Waterfall-in-disguise's return is just around the corner

Wed, 12 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Waterfall-in-disguise’s return is just around the corner. If we allow it, we will be even more miserable than we already are with “scrum” cargo-cult.

For the second time in the last year I will be writing minimal OAuth2 auth server (why that is material for another note). Creating & refining initial spec took a full day of work so far - before even one LOC was created.

The model’s ability to spot underspecified requirements or contradictions with chosen RFC baseline is a godsend when working with a sensitive domain like security. Makes good spec cheap, not resurrecting waterfall by itself. Still, three serious problems follow:

Waterfall on Gniewomir Świechowski

Waterfall-in-disguise's return is just around the corner