Potentially Shippable

Definition of Potentially Shippable

Potentially Shippable is a product increment meeting release criteria that might be strategically held by the Product Owner.

Pronunciation Spelling

puh-TEN-shuh-lee SHIP-uh-buhl

Example Sentence

The team aims to make each Increment potentially shippable.

Significance

Agile practitioners should be familiar with the term “Potentially Shippable” because it signifies a critical milestone in Agile development. It represents a product increment that has met all necessary criteria and is in a state where it could potentially be released to customers. Understanding this term is essential for Agile teams because it aligns their work with the goal of delivering valuable and usable product increments regularly. It encourages teams to focus on quality, testing, and meeting the Definition of Done, ensuring that each increment is in a state where it can provide value to the customer if the decision is made to release it. This concept emphasizes the importance of maintaining a consistently high level of quality and functionality in the product throughout its development, leading to improved customer satisfaction and a more predictable delivery process.

While debates persist around the distinctiveness of the terms “potentially releasable” and “potentially shippable,” the 2011 edition of the Scrum Guide treated them as synonymous. This interpretation is supported by the guide’s second revision in that year, which saw “potentially shippable” being uniformly replaced with “potentially releasable.” Such an edit suggests that the original authors did not see the terms as representing separate ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Can Scrum Team Deliver Potentially Shippable Product?

A Scrum team can deliver a potentially shippable product by iteratively building product increments that meet the Definition of Done at the end of each Sprint, ensuring quality and completeness. However, the key to consistently achieving a potentially shippable product at the end of each Sprint often hinges on the team’s ability to cultivate diverse skills.

This diverse skill set goes beyond basic Scrum practices, delving into specific areas that directly impact a team’s productivity and the product’s market readiness. Key among these is the ability to right-size work, automate repetitive tasks, effectively refine the backlog, manage technical debt, and collaboratively solve problems.

What Is Potentially Shippable Increment As per Scrum?

In Scrum, a “Potentially Shippable Increment” is a key concept referring to the state of a product at the end of a Sprint, where it should be of a quality and completeness that it could be delivered to the customer if needed. This doesn’t necessarily mean the product is shipped at the end of every Sprint, but it should be capable of being shipped, meeting all the quality standards and requirements. It’s a vital part of the Agile methodology, ensuring that the product is always in a deliverable state, allowing for flexibility and quick adaptation to changing customer needs or market conditions.

What Is the Difference Between Potentially Shippable Product Increment and MVP?

The difference between a potentially shippable product increment (PSPI) and a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) lies in their roles in continuous development versus initial market testing. The (PSPI) ensures each Sprint’s output is ready for release, whereas (MVP) is the most basic product version to test market fit.

Additional Resources

• Releasable Vs Shippable
• What You Need to Know about the 2020 Scrum Guide
• Scrum Guide
• July 2011 Scrum Guide
• October 2011 Scrum Guide
• Agile Manifesto