Ways of organising the work.
WHAT SEQUENTIAL APPROACHES DO
Define everything, then build it, then test it, then deliver.
WHERE THEY SUIT
Work where requirements are genuinely known and change is expensive.
WHAT EXAMPLES LOOK LIKE
Construction Regulated implementations Physical installations
WHAT ITERATIVE APPROACHES DO
Deliver in increments, learning and adjusting as you go.
WHERE THEY SUIT
Work where requirements emerge, particularly software and product development.
WHAT THEY REQUIRE
A customer or sponsor genuinely available Willingness to change direction Ability to deliver something useful early
WHAT THEY DO NOT MEAN
No planning No documentation No commitment to dates
WHY THAT NEEDS SAYING
Iterative approaches are frequently used as an excuse for both.
WHAT HYBRID APPROACHES DO
Fix what must be fixed, and iterate on the rest.
WHY MOST REAL PROJECTS ARE HYBRID
Budgets and deadlines are usually fixed even when requirements are not.
WHAT TO CHOOSE BY
How well the requirements are understood How expensive change is How available the customer is What the organisation can actually sustain
WHAT TO AVOID
Adopting a methodology as an identity Following a process nobody understands the purpose of
WHAT MATTERS MORE THAN METHOD
Clear objectives Honest status Problems raised early Someone accountable
WHAT TO DO
Take what helps, and drop what does not.
