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Iteration 0 and Hardening Iteration/Sprint

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Mohit Joshi Germantown, Tn, United States
Hello Experts,

While reading for PMI ACP certification exam, I noticed references to Iteration 0 and hardening iteration/sprint in some of the exam prep books. Also, few of the test takers have talked about them in their exam prep experience, tips, suggestions etc. However, there is no reference to these terms in the Scrum Guide and the PSM exam especially highlights the fact that there is only one type of Sprint, the one where an increment is created.

So, my question is: Are these terms valid for PMI ACP exam? And in real world, are they followed in practice? i.e. in reality, iteration 0 and hardening sprints/iterations are indeed valid.

What is the correct guideline for an agile practitioner?

Thanks, Mohit
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Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada
Mohit -

Sprint 0 is a workaround for the fact that Scrum does not provide an opportunity for initiation type activities normally associated with projects.

I prefer the DA use of the Inception phase to Sprint 0, since it is rare that full project mobilization can happen for medium to large projects in larger companies within 1-4 week duration.

A hardening iteration or sprint is an anti-pattern because it implies what the team built in past iterations was not "good enough" to meet the needs of all stakeholders for the long term.

Kiron
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1 reply by Mohit Joshi
May 19, 2021 7:04 PM
Mohit Joshi
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Thanks Kiron. I had the same understanding but in preparation for ACP exam, I want to make sure that understanding is in line with PMI (since the exam expects you to do what an ideal agile practitioner would do). So, if a term like iteration 0 or hardening sprint appears in an exam scenario, should that option be eliminated or given consideration?
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Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani Manager, Quality and Continuous Improvement| Hörmann-TNR Industrial Doors Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
I agree with Kiron.
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Mohit Joshi Germantown, Tn, United States
May 19, 2021 5:04 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Mohit -

Sprint 0 is a workaround for the fact that Scrum does not provide an opportunity for initiation type activities normally associated with projects.

I prefer the DA use of the Inception phase to Sprint 0, since it is rare that full project mobilization can happen for medium to large projects in larger companies within 1-4 week duration.

A hardening iteration or sprint is an anti-pattern because it implies what the team built in past iterations was not "good enough" to meet the needs of all stakeholders for the long term.

Kiron
Thanks Kiron. I had the same understanding but in preparation for ACP exam, I want to make sure that understanding is in line with PMI (since the exam expects you to do what an ideal agile practitioner would do). So, if a term like iteration 0 or hardening sprint appears in an exam scenario, should that option be eliminated or given consideration?
...
1 reply by Kiron Bondale
May 20, 2021 8:27 AM
Kiron Bondale
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Unfortunately I can't speak to how the exam questions might be structured around these practices. I don't recall either of them showing up on the ACP exam I'd written back in 2017 but that doesn't mean questions haven't been added since. The key is to understand what these practices are and then decide whether they are the best choice for a given question.

Kiron
avatar
Kiron Bondale Retired | Mentor| Retired Welland, Ontario, Canada
May 19, 2021 7:04 PM
Replying to Mohit Joshi
...
Thanks Kiron. I had the same understanding but in preparation for ACP exam, I want to make sure that understanding is in line with PMI (since the exam expects you to do what an ideal agile practitioner would do). So, if a term like iteration 0 or hardening sprint appears in an exam scenario, should that option be eliminated or given consideration?
Unfortunately I can't speak to how the exam questions might be structured around these practices. I don't recall either of them showing up on the ACP exam I'd written back in 2017 but that doesn't mean questions haven't been added since. The key is to understand what these practices are and then decide whether they are the best choice for a given question.

Kiron

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