HKSM

The development approach is the way the team organizes and executes work to create the deliverables, such as predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, or hybrid. It shapes planning, governance, cadence, and how value is delivered across the life cycle.

Definition

See the short definition above.

Key Points

• Common options are predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, and hybrid, selected based on context.
• The approach influences life cycle choice, planning depth, governance, metrics, and team roles.
• Selection depends on uncertainty, requirements stability, delivery cadence needs, risk, and compliance.
• It can vary within one project by component or phase; hybridization is often practical.
• The decision should be documented, communicated, and revisited as conditions change.
• Contracts, organizational standards, and team capability must align with the chosen approach.

Purpose of Analysis

• Match the way of working to product characteristics, uncertainty, and stakeholder needs.
• Reduce risk by choosing an approach that provides timely feedback and control.
• Enable realistic planning, estimation, and governance tailored to the context.
• Set clear expectations for cadence, roles, artifacts, and decision rights.

Method Steps

• 1. Clarify outcomes: product vision, value goals, compliance obligations, and constraints.
• 2. Assess uncertainty: requirements volatility, technical novelty, dependencies, and risk profile.
• 3. Determine delivery needs: how frequently stakeholders need usable increments and feedback.
• 4. Evaluate options: compare predictive, iterative, incremental, agile, and hybrid against criteria.
• 5. Decide and tailor: select single or hybrid approach; define roles, ceremonies, artifacts, and governance.
• 6. Validate feasibility: run a discovery spike or pilot if needed to de-risk assumptions.
• 7. Document and align: record rationale, tailoring, and change approach; secure stakeholder agreement.
• 8. Set review triggers: define when and how the approach will be reassessed and adjusted.

Inputs Needed

• Business case, vision, and success criteria.
• Scope baseline or backlog maturity and requirements volatility.
• Risk assessment and uncertainty drivers.
• Organizational policies, standards, and governance expectations.
• Team skills, capacity, tooling, and vendor capabilities.
• Stakeholder availability and collaboration preferences.
• Contract type, procurement constraints, and regulatory requirements.
• Dependencies, integration needs, and delivery deadlines.

Outputs Produced

• Documented development approach and life cycle description.
• Tailoring decisions with rationale and assumptions.
• Delivery cadence, planning horizons, and estimation strategy.
• Governance model, roles, decision rights, and escalation paths.
• Quality approach (e.g., Definition of Done), metrics, and information radiators.
• Change and requirements management approach (e.g., backlog practices or change control).
• Review triggers and conditions for switching or hybridizing approaches.

Interpretation Tips

• Predictive fits stable requirements and high compliance; agile suits evolving needs with frequent feedback.
• Iterative refines the solution; incremental delivers slices of usable value; agile combines both.
• Hybrid is appropriate when different components have different uncertainty, risk, or compliance levels.
• Align contracts, governance, and reporting with the approach to avoid friction.
• Focus on risk reduction and value delivery rather than labels or trends.

Example

A company must produce a revised policy manual and a new e-learning module. The manual has fixed content and strict compliance needs, so the team uses a predictive approach with staged reviews. The e-learning content benefits from user feedback, so the team delivers storyboards and prototypes in short iterations. The project adopts a hybrid approach, coordinating predictive milestones with iterative demos.

Pitfalls

• Choosing an approach based on preference or buzzwords rather than context.
• Locking in too early and failing to revisit the decision as risks or information change.
• Declaring hybrid without clear boundaries, causing governance and handoff confusion.
• Ignoring team skills and tooling needed to execute the chosen approach well.
• Contract and reporting requirements that undermine adaptive practices.
• Over-specifying process mechanics instead of focusing on outcomes and principles.

PMP Example Question

A project has evolving requirements and stakeholders want early, usable deliveries, but a regulator requires formal documentation and a fixed compliance milestone. Which development approach should the project manager select?

1. Predictive with a detailed upfront plan for all deliverables.
2. Agile for the entire project with no fixed milestones.
3. Hybrid that combines predictive controls for compliance and agile iterations for evolving features.
4. Iterative only, refining the full solution until complete, then one final release.

Correct Answer: C — Hybrid that combines predictive controls for compliance and agile iterations for evolving features.

Explanation: The context mixes strict compliance needs with uncertain requirements and a need for early value. A hybrid approach allows predictive oversight for regulated elements while using agile for adaptive delivery.