Asteittaisella

Asteittaisella is a Finnish adessive form used to describe doing something in a stepwise or incremental manner. It derives from the adjective asteittainen, meaning stepwise or gradual, and is used to indicate that changes or actions occur in discrete steps rather than in a continuous flow. The phrase is typically completed with a noun phrase such as tavalla (“in a method/manner”) to specify how the process unfolds.

Etymology and usage notes: The base word comes from aste, meaning step or degree, combined with the suffix -ittainen to form asteittainen. The adverbial form asteittain means “in steps” or “gradually.” Asteittaisella is the inflected form used with nouns (for example, asteittaisella tavalla), denoting the manner in which something is done. The term is common in technical, administrative, educational, and policy contexts where staged implementation or gradual progression is emphasized.

Usage and context: Asteittainen or asteittain-based descriptions convey deliberate pacing, risk management, and learning that occurs through sequential phases. It is often used when outlining plans, budgets, regulatory introductions, or methodological steps that proceed step by step rather than all at once.

Examples:

- Projektin budjetti jaettiin asteittaisella tavalla, jolloin kustannuksia varattiin kullekin vaiheelle. (The project’s budget was allocated in a stepwise fashion, with costs reserved for each phase.)

- Lainsäädäntö voidaan ottaa käyttöön asteittaisella tavalla. (Legislation can be implemented gradually/stepwise.)

- Koulutuksessa materiaali julkaistaan asteittaisella tavalla, jolloin opiskelijat etenevät vaiheittain. (In training, material is released in a stepwise fashion, with students progressing step by step.)

Related terms:

- asteittainen, asteittain, vaiheittainen, askeleittain

- See also: asteittainen eteneminen, vaiheittainen suunnittelu