Talk:Incrementalism

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ekh 02:53, 20 April 2015 (UTC)

I first came across this term from a lecturer at Strathclyde University c1990 (I forget the name). At the time it seemed a curiosity rather than useful, but 15 years later I was asked to look at the software development process in a company. In order to describe this process in the report where I concluded that it was preferred to more formal planning I use the term "rapid incremental development" using the term I had learnt at University.

Later I came across the term when researching the Danish Wind Industry.

Open Paragraph

I noticed an edit on the first paragraph.

Incrementalism is a method of working using a gradual incremental approach such as adding to a project over time. <became> Incrementalism is a process of adding to a gradually to a project by series of small steps.

I may be wrong, but I think incrementalism is a methodology of work i.e. a philosophy. A process is a means of doing work. I've reverted back to "a method of working", because I think this is the simplest way to say "working methodology". However I preferred the "adding to a project" by small steps (although the idea of a project may be redundant because there is no need to plan and therefore no need to define a scope for the work beyond the immediately focus of improvement).

--Mike 23:45, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Continuous improvement

"The antithesis of incrementalism is that work must be accomplished in one single push rather than a process of continuous improvement." CI generally refers to a specific method in quality management. Although it is "incremental" it is hardly a good example of "incrementalism" in the context of planning. Quality management requires business planning. This should be clear from a cursory reading of Shewhart, Deming, Juran, and Crosby. --Suidafrikaan (talk) 17:13, 19 May 2010 (UTC)