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12. Within the three month phase, parcel work into two-week periods; analyze for 2 weeks, then design and develop for 2 weeks (two developers), and then test for 2 weeks. When the first 2 weeks of analysis is done, start the next two weeks of analysis in parallel to the design/development; carry on in cascading 2 week periods until the entire project scope has been addressed.

OK, a 64 word-long paragraph is pushing the boundary of a ‘Principle’, but this point is the basic building block of Cascade. Are two week periods too aggressive? I think not, based on experience. I find developers and a tester like to work in such quick bursts, as delivering more results faster makes anyone feel more productive and accomplished, and illustrates quickly what works and doesn’t work. However, small bits delivered quickly need to be integrated into an overall solution, which leads to Principle #13.