Effective Software Project Management

Types of Incremental SDPM Strategies

Incremental SDPM strategies are little more than the variation you would expect when the Linear SDPM strategies are not as responsive to business conditions as the customers would want them. The motivation for adopting an incremental approach is to deliver business value earlier than would be the case with linear approaches. In some cases this early introduction gives the enterprise an opportunity to test market new products and perhaps make modifications in later increments. Two types of strategies deserve mention in this context. They are introduced here at a high level and detailed in the chapters of this part that follow.

Staged Delivery Waterfall Model

The Staged Delivery Waterfall model provides for the early release of chunks of functionality so that the customer can begin to realize business value without having to wait for the single release of the complete solution.

Figure 10-2 is adapted from Steve McConnell’s book Software Project Survival Guide (Microsoft Press, 1998).

Figure 10-2. Staged Delivery Waterfall model

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This model works well in those situations where it is to your advantage to deliver business value early. If that is the case, you should prioritize the functionality to phases to deliver maximum business value. The stages could be long or short depending on the needs of the client. The other reason ...