lateadded

Lateadded is an adjective used to describe elements that were not part of a project’s initial plan or baseline but were incorporated after that baseline was established. In software development, product management, and related fields, lateadded features, requirements, or content arise when stakeholders request changes after an initial release or sprint, often in response to new information, user feedback, or discovered defects. The term signals the timing of inclusion rather than the intrinsic value of the item.

Origins of the term are informal and not tied to a single organization. It is used across industry discussions, project documentation, and code review conversations to distinguish late additions from those planned in advance.

Applications: In software, lateadded features may be delivered through patches, hotfixes, or post-release updates and are typically subject to additional testing, redesign, and risk assessment. In publishing or policy work, lateadded sections or amendments follow the first publication or draft and may require revision of summaries, tables of contents, or compliance checks. In research or engineering projects, lateadded experiments or analyses can affect timelines and resource allocations.

Management considerations include evaluating necessity, impact on scope, and the cost-benefit of delaying or pursuing a lateadded item. Teams often track lateadded work in change logs or backlogs, and may negotiate scope or priority with stakeholders to minimize disruption and ensure quality.

Related terms include scope creep, change request, patch, and post-release content.