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Product Increment

5 minutes 5 Questions

A Product Increment is the sum of all product backlog items completed during a sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprint. At the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be in a useable condition, regardless of whether the Product Owner decides to release it. An increment is a specific step toward a goal or release. Each increment is additive to all prior increments and thoroughly tested, ensuring that all increments work together.

Guide: Understanding the Product Increment concept in CSM Release Planning

The Product Increment is a fundamental concept within Certified Scrum Master(CSM) release planning.

What is a Product Increment?
In Scrum, a product increment is the output that gets delivered at the end of each sprint. This output is termed as the 'Increment'. It includes all the product backlog items completed during the sprint and all previous sprints.

Why is it important?
The importance of a product increment lies in the fact that it has to be a complete, usable, and potentially releasable product functionality. It brings transparency to the state of the product, helps in gaining early feedback, minimizes the risks, and delivers value to customers regularly.

How does it work?
At the beginning of the sprint, product backlog items selected for the sprint are worked upon, resulting in a product increment by the end of the sprint. All increments should be defined with clear acceptance criteria, ensuring the product or feature is fully functional and meeting the customers' requirements.

Exam tips: Answering Questions on Product Increment

  • Understand the definition and importance of the product increment.
  • Remember that increments should be usable and potentially releasable.
  • Understand how a product increment works in relation to product backlog items and the sprint.
  • When answering questions on increments, always keep in mind their primary goal in delivering value and obtaining feedback.

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CSM - Release Planning Example Questions

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Question 1

The Product Owner deprioritizes a feature within a product increment due to a change in business strategy. However, the Development Team already started working on it. As a Scrum Master, what should be your action?

Correct Answer: Consult with the Product Owner on the importance of the change and the impact on the work already started, then help the Development Team adjust their work accordingly.

The correct answer emphasizes collaboration between the Product Owner and the Development Team with the Scrum Master facilitating as needed. This approach is aligned with the principles of Scrum, which prioritize flexibility and adaptability. The wrong answers, although related to the scenario, suggest actions that could undermine the Scrum values of respect, openness, and courage by ignoring the roles and responsibilities within the Scrum framework.

Question 2

The Development Team has completed a Product Increment but there are doubts about its quality and completeness. What is the best course of action for the Scrum Master?

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to review the Definition of Done and product quality metrics together to identify any gaps or improvements needed.

As a Scrum Master, facilitating transparency and continuous improvement is key. The correct answer promotes addressing quality concerns directly by leveraging Scrum artifacts (Definition of Done) and encouraging team collaboration. The wrong answers either sidestep involving the entire Scrum Team in the decision-making process, ignore the issue, or propose actions that don't directly address the problem of ensuring product quality and completeness according to Scrum principles.

Question 3

The current product increment is facing legal issues due to non-compliance with certain regulations. As a Scrum Master, what should be the course of action?

Correct Answer: Work with the Product Owner to prioritize the resolution of legal issues within the Product Backlog.

While it's crucial to address legal compliance issues promptly, the Scrum Master should work collaboratively with the Product Owner to ensure these matters are adequately prioritized within the Product Backlog. This approach maintains the principle of backlog management and ensures that the team addresses significant risks and impediments effectively. Having the team halt all operations or ignoring the issues does not align with Agile principles of continuous feedback and improvement. Coordinating a Risk Assessment meeting is a reactive approach that doesn’t directly solve the problem but can be part of the overall strategy. Consulting with a legal department doesn't fall directly under the Scrum Master's responsibilities and halting sprints goes against Agile's principle of continuous delivery.

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