The DSDM Timeboxing Practice

DSDM stands for Dynamic Systems Development Method. It is an agile project delivery framework that provides a systematic approach for delivering software and information systems. It was developed in the 1990s in response to the traditional waterfall methodology, which was often associated with long development cycles and limited flexibility.

Agile Project Management (AgilePM?) is based on DSDM and makes use of it practices. Once of the practice of DSDM is Timeboxing. A timebox is a fixed period of time at the end of which an objective has been achieved. The timebox objective is usually completion of one of more deliverables (features) making up the solution increment. This ensures that focus of the timebox is on achieving something meaningful and complete rather than something which simply keeps the solution development team busy.

The optimum length of a timebox is two and four weeks which makes it long enough to achieve something meaningful and short enough to keep the development team focused on the objectives. However, in certain exceptional situations the timebox may be as short as a day and as long as six weeks.

Some project managers believe that timebox are only short periods of time which are only about dividing the project or project work into smaller more manageable chunks. However, a timebox is much more than that. Timeboxing is a well defined process to support the creation of low-level products in a controlled but iterative way. There are frequent review points in the timebox which ensure the quality of delivery products while ensuring the efficiency of iterative development process.

Timeboxing is such a useful practice that the increments or even the whole project can be considered a timebox - delivering a fit for purpose solution in a pre-defined timeframe. These "higher-level" timeboxes are managed by applying the controls at the lower level timeboxes.

AgilePM based on DSDM provides two choices of timeboxes formats to used in the project:

1. DSDM Structured Timebox (with three sections within - investigation, refinement and consolidation)
2. Free Format Timebox (similar to Scrum Sprint)

We will discuss these formats and their uses in more details in a separate article.

Timeboxes rely on prioritisation (preferred MoSCoW) along with other DSDM practices to ensure that timebox remains focused and manageable.

The DSDM timeboxing practice has a number of benefits, including:

• Improved focus:?By focusing on a single timebox at a time, the team is able to stay focused and avoid distractions.
• Increased productivity:?By setting clear deadlines, the team is able to work more efficiently and avoid procrastination.
• Reduced risk:?By breaking the objectives down into smaller chunks, the team is able to identify and mitigate risks early on.

The DSDM timeboxing practice is a powerful tool that can help teams to deliver projects on time and within budget.