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Just in Time (JIT) Design and build

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JIT design and build is an approach used in FDD which advocates for the design and development of specific features only when they are about to be implemented. The premise of this approach is that requirements are prone to changes and any upfront design or premature building could be wasteful. This approach promotes adaptability and flexibility, leading to more reliable software development. By using JIT, teams are able to remain responsive to requirement changes without significant rework.

Guide to Just In Time (JIT) Design and Build

Just in time (JIT) design and build is a strategy used in agile project management. This term often appears in the PMI-ACP certification exam, especially in the Feature Driven Development (FDD) section.

What is JIT?
Just in Time (JIT) design and build is a production strategy that aims to improve a business's return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs. In software development, JIT refers to deciding at the last responsible moment.

Why is it important?
It reduces unnecessary work and allows decisions to be made with the most information available. By delivering precisely what the customer wants exactly when they need it, teams can maintain efficiency and eliminate waste.

How it works?
In JIT design and build, work is broken into small, manageable chunks, and only taken on when there is a need for it. This is complemented by the continuous efforts of the development team to eliminate wastes in the workflow.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on JIT Design and Build
1. Understand the definition. Know that JIT involves delaying decisions until the last responsible moment to prevent unnecessary work and increase efficiency.
2. Understand its application. Familiarize yourself with examples of JIT in action.
3. Identify it in a scenario. Many exam questions will describe a scenario and ask whether it is employing JIT practices.
4. Know the benefits. It would be helpful to know the benefits of JIT, such as reducing waste and improving efficiency.

By understanding the basic concepts and applying them to your knowledge of project management, you can answer any question on JIT Design and Build in the PMI-ACP exam.

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PMI-ACP - Feature Driven Development (FDD) Example Questions

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Question 1

In your role as an Agile Coach at QD Systems, you spot a significant quality drop in the product output while employing the JIT Design/Build approach. What is the best approach to remedy this?

Correct Answer: Strengthen your Definition of Done and integrate frequent testing and reviews in the process to maintain quality.

In Agile, the best approach to remedying drops in quality is to strengthen the definition of done and integrate frequent testing and reviews into the process. This ensures that the final output meets the desired quality. Shifting to a different methodology such as the Waterfall approach is not the ideal solution, as Agile is designed to cope with changing requirements better than Waterfall. Increasing the sprint duration might not improve the quality of the design, but only delay product delivery without addressing the core issue. Halting development until design issues are resolved contradicts the Agile principle of continuous delivery and adaption. In Agile, we aim to deliver working software, learn from mistakes, and adapt in the next iteration.

Question 2

You are part of a programming team working with JIT Design/Build. Your team often faces the challenge of delayed decision-making due to waiting for the last responsible moment. How would you address this issue?

Correct Answer: Promote a culture of quick but informed decision-making, balancing the potential benefits and risks.

As a Project Management Professional, facing delayed decision-making due to waiting for the last responsible moment, the best approach to address this issue would be to Promote a culture of quick but informed decision-making, balancing the potential benefits and risks. This supports JIT (Just-in-Time) Design/Build approach that values making decisions as late as possible but not at the expense of delaying the project. It's necessary to encourage quick, yet informed decisions for the benefit of the development process. On the other hand, 'Hastening decision-making regardless of the information available' negates the value of informed decision-making which is crucial in an Agile environment. 'Shifting to a traditional design and build process' may not necessarily resolve the issue of delayed decision-making, and doesn't adapt to change which is a key agile concept. Finally, 'Avoiding taking any decision until it becomes critically necessary' could bring about unnecessary delays and risks in the project. It contradicts the proactive aspect of decision-making in project management.

Question 3

Your Agile Team is working on a project using JIT Design/Build. The team is having trouble catching final stage errors due to the speedy nature of this process. How can you assist in this situation?

Correct Answer: Instill a culture of detailed code reviews and stringent testing during each iteration

In order to fix late stage errors when working with a JIT Design/Build process, instilling a culture of detailed code reviews and stringent testing during each iteration would be most beneficial. This would ensure each piece of code is thoroughly examined and tested, preventing errors from passing on to the next stage. Ignoring errors is not advisable as they can lead to bigger issues in the future. Blaming the team does not solve the problem, but rather creates a negative environment. Hiring an external consultant might be a temporary fix but it does not address the root cause of the problem. Thus, the persistent errors would likely continue to occur.

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