Everybody knows the benefits of iteration for developing software, but iteration should be practiced for developing just about everything.

If you’re working in software development, professional literacy / competence demands some acquaintace with iterative development techniques. From intern to architect, it has been drilled into us all – iterate, iterate, iterate. Most of us can and do carry the tune – we deride the linear ways of waterfall (at least explicitly), and preach the gospel of iteration.

So, why do we iterate? I think these are the best reasons:

• People often don’t know what they want – It takes seeing some kind of semi-realistic product before people realize what they do and don’t want from a system. Iterative development gives people slices of functionality that they can test-drive, thereby enabling the feedback needed for future iterations.
• People often miscommunicate – Even when they know what they want, people aren’t always so good at expressing it. Further, even if well-expressed, a requirement might be easily misunderstood. Iteration allows people to look at something in progress and say very simply and specifically what is right or wrong about it.
• Requirements change  – Targets have a way of moving, even the ones that have already been hit. Iteration gives you a way to continually re-validate requirements and to keep pace with fluid demands.

So, we all know the above, and countenance these truths in our development practices. Yet, for some odd reason, most of us reserve the valuable practice of iteration for creating code. When we need to produce user guides, proposals, standards, COTS evaluations, slide decks, and any other non-software deliverables, we revert to the dark ages of engineering, hoarding our labors and polishing them at length, waiting for the right moment at which to unleash them upon the world.

Your non-software deliverables are just as susceptible to miscommunication, moving targets, and imperfect requirements as your code is. As such, you should iterate over those as well. Don’t wait until you have a complete and thorough document / presentation / proposal before throwing your cards on the table. Instead, get something (e.g., a table of contents, outline, or synopsis) out to other stakeholders as soon as you can, and let the magic of iteration help you to make these products as good as they can be.

Iteration works for everything.