Increment
Prototypes, modules, or submodules are not considered an increment, nor are parts still awaiting testing or integration. The increment must meet the Definition of Done agreed upon by the team.
Characteristics
- Each item in the Product Backlog must refer to deliverable functionality, not to internal work such as "database design."
- The increment is produced at the end of each sprint.
- If the project requires documentation or validation and verification processes, these must also be completed for the increment to be considered "done."
The first sprint exception
The first sprint is a common exception. In it, goals such as "test the platform and the design" may be necessary and involve design or prototyping work to validate technological expectations. With this exception:
- An increment is the part of the product produced in a sprint that is potentially shippable: done and tested.
Increment in Teams with AI
The adoption of generative AI tools in development has direct implications for the increment:
- With micro-iterations within the sprint, multiple increments can be produced in a single iteration.
- Any increment containing AI-generated code must pass the reinforced DoD before being considered "Done."
- Prototypes generated through vibe coding or rapid conversational generation are not releasable increments: they are learning artifacts for validating hypotheses.
Common mistake
Considering "done" what has only been coded. An increment that has not passed testing, is not integrated, or has not been reviewed by the Product Owner is not an increment: it is half-finished work. Declaring incomplete increments as done destroys the transparency of the sprint and creates hidden debt that complicates the following ones.
Resources
📄 Scrum Master v.4.0Free download · Scrum Manager
📄 Scrum Master en equipos con IA v.1.0 [Scrum Master in Teams with AI, in Spanish]Free download · Scrum Manager
See also
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