Concepts
According to the business perspective, development work is much more than just producing code. It involves understanding its relevance in the larger scheme of things, such as meeting the strategic goals of the business. A clear comprehension of the application built, its purpose, who it’s for and the business value it delivers is the bedrock of successful development work. This forms the essence of the Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD) exam, which focuses on advancing your skills in areas such as development practices, testing, team collaboration, and agile engineering.
Value-Driven Development
One business perspective that is especially emphasized in the A-CSD curriculum is the concept of ‘value-driven development’. Understanding this concept is about knowing how every action in the development process contributes to the overall value of the business.
This approach aids teams in prioritizing tasks that deliver the most business value first. For example, if a team is working on a software product, they would prioritize the development of features that customers are more likely to pay for or that distinguishes their product from the competition.
To elaborate, consider a scenario where a team has two features to develop: a user-friendly interface and a complex data analytics feature. If the product targets non-tech savvy end-users, developing the user-friendly interface first would likely provide more immediate value to the business, even though the data analytics feature might be a ‘cooler’ or more exciting task for the developers.
Task prioritization using ‘MoSCoW’ method
In this context, prioritization tools like the ‘MoSCoW’ method, which classifies tasks into ‘Must’, ‘Should’, ‘Could’, and ‘Won’t have’ categories, can be valuable. Here is a basic outline of how tasks can be relegated according to importance:
| Priority | Definition |
|---|---|
| Must have | These features are critical and must be included in the current release. |
| Should have | Important features but not necessary for the current release. |
| Could have | Nice to have features if there is enough time. |
| Won’t have | Less critical features that can be postponed to future releases. |
Emphasis on Technical Excellence and Good Design
The A-CSD exam also emphasizes on technical excellence and good design, as highlighted in the manifesto for agile software development. A business perspective inculcates the need for a maintainable, scalable, and high-quality product.
Conclusion
To summarize, a business perspective on development work goes beyond mere functionality; it’s about understanding the bigger picture, prioritizing tasks that add maximum value first, and aligning every action with the overarching business strategy. The A-CSD curriculum not only enhances your technical skills but also provides a holistic business viewpoint, preparing you to be an agile expert proficient in value-driven development.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True/False: Development work in a business context pertains only to product development.
Answer: False.
Explanation: Development work is not limited to product development. It involves all the efforts needed to evolve and improve any aspect of business – this could be processes, policies, personnel skills, or strategies.
What is the primary goal of conducting development work from a business perspective?
- a. To meet customer needs
- b. To improve product quality
- c. To eliminate business challenges
- d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above.
Explanation: From a business viewpoint, development work aims to meet customer needs, enhance product quality, and eliminate challenges by constantly improving and adapting.
True/False: In Scrum, the team’s goal should be to maximise the work done in each sprint cycle.
Answer: False.
Explanation: The objective in Scrum is not to maximise workload, but to deliver value. The team works on items that provide the most value and meet the ‘Definition of Done’.
Which of the following is the core business value Agile development brings out?
- a. Control costs
- b. Improve collaboration
- c. Increase transparency
- d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above.
Explanation: Agile development promotes cost control, improved collaboration, and increased transparency by emphasizing continual development and customer feedback.
True/False: Incorporating user feedback into the development work does not provide any business value.
Answer: False.
Explanation: Incorporating user feedback is crucial for ensuring that the product meets customer needs, thereby increasing business value.
Which business perspective would likely completely align with adopting Scrum for development work?
- a. Organisations unwilling to change
- b. Organisations that stress on multitasking
- c. Organisations valuing incremental development and customer feedback
- d. Organisations that resist external feedback
Answer: c. Organisations valuing incremental development and customer feedback.
Explanation: Scrum is an Agile framework that emphasizes iterative, incremental development and values customer feedback.
True/False: Business perspective on development work is different from technical perspective on development work.
Answer: True.
Explanation: While the business perspective focuses more on value, strategy, and customer needs, the technical perspective prioritizes efficiency, precision, technology utilization and process implementation.
What does automated testing with Scrum bring to the business perspective?
- a. Faster feedback cycle
- b. Reduced manual errors
- c. Streamlined work processes
- d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above.
Explanation: Automated testing in Scrum benefits development work by providing faster feedback cycles, reducing manual errors, and streamlining work processes.
True/False: One of the business perspectives on development work would be rapid delivery of useful software.
Answer: True.
Explanation: One of the important business perspectives on development work is to deliver value to the customer as soon as possible. This is achieved by delivering useful software rapidly.
Which Agile principle is associated with face-to-face interactions in development work from a business perspective?
- a. Welcome changing requirements
- b. Deliver working software frequently
- c. Business people and developers must work together daily
- d. Continuous attention to technical excellence
Answer: c. Business people and developers must work together daily.
Explanation: This principle fosters better understanding, alignment and communication between business stakeholders and development teams, supporting agile development.
True/False: From a business perspective, development work is flexible and can adjust to changes even late in the development process.
Answer: True.
Explanation: A major aspect of development work from the business side is its flexibility to adjust to changes at any stage, in line with agile principles.
In the context of Scrum, why are short work iterations beneficial from a business perspective?
- a. They allow early detection of product faults
- b. They provide regular chances for feedback
- c. They allow for product adjustments based on feedback or market changes
- d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above.
Explanation: Short iterations in Scrum provide the opportunity for early fault detection, regular feedback, and adaptation, which are valuable for business advancement.
I find the business perspective of focusing on customer value critical for developing a product. Anyone else agrees?
I appreciate this blog post, very insightful!
Stakeholder engagement is another important business perspective. How do you ensure consistent stakeholder involvement?
Great post, thanks for sharing!
Risk management from a business perspective is crucial. How do you guys handle risks in your sprints?
I find this blog very helpful, thank you!
Aligning the product roadmap with business goals is always challenging. Any tips?
Great insights, keep it up!