Effective Software Project Management

The Planning Phase of an Adaptive SDPM Strategy for the Adaptive Software Development Model

Figure 26-4 is the Planning Phase of the Adaptive SDPM strategy for the Adaptive Software Development model.

Figure 26-4. Planning Phase of an Adaptive SDPM strategy for the Adaptive Software Development model

The Planning Phase of an Adaptive SDPM strategy for the Adaptive Software Development Model is iterative itself. Each Learning Loop ends with a review of what just happened in the previous development phase. That review identifies what is going to be built in the next cycle. The focus in the Adaptive cycle plan is on improving the components in the current solution and introducing new components into the solution. Unlike the traditional approaches, which focus on tasks, the Adaptive cycle plan focuses on components, that is, on deliverables. There are five characteristics to every Adaptive cycle according to James Highsmith III in his book Adaptive Software Development (Dorsett House, 2000). They are:

• Mission-driven— There is a specific deliverable that the project must produce.

• Component-based— The approach will deliver parts of the solution in each iteration with the entire solution delivered in the final iteration.

• Iterative— A number of iterations will be needed in order to create the complete solution.

• Timeboxed— Each iteration is limited to a specific time frame (2–4 weeks typical) ...