Explain like I'm five · SW Eng

What is Methodology Tailoring?

Forcing the same editing rules on every book delays even small books — a story about adjusting the rules to fit the book.

FULL EDITING RULEBOOK1. cover review2. footnote style3. index build4. 3-pass proofingdoes a picture book really need the same rulebook as a dictionary?

Does a picture book really need the same rulebook as a dictionary?There's one rulebook, but every book is different.

following every rule, we miss the deadlineskipping the rules, typos pour inforcing the same rules on every book troubles both writer and proofreader

Force the whole rulebook on every book, and either deadlines slip or rules get skimped and typos pour in.Forcing the same rules on every book troubles both writer and proofreader.

PICTURE BOOKcover onlyDICTIONARYfootnotesindex3-pass proofTailoring = picking only what each kind of book actually needs from the rulebookthe core standard stays — the rest shrinks or grows to fit the book

Tailoring = picking only what each kind of book needs from the rulebook.The core standard stays — the other rules shrink or grow to fit the book.

Check the criteria firstsize, criticality, team first
Keep only what's neededtrim steps that don't fit
Record the reasoningwrite down why each step was dropped
Keep the core standardnever cut the backbone itself
PICTURE BOOK RULEScover review only1-pass proofingno indexDICTIONARY RULEScover + interior review3-pass proofingindex requiredboth rule cards come from the same rulebook, but the final checklists differ

The rule card ends up different for each book.Both rule cards come from the same rulebook, but the final checklists differ.

strip too many rules: no step is left to catch typoskeep just the needed rules: deadline and quality both holdtailoring isn't deleting rules — it's the skill of choosing them to fit the book

Cut too many rules, and even tailoring gets risky.Tailoring isn't about deleting rules — it's choosing them to fit the book.

In one breath

Methodology tailoring = adjusting a fixed set of development rules (lifecycle, artifacts, review steps) by choosing only what fits this project's characteristics.

It means adding or removing parts of the organization's standard process (lifecycle model, artifact templates, review/approval steps) based on project size, technical difficulty, team skill level, and criticality (safety, security). The goal is to trim unneeded steps while keeping core controls like quality gates intact.

When grown-ups say it

Tailoring
Picking only what's needed from the rulebook. Based on size, difficulty, team, and criticality.
Organizational Standard Process
The base rulebook every book starts from. The starting point tailoring works from.
SDLC Model
The overall shape — waterfall or agile. The biggest unit tailoring can adjust.
CMMI
A ruler for how mature an organization's process is. The ability to tailor well is itself part of that maturity.
Quality Gate
The core checkpoint kept even after trimming. The thing tailoring should never cut.
Product Line Engineering
Gathering core assets to spin off many editions. A neighboring idea about fitting things to context. → same template, different covers
IS Audit/PMO
Checks from the outside whether this rule card was followed. Sometimes reviews the tailoring decisions themselves. → the checker who watches the whole publishing run
Process Overkill
Applying the full dictionary rulebook to a tiny book. The exact problem tailoring tries to prevent.
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