Iteration / Iterative Development

Iterations are short, defined periods during Agile product development where teams deliver a usable increment of the product. Completing these increments regularly creates essential opportunities to pause, reflect, and learn—not only from what was created but also from the way the team collaborated, including processes and tools.

Crucially, iterations help teams continuously reflect on the actual value delivered. Often, what appears valuable before creation might turn out differently when the increment is completed and evaluated. Regular reflection on this value ensures the team can adjust priorities effectively, enhancing customer satisfaction and reducing waste.

Through iterative development, Agile teams remain adaptive and responsive, continually improving both their product and their working methods. An iteration in Scrum is called Sprint.

Iterative development means to work with iterations which are smaller and more manageable components of a project. Iterations are essential in Agile methodologies such as Scrum for producing a potentially shippable product.

In iterative development, Scrum teams design, develop, and test their code or product in repeated cycles. After each iteration the team gathers feedback from users and stakeholders and uses those insights to create the next iteration of the product. Iterative development allows teams to inspect and adapt their processes, which leads to continuous improvement (Kaizen).

Benefits of Iterative Development:

• Maximizes customer satisfaction.
• Adds value to the product or service.
• Enables faster delivery of working software, services or products.
• Leads to continuous improvement (Kaizen).