piecemeal
adj.adj. done in small parts over a long time instead of all at once. You use this when you want to show that a task is being finished slowly.
adj. done in small, separate parts or stages rather than as a single, continuous whole. Often used to describe the gradual completion of a large project or the slow implementation of a policy.
The company is updating its software piecemeal over several months.
The city council decided to renovate the old library piecemeal to avoid disrupting the students.
Rather than attempting a total overhaul of the legal system, the government chose a piecemeal approach, addressing each specific flaw as it became a public concern.
From Middle English pecemele, from pece (“piece”) + mele (from Old English mǣlum (“at a time”), dative plural form of mǣl (“time, measure”), taking the place of Old English styċċemǣlum (“in pieces, bit by bit, piecemeal; to pieces, to bits; here and there, in different places; little by little, by degrees, gradually”); equivalent to piece + -meal.