Grow Systems Incrementally

Reduce risk when building a software application by growing it incrementally. Start with a small working system with only a few features. Then incrementally add new features working toward the final functionality. This helps lower risk with each build and provide the customer information about the product over time. The downside is that if an inappropriate architecture is used early on, it might be incompatible with later features and require a redesign. This risk can be reduced by building throwaway prototypes of all the major features early on.

• Build the Right Kind of Prototype
• Build the Right Features into a Prototype
• Build Throwaway Prototypes Quickly

To everyone familiar with the Agile Methodology you'll no doubt see the similarities.


Reference:
Ruskin, R., Debugging Techniques in Large Systems. Prentice Hall. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, USA, 1971.