continuum

From left at the "All is orginal" state, to right where "Nothing is the same" as before.

Decision Continuum

In software and product planning, a continuum means the space between two extremes is filled with many valid intermediate states, not only “all or nothing.”

A decision can move gradually along the range, rather than treating the choice as a single on/off switch :

  • add a new path
  • run
    • old systems in parallel and
    • new systems in parallel
  • retire pieces one at a time
  • defer work

e.g. Move gradually for example in the context of which language or stack to use, or when to migrate a system

Related ideas: staged rollout, strangler pattern, incremental migration, hybrid architecture.