Evolutionary Software Development (Developpement evolutionnaire de logiciels)

This task group investigated iterative processes for software development, especially those called Evolutionary Software Development that span many cycles of software implementation, release, fielding of the product, learning from the field experience, then updating the requirements for subsequent releases. This goes beyond the Spiral Model or Agile Methods when they are only used prior to initial delivery, and also beyond incremental delivery. The methodology followed was to review the literature, examine case studies, sponsor a public symposium IST-034RSY-010 to collect external input, and then within the task group resolve the best way to present our findings. The group itself did not have the resources to undertake any original research. The principal findings were that iterative processes have been used successfully in military software projects since the 1950s and continue to be viable and exhibit advantages over strictly sequential processes such as the Waterfall Model or the V-Model. Nevertheless, there remain outstanding research questions to be resolved with potential to improve the process.