Traditional load testing follows the waterfall model, where project activities are organized into independent phases that follow a sequential order as they cascade down to the final phase, deployment. In this model, load testing was carried out as part of the testing phase, if at all, after the code had been developed and before it was deployed. ![[waterfall.png]] The waterfall methodology has declined in popularity in recent years due to the rise of [[Agile]]. ## Main criticisms - There is little to no overlap between the phases, so it encourages silos to develop between teams. This inhibits communication and collaboration. - Finding a defect in the testing phase is significantly more costly than if it had been found during the development phase. - Waterfall does not build in frequent feedback cycles and as a result, rework is common and exhaustive. - It discourages team members from learning other things, encouraging specialization rather than diversification in skills.