Understanding increments and how they play a part in the Agile methodology is vital to consistently delivering business value.

1. The Case For Increments
Breaking Stakeholder Requirements Into Releasable Pieces of Value
Lin Fisher, CSM

2. What Exactly Is An Increment?
It is a piece of functionality
that is potentially shippable
because we are confident that
it delivers some measure of
business value.

3. Let’s Look At An Example
Fully feed 20 kids during my
son’s birthday party with a
10kg chocolate cake topped
with strawberries
Solution
Feed my son and 1 friend
with a finger licking 100
grams of chocolate
cupcake with strawberry
topping and leave them
both wanting more
Increment

4. Why Not Just Break It Up By Task?
 Create Batter
 Pour Batter
 Bake Batter
 Apply Icing
 Apply Fruit

5. What Does This Look Like?
Mix Batter
Pour Batter
Apply Icing
Apply Fruit
Bake
Progress

6. Did You Say Waterfall? Ding-Ding!
Mix Batter
Pour Batter
Apply Icing
Apply Fruit
Bake

7. What’sNot Awesome About That Approach?

8. It Takes Longer To Get Each Output
Sprint Goal: Mix
Sprint Goal: Pour
Sprint Goal: Bake
Sprint Goal:
Toppings

9. These Stakeholders Want Cupcakes. Now…now…now…

10. This Could Take A While…

11. Which Is The Increment, Again?

12. Which Is The Increment, Again?

13. Wait!
We Have
Velocity
Which Proves
We’ve Made
Progress!

14. These Stakeholders Want Cupcakes. Not Velocity

15. So How Do We Show Our Tech Effort?

16. Tasks
Increment
Story
As a tweenager, I want a chocolate cupcake so I
can have a good time at the birthday party.
Strawberry flavor | White frosting | Sprinkles | Wrapper | 100 gramsAcceptance Criteria
Technical
Business
Stakeholder
Ideal Agile Story Structure

17. This deployment went very well.