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Incremental Development

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Incremental Development is a core principle in Scrum where a large task is broken down into smaller tasks and then worked on and delivered incrementally. This provides the opportunity to review and adjust the product frequently, thus ensuring a high-quality product that meets user needs. This conce…

Guide for Incremental Development: Importance, Functioning, and Exam Tips

Incremental Development is a critical aspect of Scrum methodology and customer-centric design.

What is Incremental Development?
Incremental Development is a process in which the product is designed, implemented and tested in separate, manageable parts. Instead of delivering it all at once, the project is broken into discrete pieces, or 'increments'. Each increment delivers a part of the functionality in its entirety.

Why is Incremental Development important?
It reduces the risk of project failure because each increment is less complex than the entire project. Immediate feedback can be obtained, ensuring that any issues are identified and resolved before the whole system is built. It also provides value to customers early on and frequently.

How does Incremental Development work?
The product's development process is partitioned into smaller parts, each delivering a feature or functionality of the end product. These parts are built and delivered in iterations, allowing the team to adjust its plans and progress based on the feedback received.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Incremental Development
1. Understand the basic concepts and reasons for Incremental Development.
2. Pay attention to the advantages and disadvantages mentioned and tie them to real-world examples if possible.
3. When given a scenario, apply Incremental Development principles to explain how it would be handled using this approach.
4. Prepare and understand the differences between Incremental Development and other development methodologies.
Note: Use the keywords like stage-by-stage, manageable parts, feedback, adjustment etc in your answers to emphasize the understanding of the concept.

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PSM I - Incremental Development Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Incremental Development

Question 1

During an incremental development project for an e-learning platform, the team realizes that the stakeholders are unclear on the benefits of each increment. How should the project manager handle this situation?

Engage with stakeholders during Sprint Reviews to collect feedback and ensure understanding of the increment's benefits. Prioritize the development of a comprehensive documentation package for each increment to explain its value and functionality in detail. Adjust the Product Backlog to include items specifically aimed at enhancing stakeholder understanding of the project increments. Increase the frequency of Sprint Retrospectives to discuss stakeholder engagement and increment clarity.

Correct Answer: Engage with stakeholders during Sprint Reviews to collect feedback and ensure understanding of the increment's benefits.

While increasing the frequency of Sprint Retrospectives and adjusting the Product Backlog might seem beneficial, these actions primarily address the development team's internal processes rather than direct stakeholder engagement and clarity on the increment's value. Engaging with stakeholders during Sprint Reviews is the most direct and effective method of ensuring they understand the benefits of each increment. Providing a comprehensive documentation package, although helpful, may not suit all stakeholders' needs for understanding or may not be as effective as direct engagement and demonstration.

Question 2

During a software development project, the team discovers a critical bug in an increment that has already been released. What should be the best course of action for the project manager in an incremental development approach?

Fix the bug immediately and release an updated version of the increment. Log the bug but do not prioritize fixing it until all other features have been developed. Revise the entire project plan to include a complete code review. Reassign team members to other tasks and let the bug fix itself. Wait until the next increment is ready and include the bug fix with it. Set aggressive deadlines to pressure the team into fixing the bug faster.

Correct Answer: Fix the bug immediately and release an updated version of the increment.

The correct course of action in an incremental development approach is to fix the critical bug immediately and release an updated version of the increment. This allows users to have a properly working software and maintains the quality of the project. Waiting to fix the bug or not fixing it at all is not a proper response to critical bugs.

Question 3

An e-commerce website is undergoing extensive development. The project manager follows an incremental development approach for a product recommendation feature. What approach should they recommend when incorporating stakeholder feedback?

Incorporate feedback immediately, even if it negatively affects the ongoing development process. Disregard stakeholder feedback in favor of focusing strictly on the development plan. Request stakeholders to hold back their feedback until the entire feature is completed. Hold off incorporating feedback until a final approval phase. Include stakeholders' feedback in planning future increments and revise according to their feedback. Organize a change control board to review each stakeholder feedback before incorporating it.

Correct Answer: Include stakeholders' feedback in planning future increments and revise according to their feedback.

An important aspect of incremental development is obtaining and incorporating feedback from stakeholders. The project manager should include stakeholders' feedback in planning future increments and revise the scope accordingly. Ignoring feedback or deferring it until the feature is completed will not allow for continuous improvement in the development process.

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