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"Final Solution" is not the optimal phrase to use because it has a negative historical reference.

When working on a project, I'd like to find a phrase that describes the process of evolving solutions (see, for example, Agile software development).

Additionally, the phrase should fit well with phrases like initial solution, intermediate solution, etc.

Update: Doesn't necessarily have to be a 'solution.'

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    Forget solution and call it an "iteration"? Our "most recent iteration" has features X, Y and Z and fixes bugs 1, 2 and 3. Or "version". Nothing in software is ever final unless you're out of business, so the word "final" here seems to be the most problematic.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 16:25
  • It's not actually for software, I just wanted to take the concept of an evolving solution.
    – philshem
    Commented Feb 23, 2014 at 19:34
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    In the context of evolving solutions, the word "final" has no place - it states that there will be no more versions, and that this has no bugs and it has everything anyone will ever want. This is never the case. You would really call it "V 1.0" meaning "the first version which was released to the public".
    – Max Williams
    Commented Jun 6, 2016 at 9:40
  • 1
    Thanks for asking this. I have an issue with the phrase "final solution" due to the connotation to the holocaust, so it was nice to see other options.
    – Arya
    Commented Apr 11, 2018 at 22:16

11 Answers 11

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Let me self-answer with final product. Even though the solution may not be a product, the phrase best describes the iterative and evolving process.

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    or "final version"
    – CodesInChaos
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 11:45
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    In the end, 'final' product' is the most useful and is my replacement for 'final solution'. Thanks for all the great answers!
    – philshem
    Commented Mar 6, 2014 at 7:49
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"Logical Conclusion" is similar to "Final Solution" and virtually devoid of connotation.

Also you may consider coining a neologism, perhaps something seemingly-contradictory, paradoxical or oxymoronic -- perhaps everconclusion or endorand (poor example practically, but interesting - combines the words "end" "or" and "and" as to suggest the (end) implies the inevitable connection of (or) the next thing (and)).

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    Have a vote for creativity!
    – philshem
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 3:32
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    You had me at Logical Conclusion
    – David M
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 3:34
  • Don't make up words where perfectly good words already exist.
    – David Richerby
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 11:32
  • thank you, @DavidRicherby gives really important advice here. My suggesting making up a word resulted from that I took the original question to possibly involve an attempt to come up with a name for a company/project. But if that's not the case, there is probably not a single good reason to make up words as in alternative to seeking out and using those already in existence.
    – miercoledi
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 23:13
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Optimal solution gets tossed around a lot these days when one is iterating one's way towards the best possible answer.

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  • probably the best so far.
    – philshem
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 3:32
  • 6
    This implies that you actually found the best possible solution. Pretty different from "the solution I ended up using".
    – CodesInChaos
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 11:44
  • @CodesInChaos In solution space, there are local optima and global optima. It's not uncommon, or even wrong, to use the term optimal solution on what is in fact merely a local optima. In part, that's true because whatever solution you implement must lie within the region of the feasible en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feasible_region, which is often far smaller than the entire solution space.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 13:21
  • One issue with 'optimal solution' is that it doesn't guarantee it's the last.
    – philshem
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 19:47
4

I have no canonical answers, nothing much to back me, but in the situation I would say:

the solution,

which I'm sure will speak a lot without much ado.

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3

How about final result? This is also used in other contexts, but I think it also fits into your software development example.

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    or "end result."
    – Potatoswatter
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 12:06
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I think "ultimate solution" fits in well with your series of solutions.

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Although in connection with Agile software development the term: "eventual iteration" describes the best way what's going on, I would propose "definitive" as emphasizing the result and not the process how to obtain it.

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I realize an answer has already been selected, but consider

finalized (TFD)

Put into final form; complete

as in Finalized Product.

This has the connotation that a conscious decision was made to call this iteration the final form.

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How about complete solution or end solution?

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    Ironically, end solution comes even closer to a literal translation of the German Endlösung.
    – Wrzlprmft
    Commented Feb 22, 2014 at 9:16
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You say the answer doesn't have to be of the form "       solution" but why not go the other way around?

At the moment, you have a series of solutions: solution 1, solution 2, ..., solution n. You could refer to solution n as just "the solution" and solutions 1 through n-1 as "intermediate stages", "solution stages", "intermediate solutions" or something like that.

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Eventual solution. I think this phrase fits in well with the idea of a process working towards something, but doesn't necessarily imply perfection.

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