Early Improvement

5 minutes 5 Questions

Early Improvement in Crystal Methodology is about continuously looking for improvement opportunities from the very start of a project. It encourages the detection and correction of process and product flaws in the early stages where they are cheaper and easier to fix. This approach not only saves t…

Guide: Early Improvement in Crystal Methods (PMI-ACP)

What is Early Improvement?
Early Improvement is a principle in the Crystal Methods agile methodology, which asserts that improvements, change or enhancements should be implemented as early as possible in the process. It is based on the belief that early alterations lead to better outcomes and more efficient product development.

Why is it important?
Early improvement is crucial because it allows for quick rectification of issues that might surface during a project, saving time, resources and potential consequences of late changes. Inter-departmental communication and lessons learned are applied very early and therefore reduce rework.

How it works?
For Early Improvement to work, teams have to identify opportunities for improvement at an early stage and act on it. This could be through reflection on team processes, brainstorming potential areas of improvement, and quickly implementing feedback from clients.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Early Improvement
In the exam, you may be asked theoretical or application questions about Early Improvement. For theoretical questions, demonstrate understanding by defining the concept and its benefits. For application questions, practical knowledge of how to implement early improvements in a project scenario is essential. Remember to point out that the idea is to catch and implement changes early on to prevent issues down the line.

Key Takeaway: Early Improvement is about proactivity - identifying and implementing improvements at the earliest opportunity to elevate efficiency and minimize waste.

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PMI-ACP - Early Improvement Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Early Improvement

Question 1

You are the scrum master of a recently formed Agile team. After conducting the first few sprints, the team is struggling with early delivery. As a solution, a member suggests incorporating the principle of 'Spike' to investigate potential solutions. He believes it may accelerate early improvements. What would be your corrective action?

Commence 'Spike' only when a large problem arises. Include 'Spike' in every sprint to always find potential solutions. Consider the suggestion and conduct a 'Spike' which could aid in unclogging potential issues causing delays. Ignore the suggestion completely as it might bring more complexity to the process.

Correct Answer: Consider the suggestion and conduct a 'Spike' which could aid in unclogging potential issues causing delays.

The most suitable action would be to 'Consider the suggestion and conduct a 'Spike' which could aid in unclogging potential issues causing delays.' This is because 'Spike' in Agile is a technique used to explore potential solutions or investigate the results of an assumption. It is particularly useful when there is an unknown element or risk in a story. The suggestion to implement Spike could potentially identify and resolve the issues causing delays in early delivery. The other suggestions such as: 'Ignore the suggestion completely as it might bring more complexity to the process' could potentially leave the current issue unaddressed which would not aid the team's progress. Also, 'Include 'Spike' in every sprint to always find potential solutions' is not ideal because the purpose of a sprint is to deliver an increment of 'Done' product and its primary focus should not be problem investigation. Lastly, the suggestion to 'Commence 'Spike' only when a large problem arises.' is not proactive and could potentially allow minor issues to pile up, slowing down the team's progress.

Question 2

Your team has been consistently delivering working software in the expected timeline. However, there are multiple minor bugs that have been reported by users, which are not getting addressed as the team is always occupied with new features. What should be the best approach to handle this situation?

Ask the team to work overtime to fix the bugs. Allocate a certain portion of each sprint to fix reported bugs while continuing to work on new features. Hire a separate team to handle the bug fixes. Ignore the minor bugs and focus on delivering new features.

Correct Answer: Allocate a certain portion of each sprint to fix reported bugs while continuing to work on new features.

The best approach to handle this situation, in accordance with Agile methodology principles, is to allocate a certain portion of each sprint to fix reported bugs while continuing to work on new features. This facilitates a balance between feature development and bug resolution, thereby enhancing the overall quality of the software product while still delivering new features. The other options are not ideal. Asking the team to work overtime can lead to fatigue and decreased productivity in the long run. Ignoring the minor bugs is not in line with the principle of customer satisfaction, as it affects the user experience. Lastly, hiring a separate team could lead to communication gaps, additional costs, and could potentially disrupt the existing team dynamics and workflow.

Question 3

Your team has just completed its first sprint and the product owner is dissatisfied with the results. After discussing it with your team, you decide to introduce daily stand-ups and pair programming to improve communication and productivity. What is the best way to implement these changes?

Introduce the changes gradually, starting with daily stand-ups and then introducing pair programming once the team has adapted to the new schedule. Implement only one change, as doing too much at once might overwhelm the team. Ignore the product owner's feedback, as the team knows best. Implement both changes immediately to quickly improve the team's performance.

Correct Answer: Introduce the changes gradually, starting with daily stand-ups and then introducing pair programming once the team has adapted to the new schedule.

The best approach in this case is to introduce the changes gradually, starting with daily stand-ups and then introducing pair programming once the team has adapted to the new schedule. Daily stand-ups foster communication and can help set the tone for the day's work. Pair programming on the other hand, promotes knowledge sharing and can lead to higher quality code. However, immediately implementing both may overwhelm the team and possibly damage their morale. It's better to introduce changes one at a time to give the team a chance to adjust and learn. The option 'Implement both changes immediately to quickly improve the team's performance.' might seem efficient, but is likely to cause stress and resistance from the team. Ignoring the product owner's feedback isn't advisable as they are key stakeholders in the project. Only implementing one change might not be sufficient to fully address the issues raised by the product owner. Therefore, the best approach would be the one that introduces changes gradually.

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