The Iteration Assessment is an essential work product of the iterative approach. Depending on the scope and
risk of the project, and the nature of the iteration, it may range from being a simple record of
demonstration and outcomes to a complete and formal test record.
This assessment is a critical step in an iteration and should not be skipped. If an Iteration Assessment is
not done properly, many of the benefits of an iterative approach will be lost.
Note that sometimes the right thing to do in this step is to revise the evaluation criteria, rather than
reworking the system. Sometimes the benefit of the Iteration Assessment is in revealing that a particular
requirement is not important, or is too expensive to implement, or creates an architecture that cannot be
maintained. In these cases, a cost and benefit analysis must be done, and a business decision must be made.
Metrics must be used as the basis of this assessment.
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