What does the term "Increment" refer to in Scrum?

In Scrum, the term "Increment" refers specifically to a usable and potentially releasable product piece. The Increment represents the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint, along with the increments of all previous Sprints. This means that the Increment not only includes new functionality that has been developed but also must meet the Scrum Team'sDefinition of Done, ensuring it is of high quality and ready for potential deployment.

The core principle behind the Increment is that it provides value to stakeholders and users by ensuring that every piece of work done adds to the overall product in a meaningful way. This approach aligns closely with Agile principles, which emphasize delivering functional software frequently and iteratively.

In summary, viewing the Increment as a usable and potentially releasable product piece encapsulates its role in offering functionality that can be delivered to customers, thus stimulating continuous improvement and responsiveness to changing needs.