Reflections on Barry W. Boehm's “A spiral model of software development and enhancement”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the content, contributions and subsequent developments of the seminal paper by Barry Boehm, “A spiral model of software development and enhancement” written in 1988. The relationships of this paper to software development, agile projects, real options and present practice are put into perspective. Design/methodology/approach – Basically an essayist approach is taken. First, the contents of Boehm's paper are reviewed and then associated with subsequent developments. Findings – Review of the paper as published represents a documentation of cutting‐edge software development as it existed at the time. Fundamentally it suggests the viability of a non‐linear, customer‐influenced, development approach. Practical implications – This basic approach illustrated in the spiral model of course has found its way into complex project approaches and management. Originality/value – This paper follows the lines of increasing attention to classics, which is the purpose of this special issue of the journal. In particular, attention is called to the transition of thought on projects and project management from supplier‐oriented, linear processes to customer/client‐influenced, non‐linear ones.