The Four-Step Process Flow

Analyse the environment first, then move through four steps — and loop back, because tailoring is continuous throughout the life cycle.

Choose best-suited

Select Initial Approach

Use product knowledge, delivery cadence & a suitability filter to pick predictive, hybrid or adaptive.

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Modify for org

Tailor for Organisation

Adapt to the org’s methodology & governance; add / remove / reconfigure; PMO/VDO may approve. Factor size, criticality, maturity.

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Adjust for project

Tailor for Project

Refine via product/deliverable, team & culture attributes. Remove no-value items; trial new ones.

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Inspect & adapt

Ongoing Improvement

Through progressive elaboration, review points, phase gates & retrospectives reveal where to tailor further.

↻ Iterative loop — feedback from steps 2–4 continuously refines the approach

Bounded by governance. Stakeholders usually do the tailoring, but organisational guidelines set the bounds. Internal-only changes can be approved by the PM; changes affecting external groups may need PMO/VDO sign-off — and teams may have to justify a tailored approach against strategic and stewardship goals.

Why iterate

A tailored approach is a hypothesis about how best to work. Reality tests it. Retrospectives, gates and reviews are where the team confirms what is working and adjusts process, approach and delivery frequency — turning early guesses into a fit-for-purpose way of working.