Identifying small, valuable, and usable increments is essential for maximizing productivity and delivering value in a Scrum product development cycle. A Certified Scrum Product Owner must understand the different approaches to correctly identify these increments. This article will highlight at least two proven methods: The Vertical Slicing Method and the INVEST Criteria approach.

Table of Contents

1. Vertical Slicing Method

The Vertical Slicing method is one approach to breaking down a larger feature into smaller, manageable, and valuable increments. It involves delivering a sliver of functionality from the user interface to the database (top to bottom) that users can directly interact with and find value. This approach ensures each increment results in a potentially releasable product.

For instance, consider creating an online shopping website. Instead of developing the entire application at once, it could be broken down into smaller vertical slices. The first slice could be ‘User Registration and Login,’ the second one ‘Browsing Items,’ followed by ‘Adding Items to Shopping Cart,’ and so forth. Each slice adds value and functionality to the application, and the users can start interacting from the early stages of development.

Here is a table comparing vertical slicing with another technique, horizontal slicing.

Vertical Slicing Horizontal Slicing
Direction Top to Bottom Side to Side
Focus Provide a complete feature, albeit smaller in scope Provides a portion of a layer or functionality
Value Delivery Can deliver immediate value to customers Value is only realized when all layers are complete
Feedback Allows for quicker feedback from end-users Slower feedback as usable functionality is not immediately apparent

2. INVEST Criteria Approach

INVEST Criteria, an acronym coined by Bill Wake, is an approach that helps to identify and write well-crafted user stories resulting in smaller, valuable, and usable increments. INVEST stands for:

  • Independent: The user story should be self-contained, in a way that there is no inherent dependency on another story.
  • Negotiable: User stories, up until they are part of an iteration, can always be changed and rewritten.
  • Valuable: A user story must deliver value to the end-users.
  • Estimable: You must be able to estimate the size of a user story.
  • Small: User stories should not be so big as to become impossible to plan/task/prioritize with a certain level of certainty.
  • Testable: The user story or its related description must provide the necessary information to make test development possible.

For example, creating a user story for an ‘Email Notification System’, the INVEST approach might look something like this:

  • Independent: The function to send an email notification is developed separately from other features.
  • Negotiable: The details of how and when the notifications are sent can be negotiated and adjusted during the development.
  • Valuable: Users find value in receiving notifications about updates or changes to their profiles or services.
  • Estimable: The team can estimate the time it would take to develop and perfect this function.
  • Small: It is a relatively small task that fits within the sprint.
  • Testable: It is easy to test whether the email notification system is working or not.

In summary, as a CSPO, recognizing small, valuable, and usable increments can greatly improve product delivery efficiency. The Vertical Slicing and INVEST Criteria approaches are valuable tactics that not only foster predictive increment identifiers but also integrate seamlessly with the agile philosophy. Whether through vertical feature development or an effective user story creation, these methods promote frequent delivery, user involvement, and value output, offering significant competitive edge in the dynamic market setting.

Practice Test

True or False: In Scrum, delivering small, valuable, and usable releases often is considered more beneficial than delivering one large release at the end of a project.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Small and frequent releases enable teams to incorporate feedback and make corrections along the way, ensuring the final product meets the customer’s needs more effectively.

Multiple Select: Which of the following are approaches to identify small, valuable, and usable Increments in Scrum?

  • A) User Story Mapping
  • B) Gantt Charting
  • C) Vertical Slicing
  • D) SWOT Analysis

Answer: A, C

Explanation: User Story Mapping and Vertical Slicing are useful techniques for breaking down larger features into manageable, implementable chunks of value. Gantt Charting and SWOT Analysis, albeit useful, are not typically used for this specific task in Scrum.

True or False: The ‘Vertical Slicing’ approach involves breaking down the project to create small, valuable, and usable increments based on the time required to complete them.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: Vertical Slicing breaks down features into increments based on customer value, not based on the time required to complete them.

Single Select: How often should the Scrum Team deliver a potentially releasable (Done) Increment of “Done” Product?

  • A) At least once per Sprint
  • B) At the end of the Project
  • C) Every Week
  • D) Every Day

Answer: A

Explanation: According to Scrum Guide, a Scrum Team should aim to produce a potentially releasable Increment of product at least once per Sprint.

True or False: User stories and Use case modeling techniques are effective ways to identify small, usable, and valuable increments.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Both user stories and use case models can aid in understanding customer requirements and can be broken down into small, manageable chunks that deliver customer value.

Multiple Select: Which of the following are considerations when identifying small, valuable, and usable Increments?

  • A) Timing of the increment release
  • B) Establishing clear acceptance criteria
  • C) The size of the Scrum Team
  • D) The budget of the project

Answer: A, B

Explanation: Timing and clear acceptance criteria are relevant to increment planning. The size of the Scrum Team and the budget are not directly tied to how increments are identified.

True or False: Every increment should be a stepping stone towards achieving the product goal.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: Each increment should offer value and contribute towards achieving the overarching product goal.

Single Select: When conducting user story mapping, which aspect is the most important to consider?

  • A) The technical feasibility of the user stories
  • B) The estimated time to develop each user story
  • C) The value each user story provides to the customer
  • D) The ease of implementing each user story

Answer: C

Explanation: User story mapping is centered around delivering increments that provide value to the customer. Although all options may be considered, customer value should be paramount.

True or False: The Definition of Done (DoD) will be the same for all increments.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: DoD can vary from increment to increment, depending on the requirements and nature of each increment.

Multiple Select: Which principles influence the identification of small, valuable, and usable increments in Scrum?

  • A) Empiricism
  • B) Self-organization
  • C) Iterative development
  • D) Command and control management

Answer: A, B, C

Explanation: Empiricism, self-organization, and iterative development core principles of Scrum and play a key role in the identification of small, valuable, and usable increments. Command and control is not consistent with the Scrum approach.

Interview Questions

What is the first approach to identify small, valuable, and usable increments in a Scrum project?

One approach is to use user stories. The product owner writes down the behaviors and features they want in the system in the form of a backlog. These are then discussed with the team to understand dependencies and difficulties before breaking them down into smaller, more manageable work items.

What is the second approach to identify small, valuable, and usable increments?

Another approach is the use of iterative development. This method allows teams to develop a basic version of the product, and then progressively enhance and refine it in response to user feedback and changing requirements.

How does the iterative development approach ensure the production of valuable and usable increments?

Iterative development emphasizes user feedback and continual testing, turning potential assumptions into knowledge as quickly as possible. This ensures that the product being developed is going in the right direction as per customer requirements making it valuable and usable.

How are user stories valuable in identifying small and usable increments?

User stories keep the team focused on user value, ensuring that every increment developed brings benefit to the end-user. The work broken down from these user stories is smaller and manageable, making them usable increments for progress.

How can we ensure that an increment is actually valuable?

The product owner, along with stakeholders, verifies the increment against the definition of “Done” and the acceptance criteria. If it meets these, it’s considered valuable.

Why is it important to break backlog items into small work items?

Breaking backlog items into small work items help in better estimation, risk reduction, accelerated feedback and increased adaptation to changes.

What can the product owner do to ensure that each increment is usable?

The product owner should work closely with the development team to define clear and concise acceptance criteria. This ensures each increment is developed to a usable standard.

Can a product increment be released without being reviewed by the Product Owner?

No, a product increment can only be considered ‘Done’ and ready for a release only after it is reviewed and accepted by the Product Owner.

How does refinement in the iterative approach support the production of valuable increments?

Refinement in the iterative approach allows incorporation of user feedback, leading to improvements and better alignment with user requirements, making the increments more valuable.

Why is it necessary for the Scrum team to develop potentially shippable increments?

Developing potentially shippable increments ensures that at the end of each sprint, the team has something of value that could be delivered to clients if needed. It supports fast feedback and prompt adjustments, which are core to Scrum.

What are some common techniques used to identify and write user stories?

Techniques to write user stories include Role Feature Reason, Job Stories, Story Mapping and Problem Scenarios.

How can the Definition of Done be used to identify usable increments?

The ‘Definition of Done’ provides clear criteria for when an increment is considered complete and ready for deployment. If an increment meets these criteria, it’s considered usable.

How can ‘Spikes’ be used in identifying valuable increments?

A spike lets the team investigate a particular feature or technology to reduce uncertainty. It aids in identifying valuable increments by deciding if the feature is viable and aligning it with the product vision.

How can the ultimate success of these identified increments be measured?

The success of identified increments can be measured by their acceptance by the product owner, their alignment with user requirements, and the value they provide to the end-users.

How do feedback loops assist in identifying valuable and usable increments?

Feedback loops allow a Scrum team to regularly review and adapt their product based on constructive feedback. They support the early discovery of issues, allowing for quick adaptation and helping to identify the most valuable and usable increments.

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