CAPM Practice: Explain the components of an adaptive plan

INVEST is a quality checklist for user stories: Independent (can be developed in any order), Negotiable (not a contract), Valuable (delivers value), Estimable (can be sized), Small (fits in an iteration), Testable (can verify completion).

**Why not B:** INVEST is not a formal review gate or approval process. It is a quality checklist that teams use during backlog refinement to evaluate whether a user story is well-crafted. Stories do not need to pass an investment review — they need to meet quality criteria for effective planning.

**Why not C:** This is a fabricated acronym. INVEST does not stand for "Immediately Necessary for Value, Effectiveness, Scope, and Timing." The correct mnemonic is Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable.

**Why not D:** INVEST has nothing to do with financial funding or budget allocation. It is a story quality framework used by agile teams to ensure user stories are properly structured for iterative development, not a financial governance mechanism.