interviews and user testing.
- +1Put exclusions and authority in the charter.
Key terms
- Waterfall
- A sequential delivery approach organised around defined phases and formal transitions.
- Scrum
- An Agile framework using time boxed sprints, defined accountabilities and recurring feedback events.
- Project charter
- The formal authorisation that establishes high level purpose, scope, stakeholders and authority.
Lifecycles, Methods and Requirements FAQ
When does Waterfall fit an IT project?
It fits better when requirements and interfaces are stable, formal approvals matter and late change is expensive. Even then, stakeholder validation and risk control remain necessary throughout delivery.
How are Scrum and Kanban different?
Scrum organises work into time boxed sprints with defined roles and events. Kanban visualises continuous flow and limits work in progress, making it useful where demand arrives continuously.
Which requirements technique should I use?
Match the technique to the evidence gap. Observation reveals real work, interviews surface individual needs, workshops reconcile disagreement, prototypes test interpretation and document analysis finds existing rules.
Exam move
Create a method comparison from project conditions, not slogans. Use columns for requirements stability, cost of late change, feedback speed, compliance, contract structure, operational release pattern and team capability. Waterfall becomes defensible where work and acceptance can be defined early and transitions need formal approval. Iterative Agile work becomes defensible where feedback changes priorities.
Scrum helps organise time boxed learning, Kanban supports continuous flow and work in progress limits, and DevOps connects development with release, infrastructure, monitoring and operations. For every recommendation, name the uncertainty each practice controls. Avoid claims that one method is always faster or that another prevents change. Then build a requirements toolkit.
Observation reveals actual work and workarounds; interviews uncover individual goals and constraints; workshops reconcile disagreement; prototypes test interpretation; document analysis finds existing rules and interfaces. Practise choosing two complementary techniques and explain what distinct evidence each produces. Convert that evidence into clear requirements with source, rationale, priority and acceptance condition.
Trace each important requirement to a deliverable and test so that a later change reveals affected design, schedule and cost. Treat initiation as an authorisation problem. Draft a compact charter for a new case with purpose, measurable objectives, high level scope, explicit exclusion, major stakeholders, initial risks, budget and timeline assumptions, sponsor and project manager authority.
Do not turn the charter into the detailed plan. Its role is to establish why the work should exist and who may begin planning. Compare lifecycle and process groups. Initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closure describe management responsibilities that can interact; they do not prove that delivery must be linear. On the notes sheet, keep a method selection test and requirements technique map.
Under time pressure, first name the uncertainty and governance need, then select the approach. That produces a reasoned recommendation instead of a fashionable label.
Working through Lifecycles, Methods and Requirements in INFO6007? Sia is AskSia’s AI Project Management tutor — ask any INFO6007 Lifecycles, Methods and Requirements question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how INFO6007 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.