There are many benefits found in Agile frameworks. One of the most important ones is having the ability to deliver as frequently as possible. It also brings in the benefit of being able to deliver each sprint rather than waiting to craft an entire plan. This is what we refer to as a potentially shippable product.
The teams deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint which is developed, tested, and validated. The key benefit of being able to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint is that it allows for rapid iteration and feedback from stakeholders, customers, and users. This helps to ensure that any issues or changes are identified early in the process, allowing for quick resolutions or adjustments before they become more costly or time-consuming problems. Going for the best Agile certifications will help you master and practice agile methodology with ease.
What is a Potentially Shippable Product?
A potentially shippable product is a product that can be released to the public or customers and can be used for its intention. It is a product that has undergone all the necessary steps of development, testing, and validation. The goal to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint is to ensure that every sprint results in a deliverable. This means that each sprint should result in an increment of functionality that customers or stakeholders can use.
With this approach, teams can focus on delivering value with each iteration instead of trying to complete entire projects simultaneously. The release of ‘cutover’ is when the new functionality is made available to customers, who can then use it.
- For example, the team might release a new feature every two weeks and only work on backlog items during the sprints. The sprint should also be about improving quality. It can be done by testing features with potential users for issues with usability or tracking metrics for growth in usage.
To ensure that a project does not fall behind schedule, teams must push as much into development as possible during all of their sprints.
Let us look at the difference between non-shippable and potentially shippable.
- A potentially shippable product can be anything from a new feature in a game to something as simple as a bug fix.
- A new feature in a game can be something like adding a new weapon or character type. This would usually be considered non-shippable since we'd need to test it extensively before shipping it.
However, if we had some form of documentation for the feature, it could be shipped to our testers without waiting for them to complete their testing. This way, we can get feedback from our users while using the software instead of waiting until the end. This best explains potentially shippable.
What Does Potentially Shippable Mean in Agile?
In Agile, the goal is to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint with as much efficiency as possible. This means that at the end of every sprint, the team should have a product that is ready for release. It should be tested and have all features implemented before it's ready to be used by the customers.
- A potentially shippable product also means that it meets all customer requirements and has been validated by stakeholders. It should be able to perform well in any user testing or market testing and should be ready for deployment at any given time.
This helps Agile teams maintain their focus on delivering value with each sprint while also ensuring that they adhere to their defined processes and timelines. It also provides an opportunity to advocate for and continually improve the work process.
- To foster this relationship, Scrum provides guidelines on how a daily Scrum meeting should be conducted and how technical product owners should represent their stakeholders. A good example of this in the software development world is known as ‘Pair Programming.’
- The Daily Scrum Meeting: The process of developing the sprint backlog through prioritizing user-defined stories and making trade-offs among them. The Scrum master facilitates this process by determining which stories will be included in that day’s sprint.
Reasons for Potentially Shippable Product
Any successful product development process needs to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint. It helps ensure that the team is making progress and that the product meets customer expectations. During the ‘Product Backlog Refinement’ of a particular Sprint, stakeholders are consulted, and their feedback and ideas are taken into consideration. This step is important to ensure effective product backlog management. In this case, the sprints need to be fulfilled as planned.
To do so, a review needs to be made on what has been accomplished in each sprint so far and how many deliverables have been completed and are yet to be completed. Progress on user stories that are part of the design document should also be reviewed, and changes should be made as necessary based on user feedback. This is the final refinement meeting before working into the delivery phase and planning for the next sprint.
The idea to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint is to create a minimum shippable product that can be quickly released in the market. This allows teams to get customer feedback and make necessary changes or improvements in the next sprint. Additionally, it also helps reduce risks by ensuring that only tested and working features are released at any given time.
- The Kanban Board is a visually appealing way to display the processes and tasks associated with a particular project. This type of visualization enables everyone involved in the task to easily understand its progress.
- There are two main parts of the board: columns and rows. The columns represent work or tasks that must be performed during every sprint, such as functionality, style, or design changes. The rows represent sprints and tasks that need to be completed by the end of each sprint, such as new functionalities or features.
These techniques help in the fulfillment of successful deliverables in each sprint.
Potentially Shippable Product Increment
Now let us have a look at what is potentially shippable product increment:
A potentially shippable product increment is a completed and tested set of features that can be released to customers at any point in time. It is one of the core principles of Scrum.
The goal is to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint, which means the product should be ready to ship out at any time. This ensures that customers receive a high-quality product with minimal delays and bugs. Additionally, it allows teams to quickly adapt to changing customer needs or market conditions.
The phrase "Product Increment" is a generic term used for the products part of an Agile Scrum project. It could also refer to a single product or an interim development artifact. The Product Increment is typically made up of the following types of releases:
- Development Releases: These are typically released every two weeks.
- Production Releases: These are typically released quarterly in the marketplace.
- Internal-use releases: These are mostly used by companies and are never made available outside of the companies.
A potentially shippable product increment is a version of the product that can be delivered to customers or end-users at any given time. It is the result of a sprint, which is an iteration of development work in agile software development.
- The goal to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint is to shorten the time between the time frame of when a feature is developed and when the customer or end-user can use it. This allows for faster feedback loops, which can help improve the quality and usability of the product.
- It also provides stakeholders with increased visibility into the features being worked on and the progress made on them. This helps them make better decisions about what features should be prioritized and how resources should be allocated to ensure that they are delivered on time.
It is also important to know ‘when should the product increment be released?’. Releasing a product increment at the end of each sprint is an important part of Agile development. It ensures that the team can deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint, and it also helps to keep the team focused on delivering features that are ready for release.
If your team feels like they are not getting enough done in each sprint, then the length of time between releases may be too long. However, keeping the rhythmic release that works for every sprint is important.
There are certain considerations that teams must take into account when deciding when to release a product increment. Factors such as customer feedback, market trends, and competitive landscape should be considered before making any decisions on when the product increment should be released.
Additionally, teams should consider whether they will need to perform additional testing or validation before releasing the product increment.
What is the Strategy for Releasing a Product Increment?
There are many strategies for releasing a product increment.
- A common strategy is to release multiple product increments at a time and stagger the releases over time. This will allow users to gain access to new features when needed, as opposed to abruptly discontinuing old features and introducing a lot of confusion.
- Another strategy would be to introduce new feature releases along with bug fixes every few days or weeks.
- A third strategy would be to release new features in conjunction with bug fixes and new content. This strategy might include a new area or even something like the introduction of a whole new class.
Guidelines for Delivering Potentially Shippable Product
Delivering potentially shippable products at the end of each sprint is essential to ensure that the team is progressing toward the goal. It also helps to keep everyone motivated and gives them a sense of accomplishment.
Having clear guidelines for being able to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint can help teams stay on track and make sure that they are producing quality work.
These guidelines should include objectives like:
- Setting realistic goals for each sprint.
- Having proper documentation.
- Testing the product.
- Ensuring that all stakeholders are aware of its progress.
Following these guidelines will help teams deliver products faster and with higher quality.
As teams work to stay on track, they can build a library of useful resources that they can use to develop their product. A library of resources could include things like mockups, wireframes, research findings, and codes. Sharing these resources with the team will help them strategize and make decisions more effectively.
The sprint is an important part of the Agile development process. It is the time when teams can work to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint. This helps to ensure that the team is focused on delivering a quality product and that customer needs are met on time.
Some common reasons for not being able to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint are:
- Lack of resources.
- Lack of understanding of the scope of work.
- Unforeseen complexity.
Having the ability to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint ensures that developers will have a smaller number of iterations to develop their ideas into fully functional products.
- The goal to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint is to ensure that the team has something tangible to show for their efforts at the end of each iteration. This helps to keep teams motivated and encourages them to continue working hard to deliver high-quality products.
- Additionally, it also allows customers to get an early glimpse of what they can expect from the final product, thus allowing them to provide feedback and help shape the development process accordingly.
Additionally, delivering a potentially shippable product each sprint reduces the risk of going back and making major changes later in the process.
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Conclusion
It is an important part of Agile software development for Scrum to deliver a potentially shippable product each sprint as it ensures that the team is constantly working on delivering a product that meets the customer's needs and can be released quickly. This helps reduce the risk of making major changes at the last moment and reduces costs associated with rework and delays.
Delivering a potentially shippable product each spin enables acceleration in creative process while cutting short the feedback cycles and strengthening the process towards consistent improvement in the product framework and deployment. While various parameters are to be kept under vigilance when working with potentially shippable product, it is essential that the entire work aligns well with the Definition of Done for its accomplishment. Go for CSPO Certification training to excel in addressing challenges through Scrum.
