Most organisations will adopt a divide and conquer approach to all projects.

There are a number of more technical terms used to describe this: iterative, agile & scrum, RAD etc.

These are effective in their focus and delivery, but face some shortcomings for the organisation as a whole as most do not have a 'game plan' or roadmap in place that is realistic and adaptive enough to adapt along with new discoveries, changes in tactics, or shifting requirements and goal posts - not to mention departmental shifts and political impacts.

A new or even maturing BI environment must be adaptive enough to change in midstream re it's direction, and yet not lose sight of a greater plan that has to be amended in line with any possible influence on it (and that includes any departmental changes and project impacts from source / feeder systems).

 

Some interesing posts to this end: