Flowfall: A Developer’s take on getting work done without the nonsense

I’ve worked under both Waterfall and Scrum. One gave me endless kanban boards, Gantt charts and sign-offs; the other gave me endless ceremonies and sticky notes. Neither felt like they were built for actually delivering good software, rather, they were built to keep someone else comfortable.

Waterfall promised structure. Scrum promised agility. In reality, both often deliver frustration. Waterfall locks you into plans that were outdated before the ink dried. Scrum locks you into sprints where priorities shifted mid-week but the backlog couldn’t. We were always “following the process,” rarely just building the damn thing.

So, I stopped asking, which is better? and started asking, what’s worth keeping?

That’s how Flowfall came to life: a hybrid that keeps only the parts that make sense and ditches the overhead that doesn’t.

What makes Flowfall different?

1. Plan Enough to Start, Not Enough to Stall

We don’t need 40 pages of specs and pitches before writing a line of code. Flowfall starts with a high-level roadmap: key milestones, critical risks, rough delivery windows. That’s it. We move when the essentials are clear; not when everyone has signed off on fantasy timelines.

2. Delivery Cycles That Fit the Work

Sprints can fell arbitrary; two weeks because someone said so. Flowfall uses flexible cycles based on the complexity and value of the work. Sometimes that’s 10 days. Sometimes that’s a month. We finish cycles when real, working value is delivered, not because the calendar hit Friday.

3. Backlogs That Breathe

Requirements change. Pretending they don’t just means rewriting half your code a week later. Flowfall allows the backlog to evolve between cycles. Priorities shift because reality shifts—and we’d rather respond than rework.

4. Meetings That Don’t Waste Your Life

Daily stand-ups? Fine if they’re 5 minutes. Retros where we draw on sticky notes? No thanks. Flowfall uses lightweight syncs only when they solve a problem. If you need context, grab it. If you need help, ask. We don’t worship ceremony; we communicate like adults. Slack is there, Teams is there, use them, stick to open channels, collaborate.

5. Experts Lead, Everyone Contributes

Good software gets built when the people who know their craft are trusted to lead it. Flowfall values cross-functional input, but it doesn’t pretend everyone’s opinion carries the same weight in every domain. The backend lead decides backend architecture. The designer decides visual language. Respect expertise.

How it works day-to-day

Kickoff: Define the big picture. Align on goals and boundaries. Don’t overcook it.

Flow Cycles: Work in focused bursts, deliver working increments, learn fast.

Review & Adjust: Show what’s real, cut what’s waste, line up what’s next.

Wrap-Up: Deliver, document, hand over. Then go build the next thing.

That’s it. No process debt, no bloated rituals, no pretend agility.

Why other developers might actually like it

It respects your time—fewer meetings, no more distractions in the middle of writing functions.

It respects your expertise—decisions are made by those who know, trust the skill and knowledge to complete the work.

It respects reality—plans flex when they need to, without chaos. Things can update and adapt with issue.

It delivers real progress—not just finished ceremonies. The work is the focus, the delivery is the focus.

Final word

Flowfall isn’t a methodology to sell certifications. It’s a framework born from building real things in real conditions. If you’re tired of pretending Scrum is agile and Waterfall is dead, this is your middle path: structured enough to steer, flexible enough to ship.