How iteration frequencies affect project uncertainty and risk ‐ An empirically elaborated model
研究了新产品开发项目中迭代频率（团队重新审视和测试完整产品的节奏）如何通过不确定性平滑和风险吸收两种机制影响项目的不确定性与风险，有助于项目经理理解迭代节奏对项目结果的影响。
Abstract Iterative approaches have gained prominence in new product development (NPD) projects in response to increasingly dynamic and turbulent business environments. In this article, we study how iteration frequency—that is, the rhythm at which development teams revisit and test comprehensive products—affects an NPD project's uncertainty and risk. We extend existing theoretical knowledge through a parsimonious analytical model, grounded in and elaborated by case interviews. This combined approach allows us to distinguish two mechanisms—uncertainty smoothing and risk absorption—through which higher iteration frequencies shape project outcomes. While uncertainty smoothing enhances outcome predictability as uncertainty is resolved across smaller iterations, risk absorption improves the expected project outcome by increasing the likelihood of success through systematic incorporation of feedback over multiple iterations.