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a developing difficulty?

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Hi,

If an R&D department is at a standstill with the development of a product, can we say they are experiencing "a developing difficulty"?

I'd appreciate your help.
That risks sounding like a pun. If something is developing, it’s not yet fully formed.

You would do better to use the noun development as an adjective: a development difficulty (or hitch, hold-up, snag, etc.)
That risks sounding like a pun. If something is developing, it’s not yet fully formed.

You would do better to use the noun development as an adjective: a development difficulty (or hitch, hold-up, snag, etc.)

Can I use "a developmental difficulty"?
I wouldn’t, in this case, even though there’s nothing grammatically wrong with it. Again, it’s a matter of how the word is more generally used — a “developmental” problem, difficulty, disorder, etc. usually implies a medical or psychological context.
Casually, "snag" or "hiccup" or "bump in the road" work.

The R & D department has experienced a snag (or "hiccup") in development of this product.

The R & D department has hit a bump in the road in the development of this product.

All of the above suggest that a resolution is expected.

If no resolution is expected then "they have met a roadblock" in the development of this product.

Or the "R & D department has ground to a halt (or "standstill") in the development of this product."
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“Bump in the road” is probably more AE than BE, but I agree that an informal expression would be fine. Setback or stumbling block are also possible.
I wouldn’t, in this case, even though there’s nothing grammatically wrong with it. Again, it’s a matter of how the word is more generally used — a “developmental” problem, difficulty, disorder, etc. usually implies a medical or psychological context.

What about "a difficulty in development"?
That sounds odd too. What have you got against a “development problem”?
It sounds like something a shrink would treat.
Packard – I take it you’re referring there to the suggestion in #8?

Actually "developmental problems" is a fixed phrase in the USA, now being replaced by "developmental delays". And "development problems" sounds too close to the older phrase for me.

Developmental Problems - Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

What are developmental problems?
Developmental problems are referred to under the umbrella term “developmental delays,” which describe any ongoing delay in a child’s meeting age-specific developmental milestones (as opposed to physical growth). To be a genuine medical symptom (as opposed to a child’s temporary lag in one area, which is normal), a developmental problem must affect a chain of developmental milestones and must be ongoing. Most developmental problems are recognized before the child’s second birthday.
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