DSDM
Relationship with the Agile Manifesto
DSDM was represented at the signing of the Agile Manifesto in 2001: Arie van Bennekum, a signatory of the manifesto, was a member of the DSDM Consortium in Benelux. That same year, DSDM published version 4.1 of its model, with which it was explicitly recognized as an agile methodology, and changed its original name to Framework for Business Centred Development, although it kept the acronym.
Phases
The DSDM development cycle consists of five core processes framed by a pre-project and a post-development phase:
- Pre-project.
- Feasibility study.
- Business study.
- Functional model iteration.
- Design and build iteration.
- Implementation.
- Post-development.
The five core processes are represented graphically by the diagram known as "three pizzas and a cheese", in which the feasibility study and the business study precede three overlapping iterative processes: functional modeling, design/development, and implementation.
DSDM in perspective
DSDM was one of the first formalized agile frameworks and was influential in the 1990s, especially in the United Kingdom and in regulated industries. Today its direct adoption is limited: Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe occupy the space that DSDM covered in most contexts.
Its most lasting contribution was the formalization of the MoSCoW prioritization principle (MoSCoW) and the emphasis on the active involvement of the business (not just the customer) throughout development.
Common mistake
Mistaking DSDM phases for closed sequential stages. Despite being represented in phases, DSDM is explicitly iterative: the functional modeling, design/development, and implementation phases overlap and feed back into each other. Treating the DSDM life cycle as a waterfall process with different names ignores its core principle of incremental development.
See also
Want to advance in agility? You can look for course and exam calls, or go at your own pace by becoming a member of the Agile Club. This membership includes exclusive resources, e-learning classrooms, and access to Skill Arena: a space to practice and measure your agile skills at your own pace.