Articles

When developing a product or software, one of the most important questions to ask is “What do we make first?” Popular approaches that help answer this question include Test-driven Development, Dynamic Systems Development, Crystal and Feature-driven Development. Since value is a primary reason for any organization to move forward with a project, Scrum emphasizes Value-driven Delivery.

A project is a collaborative enterprise to either create new products or services or to deliver results as defined in the Project Vision Statement. Projects are usually impacted by constraints of time, cost, scope, quality people and organizational capabilities. Usually, the results generated by projects are expected to create some form of business or service value. Scrum facilitates delivery of value very early on in the project and continues to do so throughout the project life-cycle.

One of the key characteristics of any project is the uncertainty of results or outcomes. It is impossible to guarantee project success at completion, irrespective of the size or complexity of a project. Considering this uncertainty of achieving success, it is important to start delivering results as early in the project as possible. This early delivery of results, and thereby value, provides an opportunity for reinvestment and proves the worth of the project to interested business stakeholders.

In order to provide Value-driven Delivery, it is important to meet a few requirements. First, those involved in a project should understand what adds value to customers and users, and should prioritize the high value requirements in the Prioritized Product Backlog. Second, those involved in a project should decrease uncertainty and constantly address risks that can potentially decrease value if they materialize; it is important to show product increments to project stakeholders at the end of each Sprint, enabling effective management of changes. Third, those involved in a project should create deliverables by producing potentially shippable, value-based product increments during each Sprint so that customers start realizing value early in the project.

The concept of Value-driven Delivery in Scrum makes the Scrum framework very attractive to business stakeholders and senior management. This concept is very different when compared with traditional project management models where requirements are not prioritized by business value, and value is realized only at the end of the project when the final product or service is delivered.

Is Value-Driven Delivery the Key to Scrum’s Success?

One of the aspects of Scrum that attracts business stakeholders is the delivery of maximum business value in minimum span of time. To achieve this goal, Scrum is relies on the principle of value-driven delivery.

Also, as project is a collaborative enterprise to either create new products or services or to deliver results as defined in the Project Vision Statement. Projects are usually impacted by constraints of time, cost, scope, quality, people and organizational capabilities. To overcome these constraints, value-driven delivery must be the main focus. Scrum facilitates delivery of value very early on in the project and continues to do so throughout the project lifecycle.

One of the key characteristics of any project is the uncertainty of results or outcomes. It is impossible to guarantee project success at completion, irrespective of the size or complexity of a project. Considering this uncertainty of achieving success, it is therefore important to start delivering results as early in the project as possible. This early delivery of results, and thereby value, provides an opportunity for reinvestment and proves the worth of the project to interested business stakeholders.

In order to provide value-driven delivery, it is important to:

1. Understand what adds value to customers and users and to prioritize the high value requirements on the top of the Prioritized Product Backlog.
2. Decrease uncertainty and constantly address risks that can potentially decrease value if they materialize. Also work closely with project business stakeholders showing them product increments at the end of each Sprint, enabling effective management of changes.
3. Create Deliverables based on the priorities determined by producing potentially shippable product increments during each Sprint so that customers start realizing value early on in the project.

The concept of value-driven delivery in Scrum is quite different when compared with the principles of traditional project management models where:

1. Requirements are not prioritized by business value.
2. Changing requirements after project initiation is difficult and can only be done through a time consuming change management process.
3. Value is realized only at the end of the project when the final product or service is delivered.