V-Model

The V-Model is a project management method for project planning and execution. It comes from the “Waterfall methods” and has begun to be widely used in the eighties. Nowadays, the method is still widely used in industries that launch complex, long and costly projects, such as the Defense industry, the Construction and Transport industry, or the Software industry. The process is divided into three main phases: the development phase when the system and components requirements are expressed and the system design is specified; the implementation phase when the simplest part of the system are built; and the test phase when all the parts are put together step by step so they form the complete system at the end. Moreover, the management methods related to the V-cycle offers project managers the opportunity to monitor and minimize the risks efficiently, to manager their costs effectively, to ensure a high-quality system, and to create a good relationship with all the project’s stakeholders through a documented and clear collaboration. The standardization and transparency of the V-model are particularly appreciated. Nevertheless, the V-Model has some drawbacks, especially in terms of cross-department collaboration or flexibility. That is why new project management methods have been created, such as the Agile methods in the nineties. Nevertheless, the V-Model is still widely used and is an interesting method to approach project management in a very structured way.

V-Model presentation: process & artefacts

The V-Model takes into account the entire system lifecycle, from the requirements analysis to the system acceptance. This model provides a process to follow, roles to distribute to stakeholders, artefacts to document the project, and management mechanism to ensure a relevant management style[1]. The first three elements are tackled in this paragraph.

Formulation of the V-Modell

The V-Model has been created in the eighties and has been adapted since then. Thus, you may find several and different versions of it. The following one reaches a global consensus. CHART