DSDM Project Lifecycle

The DSDM lifecycle provides a structured but flexible framework for agile project delivery. Unlike purely iterative methods, DSDM includes pre-project activities (ensuring it's worth starting), foundational activities (establishing firm foundations before iterating), and post-project activities (measuring whether benefits were realised).

This structure makes DSDM more compatible with governance frameworks like PRINCE2 than Scrum or XP, as it maintains clear phase gates and decision points while enabling agile delivery within those phases.

Key Points

• Pre-Project: Is this worth investigating? Business Case first consideration
• Feasibility: Is the solution feasible from technical, financial, and resource perspectives?
• Foundations: Establish firm base — business vision, architecture, approach — before iterating
• Evolutionary Development: Iterative timeboxes delivering increments
• Deployment: Solution deployed to live environment
• Post-Project: Were the benefits realised? Close-out and lessons
• Feasibility and Foundations have distinct outputs before development begins
• DSDM can run in parallel with PRINCE2 — stages/processes map to lifecycle phases

Key Terms & Definitions

Feasibility Assessment

The output of the Feasibility phase, confirming whether the project is viable and should proceed to Foundations.

Foundations

The DSDM lifecycle phase that establishes the business vision, architecture, and initial plans before evolutionary development begins.

Evolutionary Development Timebox

A fixed-length period within the Evolutionary Development phase during which a subset of requirements is delivered.

Deployment

The DSDM lifecycle phase when the tested solution is released to end users.

Benefits Realisation Review

A post-project review to assess whether the expected benefits have been achieved.