Microsoft® Solutions Framework Essentials

Planning What to Build

How do stakeholders and the project team reach a common understanding of what to build? Most often, what to build is embodied in requirements, diagrams, and designs. The means and timing of what to define varies widely. Rapid development approaches (e.g., eXtreme programming^[1] and MSF for Agile Software Development) use a well-structured build process to incrementally identify, build, test, and deploy solution features and function (i.e., define a little, build a little). At the other end of the spectrum, more formal build approaches thoroughly plan and verify what needs to be done before proceeding with solutions development. Both ends of the spectrum and everything in between have merit. Which approach to use is up to ...