There are two main ways to dish up innovation - the traditional, 'big bang' roast dinner also known as Waterfall, More recently, a 'bit by bit' tapas of tasting plates has become popular, also known as Iterative or Agile delivery. This is a short, sharp introduction to what's on the menu.

1. Big Bang or Bit by Bit – Two approaches to project delivery P a g e | 1
Jenny Vandyke | Director and Principal Consultant
m: 0412 602 362 | e: Jenny.Vandyke@zumbara.com.au
www.zumbara.com.au
The following is an excerpt from The Innovation Recipe: Key ingredients for world-class
results in big business by Jenny Vandyke.
Dishing up innovation - the traditional roast
dinner,
or a tapas of tasting
plates
In The Innovation Recipe we walk
through the key people you need on
your project team. Now, let's take a look at the key steps
to successful implementation. I'm not trying to make you
an overnight expert in risk management, requirements,
or testing. However, no matter how many experts you've
brought on board, it's important that you are familiar with
the key ingredients, so you know what to look out for.
Big bang or bit by bit
Different projects use different project methodologies. There are two main options. The
first is the traditional ‘Big Bang’ approach, known as Waterfall, where the project is
completed in discrete phases, with one major, ‘Big Bang’ implementation at the end of
the project. If you really want to get into the technical detail about Waterfall, two of the
most common methodologies are: Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK,
popular in Australia) and Projects In Controlled Environments (PRINCE2), popular in the
United Kingdom).

2. Big Bang or Bit by Bit – Two approaches to project delivery P a g e | 2
Jenny Vandyke | Director and Principal Consultant
m: 0412 602 362 | e: Jenny.Vandyke@zumbara.com.au
www.zumbara.com.au
In Waterfall projects, we gather all of our requirements upfront, compile them into one
big document for approval, then hand the document to our tech experts to build a
solution, all in one go. Once every requirement has been built, we test all in one go, then
implement. Everything is written down, there are strong governance requirements, but it
can also take a long time between idea and implementation.
In more recent years, a new approach has emerged - Iterative Project Management. As
the name suggests, Iterative projects are implemented ‘bit by bit’. Small changes will be
implemented every few months. In Iterative Project Management, there is less focus on
documentation and more focus on prototyping and discussion. Iterative approaches
include Agile and Scrum.
Rather than defining all your requirements in a theoretical document upfront, the project
team builds an interactive, working prototype of the solution, demonstrates the prototype
to stakeholders in a workshop, and stakeholders have the opportunity to say what they
like and what they don't like. The team goes back to the drawing board, produces a new
prototype to be presented again to stakeholders, and the cycle continues.
The implementation approach is equally iterative, and we see this often with application
development for smartphones and tablets. A new app will be published with basic
functionality, and every few months a new version will be released with more features,
bug fixes and so on. The first app did the job, but it keeps getting better and better over
the months and years since it was first launched. Do one thing, execute it brilliantly, then
grow, as we talked about in the What makes an idea innovative chapter.
The idea with iterative is to get your solution out there more quickly - solve the core
problem then build in the bells and whistles over time. Rather than discrete design, build,
test, implement phases, taking months to complete, there are short, sharp development
cycles. Due to the reliance on workshops and multiple iterations, the stakeholder
engagement commitment is significantly higher on iterative projects.
Each model has its advantages and disadvantages, including different risks and benefits.
For complex changes, Waterfall tends to be best - you can't possibly get through 300

3. Big Bang or Bit by Bit – Two approaches to project delivery P a g e | 3
Jenny Vandyke | Director and Principal Consultant
m: 0412 602 362 | e: Jenny.Vandyke@zumbara.com.au
www.zumbara.com.au
requirements in a single workshop. High risk and highly regulated industries (and risk
averse organisations) are also better suited to Waterfall. You wouldn't want to implement
half a payroll system, for example.
The Innovation Recipe: Key ingredients for world-class results in big business by Jenny
Vandyke. Published by Pachyderm, Melbourne Australia 2013. About the book
More food for thought is available via our website