From the course: Agile Requirements Foundations

Increments of value

From the course: Agile Requirements Foundations

Increments of value

“

- In our personal lives, we make dozens of decisions about value, everyday. We decide which store to shop at, which brand of ice cream to buy, which home repairs are critical, this year, which hobbies are most satisfying. Many of the decisions we make about value are simple because we serve ourselves and our families. We are the customer. We know our preferences, wants, and needs. When it comes to large, complex organizations, it's much more difficult to determine what's valuable. The diverse needs of the organization, team, internal users, and external customers distort the definition of value. That's where product owners and BAs come in. They bring clarity by using their understanding of the diverse needs to break work into small increments of value. And this helps the team plan, prioritize, and deliver quickly. When evaluating each product, feature, or backlog item, product owners and BAs should consider three things when defining increments of value. First, alignment to the customer needs. Product owners and BAs make sure each increment provides value to the user and meets a critical customer need. Some good analysis questions include things like: Does it provide value to the end user? Does it meet one user need, or more? Does it conflict with the needs of any other users? So, these questions, they help us think about the user and end customer, not just the technology. Second, alignment to vision and strategy. Product owners and BAs make sure each increment supports the organization strategy and the product vision. Some good analysis questions include things like: How does this backlog item deliver value to the organization? And does this solution change the product vision? Does this feature support the organization but conflict with needs of the user? These questions help ensure alignment to the bigger picture. And, lastly, maximize the amount of work not done. A big part of the product owner and BA role is to eliminate work that doesn't provide value. Analyze every product feature and backlog item to be certain that each component delivers tangible value. Strip away the pieces that don't. Also, let's not over-engineer a feature. Let's find the value that's needed to keep and gain customers. To find the value to the user and customer, I like to think about things like: Does it bring the user or customer efficiency, like saving them time or money? Does it bring them peace of mind? Does it make them feel cool or special? Now, let's talk about how to define the right increments of value. (laughing) Like most things at Agile, it's all about experimenting, reflecting, and adjusting. So, the team identifies an increment of value and builds it. Then, the team gets feedback from the team and users, we learn from the feedback, and adjust the approach until we get it right. After a few sort iterations, you'll begin to refine your definition of value, which will maximize the efficiency of your team and deliver consistent doses of value to your users.

Contents