An increment is a usable, completed piece of a product, built in an iteration or less, that adds potential value and moves the product closer to the goals, ensuring continuous progress and improvement.
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From the Scrum Guide, 2020 edition:
An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, the Increment must be usable.
We can use the word increment for any piece of completed work that can potentially add value to the product. It must satisfy the Definition of Done, and it’s usually the result of the work done to complete a Product Backlog Item.
Its aim is ultimately to be released to the user and added to the sum of all the other increments that we call a product.
1. Tangible Progress:
An increment showcases the progress made in a sprint. It's a visible piece of the product that can be evaluated and reviewed, ensuring that the product is evolving in the right direction and relevant feedback can be gathered.
2. Immediate Feedback:
By delivering an increment, the team can gather immediate feedback from stakeholders, which is crucial for making necessary adjustments. This ongoing dialogue with stakeholders helps refine and improve the product incrementally.
3. Enhanced Collaboration:
Creating an increment encourages team collaboration. As team members work together to deliver a piece of the product, they communicate, share ideas, and solve problems collectively, creating a sense of ownership where everyone is aligned towards a common goal.
4. Addressing Risks:
Delivering increments helps manage risks. By breaking down the work into smaller, manageable parts, potential issues can be identified and addressed early, reducing the chances of major failures and ensuring that risks are mitigated as the product evolves.
5. Customer Value:
Each increment aims to deliver customer value. By regularly delivering parts of the working product, the team ensures that the product remains relevant and valuable. It also keeps the focus on the end-user, ensuring their needs are met.
6. Continuous Improvement:
The concept of increments promotes continuous improvement. Each increment provides an opportunity to reflect on what can be improved, allowing the team to learn from each iteration and adapt along the way, enhancing the quality of the product over time.
An increment is not just a piece of the product but a critical component in the product development journey.
It ensures the team moves forward, delivers value, and continuously improves. This iterative approach ensures the final product is viable and valuable and adapts to the changing needs of its users.
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