Definition:
Concept Number: *355
English Master: Evolutionary-Project-Management
Synonyms, Variations & Acronyms: Evo *355 Evo-Management *355 Evolutionary Delivery Management *355 Value-Management, Value-Project-Management. Value-Delivery.
None of the following words are perfect synonyms, but since each Author and company has a long list of extremely similar features that make up these Processes, they are close enough.
Rapid Delivery Management (Acronym: RDM), Result Delivery (These synonyms are used within Jet Propulsion Labs. [SPUCK93]
Synch-and-stabilize or Milestone Approach (These synonyms are used within Microsoft [CUSUMANO95].
Detailing
Key components include:
• frequent delivery of System changes (Evo-Steps)
• Evo-Steps delivered to Stakeholders for real use
• feedback obtained from Stakeholders to determine next Evo-Step(s)
• the existing System is used as the initial System base
• small steps (ideally between 2%-5% of total project financial Cost and time)
• steps with highest value and benefit-to-cost ratios given highest Priority for delivery
• feedback used ‘immediately’ to modify future plans and Requirements and, also to decide on the next step
• total Systems approach (‘anything that helps’)
• results-orientation (‘delivering the results’ is prime concern)
Illustrations
Figure *355: Conceptual view of Evo [HUMMEL02]. Notice that the design changes over time: it does not just get ‘incremented’. Of course, it is not a Requirement that the design has to fundamentally change at each step! Compare with Figure *318 in Incremental-Development *318.
Type
Method.
Examples
none
Notes
Notice that Scrum and most other populat Agile methods are Incremental not Evolutionary (potentially shippable code, not value to Stakeholders). They can of cause be refocused to become Evolutionary.
Keyed-Icons
none
Drawn-Icons
none
Related-Concepts
Competitive-Engineering
Evo-Step
Evo-Plan
Evolutionary
History-of-Concept
Historical Note: Evolutionary-Project-Management had an early large-scale Documented use in the Cleanroom techniques used by Harlan Mills within IBM in the 1970s [MILLS80]. [LARMAN03] gives a comprehensive history of the method.
This Concept entered by Adore