For projects that require visible progress, the Evolutionary Delivery Model is a good choice. It is similar to Evolutionary Prototyping and in some ways have the same concepts used in Staged Delivery. In a way, the Evolutionary Delivery Model incorporates the strong points of each model: progressive development derived from the former, and flexibility modeled from the latter.

Phases of Evolutionary Delivery Model

Evolutionary Delivery Model comprises 5 phases otherwise referred to as the Evolutionary Delivery Cycle.

Gathering of Requirements

Gathering of requirements is the first phase and would include the creation of a concept in which everything else in the project will revolve on. It would also include the procurement of materials necessary to conduct the project.

Designing

This is more of a planning phase wherein the project team members will discuss how to go about the processes involved. This is one of the longest phases in the cycle.

Iteration

The development of prototypes or versions is the best feature of the Evolutionary Delivery Model. These prototypes will be constantly “evolve” based on the actual needs of the customers.

Testing

Testing phase is when the prototypes will be distributed to a percentage of the target market to check whether it will work for them or not. After testing, assessments will be made and feedback will be elicited from those who participated. During this phase, it will be clear as to what the customers’ concerns towards the prototypes.

Re-designing of Iterations

Based on the feedback elicited from the customers, the prototypes will be altered to make sure it is able to meet their requirements.

Delivery of Final Product

At this phase, the prototype is used to model the real product so it will be made exactly in the same way as the final prototype is designed.

Advantages of Evolutionary Delivery Model

With the Evolutionary Delivery Model, it is easy to find out the needs of customers because of the series of tests that will be conducted throughout the whole duration of the project. There will be a clear understanding of the things that need to be changed as well as those that need to be retained. You do not need to keep yourself and your team guessing because the feedback you receive on the prototypes will lay out everything you need to know about your target market’s requirements.

Most importantly, the Evolutionary Delivery Model contributes greatly to the success of a product or service because it is created based on what has been tried and tested. With most of the possible problems already addressed, efficiency will be significantly increased.

Disadvantage of Evolutionary Delivery Model

As with any model that requires trial and error concepts, the Evolutionary Delivery Model poses a problem in its ability to stick to a schedule. The time it takes to plan and design the prototypes will be substantial and repetitions of the cycle will sometimes take too long to finish. There is no set timeline and even if there is, it will be hard to adhere to it.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is that using this model would require highly skilled people to manage it so that better results can be achieved. The project would require a high degree of analytical expertise as this could be put to your advantage. You should hire people who can deliver despite the complexities.

Evolutionary Delivery Model is often perceived as a success in the making, which is true for the most part. As something that channels customers’ needs to create a workable product or service, we can be assured that the outcome would perfectly address the target market’s requirements, thus making it very possible to get positive results.

If you need a model that can help you develop a solid structure for your project goal, you may want to consider the Evolutionary Delivery Model. It has been tested over the last 20 years to considerably decrease the occurrence of problems as well as being able to assist in managing risks and mistakes. If you want to improve the quality of your product, this could be the ideal model for you to use.