Iteration
Release early, release often.
Evolution = change/time. As far as I've come to understand it, the motivation behind iterative and lean development is to accelerate the number of OODA loops that can be executed in any given period of time. Each increment of change is less, but so is the time. Having the t in the denominator magnifies the effect of delta(t), and combining that with an accelerated compounding schedule (as in interest that compounds weekly or monthly instead of yearly) further increases the advantage of the fast mover. I think of it as evolutionary development. The idea is to cram as many effective generations into your runway as you can. Life on earth has been iterating for billions of years, but neither you nor your organization have that long. You can iterate too frequently, too. Remember that the release itself is the last part of the Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) cycle; without careful observation and sufficient and significant data, you can lead yourself astray. This is why I try to distinguish "effective" generations or iterations from inappropriate ones; Life has had plenty of dead ends. It's kinda interesting to note that the biggest/most complex organisms on earth also iterate the most slowly, with generations that take decades at least. The analogy seems to apply to bigger and more complex organizations, as well, with one important difference - companies can consciously restructure their own internal workings in ways that living creatures cannot. I don't doubt that it's harder for large and complex companies than small and agile ones to accelerate their effective iterations, but I don't think it's impossible. Harder just means "more fun," anyway. Interested in agile, lean and iterative development? Make sure you read Eric Ries' Startup Lessons Learned, Evolving Excellence, and Venture Hacks. What other great material is out there???
