incremental-development

Incremental Development

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Incremental Development is an iterative software creation approach where projects are divided into smaller increments, each developed and tested separately before being integrated. This method ensures continuous improvement, user engagement, and risk mitigation through iterative cycles of planning, development, and feedback.

Understanding Incremental Development:

What is Incremental Development?

Incremental development is an approach to project and product development that emphasizes breaking down complex initiatives into smaller, manageable parts or increments. These increments are developed and delivered iteratively, with each iteration building upon the previous one. Incremental development is a fundamental concept in Agile methodologies and is widely used across various industries to enhance project management and product delivery.

Key Components of Incremental Development:

  1. Iterative Progress: Incremental development involves multiple iterations or phases, with each phase delivering a portion of the final product or project.
  2. Feedback Loop: Continuous feedback from stakeholders is integrated into each iteration to make improvements and adjustments throughout the development process.

Why Incremental Development Matters:

Understanding the significance of incremental development is crucial for organizations aiming to adapt to changing requirements, deliver value more rapidly, and maintain a competitive edge.

The Impact of Incremental Development:

  • Adaptability: Incremental development allows teams to respond to changing customer needs and market conditions more effectively.
  • Risk Mitigation: By delivering increments early and frequently, organizations can identify and address issues and risks sooner in the development process.

Benefits of Incremental Development:

  • Faster Time-to-Market: Incremental development enables organizations to release functional increments sooner, delivering value to customers faster.
  • Improved Stakeholder Satisfaction: Continuous feedback and incremental releases ensure that customer needs and expectations are met throughout the project.

Challenges in Implementing Incremental Development:

  • Complex Coordination: Managing multiple increments and their dependencies can be challenging, especially in large-scale projects.
  • Scope Creep: Without proper controls, incremental development can lead to scope creep if new features or requirements are continuously added.

Key Characteristics:

  • Iterative Process: Incremental development involves the repetitive cycle of planning, development, and testing. Each cycle builds on the previous one, allowing for continuous refinement and improvement of the project.
  • Feedback Loop: A crucial aspect of incremental development is the regular feedback loop with users or stakeholders. This feedback helps identify issues and areas for improvement, leading to an agile and responsive development process.
  • Modularity: Incremental development breaks the project into smaller, cohesive modules or increments. Each module has a specific function and is designed to be manageable on its own, simplifying development and maintenance.

Advantages:

  • Flexibility: Incremental development is highly adaptable to evolving requirements and changing priorities. It allows teams to adjust their focus and deliver the most valuable features first.
  • Reduced Risk: By addressing issues incrementally, the overall project risk is minimized. Problems are identified and resolved early in the development process, reducing the chances of major setbacks.
  • Early Value: Incremental development emphasizes delivering functional portions of the project early in the process. This provides value to users and stakeholders sooner, allowing for rapid feedback and adjustments.

Development Process:

  • Planning: The process begins with initial planning and requirement analysis to define the project’s scope and goals.
  • Increment Creation: Design and development occur incrementally, with each increment focusing on specific functionality or features.
  • Testing: Each increment undergoes thorough testing to ensure quality and functionality. Testing is an integral part of the development process.
  • Integration: Individual increments are integrated into a cohesive whole. This phase involves merging separate modules to create a unified solution.
  • Deployment: Functional increments are released to users or stakeholders for evaluation and feedback, starting the feedback loop anew.

Examples:

  • Agile Methodology: Agile approaches such as Scrum and Kanban are well-known for their use of incremental development. They emphasize delivering small, functional increments in short cycles.
  • Software Prototyping: In software development, creating prototypes is a form of incremental development. Prototypes are built to gather user feedback and refine solutions iteratively.

Challenges:

  • Scope Creep: Uncontrolled changes in requirements, known as scope creep, can disrupt planned increments and lead to project delays.
  • Integration Issues: Challenges may arise when merging separate increments, especially if they were developed independently. Ensuring seamless integration is crucial.
  • Complex Planning: Strategically planning for each increment’s scope and goals can be complex, requiring careful consideration and prioritization of features. Effective planning is essential for successful incremental development.

Release Trains in Action:

To better understand the practical applications of release trains, let’s explore how they function in real-world scenarios and their implications for large-scale Agile adoption, product development, and organizational alignment.

Case Study: Large-Scale Software Development

  • Scenario: A multinational technology company is developing a complex software platform with multiple modules and dependencies.
  • Release Trains in Action:
    • Formation: The company forms a release train, comprising multiple Agile teams responsible for different modules of the software.
    • Synchronized Planning: Teams within the release train conduct synchronized planning sessions, aligning their work and dependencies.
    • Common Roadmap: A common roadmap is established, detailing the sequence of releases and the delivery of value to customers.
    • Integration and Delivery: Frequent integration and delivery checkpoints ensure that the software platform remains stable and meets customer needs.
    • Feedback Loop: Continuous feedback from stakeholders and customers informs the refinement of future iterations.

Examples and Applications:

  1. Large-Scale Software Development:
    • Release trains are commonly used in large software development organizations to coordinate multiple development teams and deliver complex software products.
  2. Product Portfolio Management:
    • Organizations with diverse product portfolios use release trains to align teams working on different products, ensuring consistent delivery.
  3. New Product Launch:
    • Release trains can be employed for the launch of a new product, enabling cross-functional teams to work together toward a common release goal.

Examples and Use Cases:

  1. SAFe Framework:
    • The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a prominent example of a framework that incorporates release trains as a core concept for scaling Agile practices.
  2. Global Enterprise:
    • A global enterprise may utilize release trains to coordinate product development efforts across multiple geographical locations.
  3. Legacy System Integration:
    • Organizations integrating legacy systems with modern applications can use release trains to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing compatibility.

Key conclusions regarding Incremental Development:

  • Adaptability and Flexibility: Incremental development is a highly adaptable approach that allows teams to respond to changing requirements and priorities efficiently. This flexibility is especially valuable in fast-paced and dynamic project environments.
  • Reduced Overall Risk: By addressing issues incrementally and delivering functional portions of the project early, incremental development reduces the overall project risk. Problems are identified and resolved at an early stage, minimizing the potential for major setbacks.
  • Early Value Delivery: One of the notable advantages of incremental development is its focus on delivering value to users and stakeholders early in the process. This approach fosters rapid feedback and allows for adjustments based on real-world usage.
  • Iterative Improvement: The iterative nature of incremental development encourages continuous improvement. Feedback from users and stakeholders informs refinements, resulting in a more refined and user-centric end product.
  • Effective Testing and Quality Assurance: Incremental development places a strong emphasis on testing and quality assurance throughout the process. This results in higher code quality and more reliable software.
  • Challenges to Address: While incremental development offers many benefits, it also presents challenges such as scope creep, integration issues, and the need for complex planning. These challenges need to be managed effectively to maximize the approach’s advantages.
  • Suitability for Various Contexts: Incremental development is suitable for a wide range of projects, including software development, product design, and more. Its adaptability makes it a valuable approach in various industries and applications.
Related FrameworksDescriptionWhen to Apply
Iterative and Incremental Development– Iterative and Incremental Development is an approach to software development where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams. It involves breaking down the development process into smaller, manageable iterations or increments, with each iteration delivering a subset of the overall functionality. This approach enables teams to validate assumptions, gather feedback, and adapt to changing requirements iteratively throughout the development lifecycle.– When developing software projects with evolving or unclear requirements, where iterative development can help uncover and address gaps or changes in requirements over time. – In environments where stakeholders require early and continuous delivery of working software to gather feedback, validate assumptions, and make informed decisions about product direction and priorities.
Agile Development– Agile Development is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer value. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP), prioritize delivering working software in short, time-boxed iterations or increments. Agile teams work closely with stakeholders to prioritize requirements, adapt to changes, and continuously improve their processes and deliverables.– When developing software projects in dynamic or rapidly changing environments, where Agile principles and practices can help teams respond quickly to changes in requirements, market conditions, or customer feedback. – In environments where stakeholders value collaboration, transparency, and the ability to adapt to evolving priorities and market demands throughout the development lifecycle.
Scrum– Scrum is an Agile framework for managing software development projects that emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and iterative delivery. Scrum organizes work into time-boxed iterations called Sprints, typically lasting 2-4 weeks, where cross-functional teams deliver potentially shippable increments of product functionality. Scrum includes defined roles (e.g., Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team), ceremonies (e.g., Daily Standup, Sprint Review), and artifacts (e.g., Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog) to facilitate communication, coordination, and transparency throughout the development process.– When developing software projects with a clear product vision and goals, where Scrum can help teams prioritize work, focus on delivering value incrementally, and adapt to changing requirements or market conditions through regular inspection and adaptation. – In environments where collaboration, self-organization, and continuous improvement are essential for delivering high-quality software products efficiently and effectively.
Kanban– Kanban is a Lean framework for managing knowledge work, including software development, that focuses on visualizing workflow, limiting work-in-progress (WIP), and continuously improving process efficiency. Kanban boards visualize the flow of work items through various stages of development, from backlog to delivery. Teams use Kanban to manage their work queues, identify bottlenecks, and optimize their workflows to deliver value more predictably and efficiently.– When developing software projects with variable or unpredictable demand, where Kanban can help teams manage their workloads, balance priorities, and optimize their workflows to deliver value continuously and respond to changes in demand or requirements. – In environments where reducing cycle times, increasing throughput, and improving overall process efficiency are priorities for optimizing software development and delivery processes.
Lean Software Development– Lean Software Development is an Agile methodology inspired by Lean manufacturing principles, focusing on delivering value to customers while minimizing waste and optimizing flow. Lean principles, such as eliminating bottlenecks, empowering teams, and optimizing the whole, guide the development process. Lean emphasizes delivering value early and often, continuous improvement, and optimizing the end-to-end development lifecycle to maximize customer satisfaction and business value.– When developing software projects with a focus on efficiency, quality, and customer value, where Lean principles can help teams identify and eliminate waste, optimize workflows, and deliver value incrementally throughout the development lifecycle. – In environments where stakeholders prioritize maximizing customer satisfaction, minimizing time-to-market, and continuously improving product quality and performance over time.
Extreme Programming (XP)– Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile methodology that emphasizes engineering practices, such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, continuous integration, and refactoring, to deliver high-quality software incrementally. XP values principles such as simplicity, feedback, communication, and courage, guiding teams to prioritize customer value, embrace change, and continuously improve their processes and deliverables.– When developing software projects with a focus on technical excellence, where XP practices can help teams maintain code quality, reduce defects, and respond to changing requirements or customer feedback quickly and efficiently. – In environments where stakeholders value collaboration, transparency, and a strong focus on delivering high-quality software products that meet customer needs and expectations effectively.
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)– Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an Agile methodology that focuses on delivering features incrementally based on business value. FDD organizes development around feature teams, each responsible for implementing specific features or functionality. FDD emphasizes domain modeling, feature prioritization, and regular progress tracking to ensure that features are delivered on time and meet stakeholder expectations.– When developing software projects with complex requirements or multiple stakeholders, where FDD can help teams break down work into manageable features, prioritize based on business value, and deliver functionality incrementally to achieve project goals and milestones. – In environments where stakeholders require regular progress updates, visibility into feature delivery, and alignment with business objectives throughout the development process.
Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)– Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is an Agile framework that provides an iterative and incremental approach to software development while maintaining a focus on business goals and user needs. DSDM emphasizes active user involvement, frequent delivery of increments, and collaboration between stakeholders and development teams. DSDM incorporates principles such as prioritization, iterative development, and frequent reviews to ensure that projects deliver value incrementally and adapt to changing requirements and priorities.– When developing software projects with a focus on delivering value quickly and adapting to changing business needs or user requirements, where DSDM can help teams prioritize effectively, deliver increments frequently, and engage stakeholders throughout the development process. – In environments where business alignment, user involvement, and delivering value incrementally are priorities for achieving project success and customer satisfaction.
Rapid Application Development (RAD)– Rapid Application Development (RAD) is an incremental software development approach that prioritizes rapid prototyping, iterative design, and quick feedback cycles. RAD focuses on delivering functional prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs) early in the development process to gather feedback, validate requirements, and refine the final solution iteratively. RAD teams use techniques such as joint application design (JAD), timeboxing, and iterative development to accelerate the delivery of working software and minimize time-to-market.– When developing software projects with tight deadlines or evolving requirements, where RAD can help teams accelerate development cycles, gather early feedback, and deliver functional prototypes or MVPs to stakeholders quickly. – In environments where stakeholders require early visibility into project progress, frequent opportunities for feedback, and rapid adaptation to changing requirements or market conditions throughout the development lifecycle.

Connected Agile & Lean Frameworks

AIOps

aiops
AIOps is the application of artificial intelligence to IT operations. It has become particularly useful for modern IT management in hybridized, distributed, and dynamic environments. AIOps has become a key operational component of modern digital-based organizations, built around software and algorithms.

AgileSHIFT

AgileSHIFT
AgileSHIFT is a framework that prepares individuals for transformational change by creating a culture of agility.

Agile Methodology

agile-methodology
Agile started as a lightweight development method compared to heavyweight software development, which is the core paradigm of the previous decades of software development. By 2001 the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was born as a set of principles that defined the new paradigm for software development as a continuous iteration. This would also influence the way of doing business.

Agile Program Management

agile-program-management
Agile Program Management is a means of managing, planning, and coordinating interrelated work in such a way that value delivery is emphasized for all key stakeholders. Agile Program Management (AgilePgM) is a disciplined yet flexible agile approach to managing transformational change within an organization.

Agile Project Management

agile-project-management
Agile project management (APM) is a strategy that breaks large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. In the APM methodology, each project is completed in small sections – often referred to as iterations. Each iteration is completed according to its project life cycle, beginning with the initial design and progressing to testing and then quality assurance.

Agile Modeling

agile-modeling
Agile Modeling (AM) is a methodology for modeling and documenting software-based systems. Agile Modeling is critical to the rapid and continuous delivery of software. It is a collection of values, principles, and practices that guide effective, lightweight software modeling.

Agile Business Analysis

agile-business-analysis
Agile Business Analysis (AgileBA) is certification in the form of guidance and training for business analysts seeking to work in agile environments. To support this shift, AgileBA also helps the business analyst relate Agile projects to a wider organizational mission or strategy. To ensure that analysts have the necessary skills and expertise, AgileBA certification was developed.

Agile Leadership

agile-leadership
Agile leadership is the embodiment of agile manifesto principles by a manager or management team. Agile leadership impacts two important levels of a business. The structural level defines the roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators. The behavioral level describes the actions leaders exhibit to others based on agile principles. 

Andon System

andon-system
The andon system alerts managerial, maintenance, or other staff of a production process problem. The alert itself can be activated manually with a button or pull cord, but it can also be activated automatically by production equipment. Most Andon boards utilize three colored lights similar to a traffic signal: green (no errors), yellow or amber (problem identified, or quality check needed), and red (production stopped due to unidentified issue).

Bimodal Portfolio Management

bimodal-portfolio-management
Bimodal Portfolio Management (BimodalPfM) helps an organization manage both agile and traditional portfolios concurrently. Bimodal Portfolio Management – sometimes referred to as bimodal development – was coined by research and advisory company Gartner. The firm argued that many agile organizations still needed to run some aspects of their operations using traditional delivery models.

Business Innovation Matrix

business-innovation
Business innovation is about creating new opportunities for an organization to reinvent its core offerings, revenue streams, and enhance the value proposition for existing or new customers, thus renewing its whole business model. Business innovation springs by understanding the structure of the market, thus adapting or anticipating those changes.

Business Model Innovation

business-model-innovation
Business model innovation is about increasing the success of an organization with existing products and technologies by crafting a compelling value proposition able to propel a new business model to scale up customers and create a lasting competitive advantage. And it all starts by mastering the key customers.

Constructive Disruption

constructive-disruption
A consumer brand company like Procter & Gamble (P&G) defines “Constructive Disruption” as: a willingness to change, adapt, and create new trends and technologies that will shape our industry for the future. According to P&G, it moves around four pillars: lean innovation, brand building, supply chain, and digitalization & data analytics.

Continuous Innovation

continuous-innovation
That is a process that requires a continuous feedback loop to develop a valuable product and build a viable business model. Continuous innovation is a mindset where products and services are designed and delivered to tune them around the customers’ problem and not the technical solution of its founders.

Design Sprint

design-sprint
A design sprint is a proven five-day process where critical business questions are answered through speedy design and prototyping, focusing on the end-user. A design sprint starts with a weekly challenge that should finish with a prototype, test at the end, and therefore a lesson learned to be iterated.

Design Thinking

design-thinking
Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, defined design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Therefore, desirability, feasibility, and viability are balanced to solve critical problems.

DevOps

devops-engineering
DevOps refers to a series of practices performed to perform automated software development processes. It is a conjugation of the term “development” and “operations” to emphasize how functions integrate across IT teams. DevOps strategies promote seamless building, testing, and deployment of products. It aims to bridge a gap between development and operations teams to streamline the development altogether.

Dual Track Agile

dual-track-agile
Product discovery is a critical part of agile methodologies, as its aim is to ensure that products customers love are built. Product discovery involves learning through a raft of methods, including design thinking, lean start-up, and A/B testing to name a few. Dual Track Agile is an agile methodology containing two separate tracks: the “discovery” track and the “delivery” track.

eXtreme Programming

extreme-programming
eXtreme Programming was developed in the late 1990s by Ken Beck, Ron Jeffries, and Ward Cunningham. During this time, the trio was working on the Chrysler Comprehensive Compensation System (C3) to help manage the company payroll system. eXtreme Programming (XP) is a software development methodology. It is designed to improve software quality and the ability of software to adapt to changing customer needs.

Feature-Driven Development

feature-driven-development
Feature-Driven Development is a pragmatic software process that is client and architecture-centric. Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an agile software development model that organizes workflow according to which features need to be developed next.

Gemba Walk

gemba-walk
A Gemba Walk is a fundamental component of lean management. It describes the personal observation of work to learn more about it. Gemba is a Japanese word that loosely translates as “the real place”, or in business, “the place where value is created”. The Gemba Walk as a concept was created by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System of lean manufacturing. Ohno wanted to encourage management executives to leave their offices and see where the real work happened. This, he hoped, would build relationships between employees with vastly different skillsets and build trust.

GIST Planning

gist-planning
GIST Planning is a relatively easy and lightweight agile approach to product planning that favors autonomous working. GIST Planning is a lean and agile methodology that was created by former Google product manager Itamar Gilad. GIST Planning seeks to address this situation by creating lightweight plans that are responsive and adaptable to change. GIST Planning also improves team velocity, autonomy, and alignment by reducing the pervasive influence of management. It consists of four blocks: goals, ideas, step-projects, and tasks.

ICE Scoring

ice-scoring-model
The ICE Scoring Model is an agile methodology that prioritizes features using data according to three components: impact, confidence, and ease of implementation. The ICE Scoring Model was initially created by author and growth expert Sean Ellis to help companies expand. Today, the model is broadly used to prioritize projects, features, initiatives, and rollouts. It is ideally suited for early-stage product development where there is a continuous flow of ideas and momentum must be maintained.

Innovation Funnel

innovation-funnel
An innovation funnel is a tool or process ensuring only the best ideas are executed. In a metaphorical sense, the funnel screens innovative ideas for viability so that only the best products, processes, or business models are launched to the market. An innovation funnel provides a framework for the screening and testing of innovative ideas for viability.

Innovation Matrix

types-of-innovation
According to how well defined is the problem and how well defined the domain, we have four main types of innovations: basic research (problem and domain or not well defined); breakthrough innovation (domain is not well defined, the problem is well defined); sustaining innovation (both problem and domain are well defined); and disruptive innovation (domain is well defined, the problem is not well defined).

Innovation Theory

innovation-theory
The innovation loop is a methodology/framework derived from the Bell Labs, which produced innovation at scale throughout the 20th century. They learned how to leverage a hybrid innovation management model based on science, invention, engineering, and manufacturing at scale. By leveraging individual genius, creativity, and small/large groups.

Lean vs. Agile

lean-methodology-vs-agile
The Agile methodology has been primarily thought of for software development (and other business disciplines have also adopted it). Lean thinking is a process improvement technique where teams prioritize the value streams to improve it continuously. Both methodologies look at the customer as the key driver to improvement and waste reduction. Both methodologies look at improvement as something continuous.

Lean Startup

startup-company
A startup company is a high-tech business that tries to build a scalable business model in tech-driven industries. A startup company usually follows a lean methodology, where continuous innovation, driven by built-in viral loops is the rule. Thus, driving growth and building network effects as a consequence of this strategy.

Minimum Viable Product

minimum-viable-product
As pointed out by Eric Ries, a minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort through a cycle of build, measure, learn; that is the foundation of the lean startup methodology.

Leaner MVP

leaner-mvp
A leaner MVP is the evolution of the MPV approach. Where the market risk is validated before anything else

Kanban

kanban
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy.

Jidoka

jidoka
Jidoka was first used in 1896 by Sakichi Toyoda, who invented a textile loom that would stop automatically when it encountered a defective thread. Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing. The term describes a scenario where machines cease operating without human intervention when a problem or defect is discovered.

PDCA Cycle

pdca-cycle
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle was first proposed by American physicist and engineer Walter A. Shewhart in the 1920s. The PDCA cycle is a continuous process and product improvement method and an essential component of the lean manufacturing philosophy.

Rational Unified Process

rational-unified-process
Rational unified process (RUP) is an agile software development methodology that breaks the project life cycle down into four distinct phases.

Rapid Application Development

rapid-application-development
RAD was first introduced by author and consultant James Martin in 1991. Martin recognized and then took advantage of the endless malleability of software in designing development models. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology focusing on delivering rapidly through continuous feedback and frequent iterations.

Retrospective Analysis

retrospective-analysis
Retrospective analyses are held after a project to determine what worked well and what did not. They are also conducted at the end of an iteration in Agile project management. Agile practitioners call these meetings retrospectives or retros. They are an effective way to check the pulse of a project team, reflect on the work performed to date, and reach a consensus on how to tackle the next sprint cycle. These are the five stages of a retrospective analysis for effective Agile project management: set the stage, gather the data, generate insights, decide on the next steps, and close the retrospective.

Scaled Agile

scaled-agile-lean-development
Scaled Agile Lean Development (ScALeD) helps businesses discover a balanced approach to agile transition and scaling questions. The ScALed approach helps businesses successfully respond to change. Inspired by a combination of lean and agile values, ScALed is practitioner-based and can be completed through various agile frameworks and practices.

SMED

smed
The SMED (single minute exchange of die) method is a lean production framework to reduce waste and increase production efficiency. The SMED method is a framework for reducing the time associated with completing an equipment changeover.

Spotify Model

spotify-model
The Spotify Model is an autonomous approach to scaling agile, focusing on culture communication, accountability, and quality. The Spotify model was first recognized in 2012 after Henrik Kniberg, and Anders Ivarsson released a white paper detailing how streaming company Spotify approached agility. Therefore, the Spotify model represents an evolution of agile.

Test-Driven Development

test-driven-development
As the name suggests, TDD is a test-driven technique for delivering high-quality software rapidly and sustainably. It is an iterative approach based on the idea that a failing test should be written before any code for a feature or function is written. Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an approach to software development that relies on very short development cycles.

Timeboxing

timeboxing
Timeboxing is a simple yet powerful time-management technique for improving productivity. Timeboxing describes the process of proactively scheduling a block of time to spend on a task in the future. It was first described by author James Martin in a book about agile software development.

Scrum

what-is-scrum
Scrum is a methodology co-created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland for effective team collaboration on complex products. Scrum was primarily thought for software development projects to deliver new software capability every 2-4 weeks. It is a sub-group of agile also used in project management to improve startups’ productivity.

Scrumban

scrumban
Scrumban is a project management framework that is a hybrid of two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban is a popular approach to helping businesses focus on the right strategic tasks while simultaneously strengthening their processes.

Scrum Anti-Patterns

scrum-anti-patterns
Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).

Scrum At Scale

scrum-at-scale
Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale) is a framework that Scrum teams use to address complex problems and deliver high-value products. Scrum at Scale was created through a joint venture between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc. The joint venture was overseen by Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of Scrum and one of the principal authors of the Agile Manifesto.

Six Sigma

six-sigma
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating errors or defects in a product, service, or process. Six Sigma was developed by Motorola as a management approach based on quality fundamentals in the early 1980s. A decade later, it was popularized by General Electric who estimated that the methodology saved them $12 billion in the first five years of operation.

Stretch Objectives

stretch-objectives
Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.

Toyota Production System

toyota-production-system
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an early form of lean manufacturing created by auto-manufacturer Toyota. Created by the Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1940s and 50s, the Toyota Production System seeks to manufacture vehicles ordered by customers most quickly and efficiently possible.

Total Quality Management

total-quality-management
The Total Quality Management (TQM) framework is a technique based on the premise that employees continuously work on their ability to provide value to customers. Importantly, the word “total” means that all employees are involved in the process – regardless of whether they work in development, production, or fulfillment.

Waterfall

waterfall-model
The waterfall model was first described by Herbert D. Benington in 1956 during a presentation about the software used in radar imaging during the Cold War. Since there were no knowledge-based, creative software development strategies at the time, the waterfall method became standard practice. The waterfall model is a linear and sequential project management framework. 

Read Also: Continuous Innovation, Agile Methodology, Lean Startup, Business Model Innovation, Project Management.

Read Next: Agile Methodology, Lean Methodology, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Six Sigma.

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