Using the Incremental Commitment Model to Achieve Successful System Development

Studies to evaluate the usage and success of the spiral development model have shown mixed results—many successes but many misinterpretations and neglect of its underlying principles, leading to continuing development problems and failed systems. This article describes a recent improvement to the spiral development process model that is easier to understand, is harder to misinterpret, and better enables integration of the human, hardware, and software aspects of a softwareintensive system’s development and evolution. This model, called the Incremental Commitment Model (ICM), embodies the principles underlying the spiral model, but organizes its process into multiple views (including a spiral view) that are more straightforward to apply and better aligned with mainstream system acquisition phases and milestones.