Darren, It has been a while since this posting was made but an outline of ADePT (methodology and software) has been uploaded on the WIKI - under 'planning software'. This will answer some of your questions.

In essence, however, the iterations that are identified through modelling the integrated process in the ADePT Design Builder application are not influenced by time (otherwise the iterations could not be analysed as they have embedded backward flowing logic) - they are simply information dependencies and interdependencies between activities. To enable two-way synchronisation with existing planning tools (CPM-based) a 'filter' has been developed that captures backward flowing logic at the interface between the tools and converts the data to enable scheduling using CPM (iterations included but represented as periods of parallel working).

This data, in combination with the backward flowing logic (which is retained in the ADePT software) enables 'lean' principles to be applied - basically, production control principles adapted to take account of the fact that an iterative loop is never 'made ready' in true production control terms. The ongoing use of the ADePT Design Manager application (sister product to the ADePT Design Builder) enables development of further detail as the process progresses, gaining commitments from those responsible, and identifying / removing constraints ahead of them creating delay is founded in lean and is a pre-cursor for agile. As such, there are great parallels between ADePT and Agile.