Principle: Deliver On Time

This is one of the eight principles of DSDM, supporting its philosophy, and used in its process, roles and responsibilities, and products.

The DSDM’s philosophy requires a certain approach to project variables where time, cost, and quality are fixed, and scope is dynamic. The fact that DSDM projects are required to have a fixed duration is also reflected in this principle: Deliver on time.

Delivering on time (having a fixed duration) is a strategic decision: It helps us focus on the most important things, and align ourselves with the business. In other words, this principle also supports the Focus on the Business Need Principle.

One of the beauties of DSDM is that it’s more or less self-similar (like a fractal); i.e., the whole project is made of some elements (iterations or timeboxes), which are in turn built of smaller pieces, where most of the rules apply to all of them. In this case, having a fixed duration applies to all levels in a DSDM project.

Having a fixed duration can be represented as timeboxing, and one can say that DSDM projects are timeboxed.

Written by Nader K. Rad

This is (and will be) a work in progress: More details will be added in the future, depending on the feedback.

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