ABSTRACT
Executive summary: DSDM claims to be another flavor of Agile methods, yet it is “heavier” than most alternatives. Originally released in 1994, it sought to provide discipline to rapid application development (RAD). DSDM, as with other Agile approaches, inverts the “iron triangle”—the functionality to be delivered is a variable, while cost, time, and (theoretically) quality are fixed. DSDM differs from many other Agile approaches in that it addresses the complete life cycle from concept through to post-project maintenance. DSDM is managed by a consortium, which now has more than 1000 members. Many regard this approach as the de facto standard for use of RAD. As with other Agile methods, empirical evidence of effectiveness is lacking. The latest version of DSDM (The DSDM Agile Project Framework, 2014) is an evolution of the 2008 “Atern” release 4.2. The description in this chapter is based on 4.2, as the details of the 2014 version are not yet fully available. An available summary of changes suggests that they are relatively minor.
