Myths about the Increment

There are many myths that surround the understanding of the Increment:

• The Increment is released to the stakeholders after it is reviewed at the Sprint Review 
  Why is this a myth? The Sprint Review is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to get feedback and guidance from the stakeholders. It is not a gate for delivering an Increment to them. 
   
• Only one Increment is delivered to the stakeholders per Sprint
  Why is this a myth? Several Increments can be delivered to the stakeholders (including customers and users) during the course of the Sprint.
   
• The Increments can be everyone’s individual work. They don’t have to be integrated together.
  Why is this a myth? When individual Developers have completed a PBI, it is not part of the Increment until it is integrated into one Increment that conforms to the Definition of Done. There is only one Increment at any given time.
   
• There is something called an undone Increment.
  Why is this a myth? The Increment must conform to the Definition of Done. If it doesn’t, it’s not considered an Increment.
   
• Because the Increment must be “usable,” it must provide all of the functionality anticipated in the final product.
  Why is this a myth? An Increment doesn’t have to be a fully fleshed out product, just usable enough that stakeholders can provide feedback. For the Increment to be considered usable for this purpose, it has to conform to the Definition of Done (DOD).
   
• An Increment is always software.
  Why is this a myth? It’s true that Scrum was created as a better way of developing software. However, Scrum is now used in various industries to build products and solve complex problems. The Increment is whatever shape the “product” is. For example, for scientific research, the Increment may be the emerging research report.