200 AGILE PMP Q&A - David McLachlan

Question 1

You are working on a project as an Agile Project Manger. The executive manager who will own the product you are delivering would like to focus primarily on set processes and tools to manage to project. What will you recommend to them instead?

A) To focus on the definition of success as defined by the project manager
B) Focus primarily on the individuals and interactions involved
C) Focus primarily on the scope of the project
D) Focus primarily on the schedule of the project.

Answer 1

B) Focus on the individuals and interactions involved

Answer Explanation: The Agile manifesto recommends focusing on Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools. Projects are run by people, products are developed by people for people to use, and our interactions either make or break a product

Question 2

The executive management in your organization has assembled a new team, and dictated that they will use Agile for their product development. As the project progresses, there is confusion about the product scope and the definition of what done looks like. As an Agile Project Manager, what will you recommend to the executive team?

A) Select a person from each part of the organization to assist, to ensure diversity
B) Have the functional manager select their friends or favorite team members
C) Encourage a self-organizing team to form, including the people who asked for the requirements and outcomes in the first place.
D) Hire external consultants to run the project and create the product.

Answer 2

C) Encourage a self-organizing team to form, including the people who asked for the requirements and outcomes in the first place.

Answer Explanation: Agile encourages self-organizing teams composed of the people who created the requirements and had the desired outcomes in the first place. This gives a higher level of ownership and product expertise that often cannot be taught.

Question 3

You are running an Agile project and meet with the team for the next spring planning meeting. What will you do next?

A) Negotiate the scope and costs of the project with the project sponsor.
B) Walk through three questions with the team - what did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Is anything blocking me?
C) The dev team demonstrates the working feature to the product owner, who marks it as complete.
D) The product owner shares the updated backlog, and the team discusses it to ensure a shared understanding.

Answer 3

D) The product owner shares the updated backlog, and the team discusses it to ensure a shared understanding.

Answer Explanation: The product owner should share the updated backlog items and ensure the entire team has a good understanding of how to move forward.

Additional Note: B) Walk through three questions with the team - what did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Is anything blocking me? — This is the daily stand up

Question 4

You are a project manager working on an Agile project, and want your team to maximize the value they bring to the customer. What can you eliminate in order to maximize project value?

A) Daily stand-ups
B) Unnecessary features
C) Sprint reviews
D) Testing

Answer 4

B) Unnecessary features

Answer Explanation: In addition to eliminating the introduction of unnecessary features, value can be maximized by eliminating partially done work, delays, extra processes and features, task switching, waiting, moving information or a deliverable, defects or rework, and handoffs

Question 5

What 9 things can be eliminated to maximize project value?

Answer 5

1. unnecessary features
2. partially done work
3. delays
4. extra processes and features
5. task switching
6. waiting
7. moving information or a deliverable
8. defects or rework
9. handoffs

Question 6

You are working on a project and the team have recently moved to an Agile way of work. One of the team members is confused about Scrum and what typically happens after the spring review (demo). What will you tell them happens next?

A) Hold a spring retrospective with the team
B) Perform product backlog refinement with the product owner
C) Perform story card elaboration with the three amigos (Business, Development, Testing)
D) Hold a daily scrum.

Answer 6

A) Hold a spring retrospective with the team

Answer Explanation: A spring retrospective is held with the Whole Team, after a sprint review but before the sprint planning meeting. We use it to gather lessons learned and look for opportunities for improvement, and everyone has a voice for feedback and to implement improvements before the next sprint

Question 7

You are working in an Agile team and preparing the Agile team charter. You work with the Agile team to ensure the team charter answers these four questions: Why are we doing this project? Who benefits and how?

A) When will the project end? What do we do with the product?
B) What does “done” mean for the project? How are we going to work together?
C) How much risk is on the project? What is the project scope?
D) How many defects are allowed in the product? How many testers are there?

Answer 7

B) What does “done” mean for the project? How are we going to work together?

Answer Explanation: An agile team charter typically covers why are we doing the project, who benefits and how, what does done look like, and how are we going to work together.

Question 8

You are working with a new Agile project manager and explain that Agile favors value-based measurements instead of predictive measurements on a project. What is an example of value based measurements?

A) Earned value management and the schedule performance index
B) Variance Analysis and the estimate to complete
C) Feature burndown chart (features deliverables) and customer satisfaction
D) Variance at Completion and the cost performance index

Answer 8

C) Feature burndown chart (features deliverables) and customer satisfaction

Answer explanation: agile works with value delivered as its primary measurement. All the other options are predictive measurements from a traditional project management methodology

Question 9

Agile unified process (AUP) is an auxiliary Agile method that focuses on performing more iterative cycles across seven key disciplines, and incorporating the associated feedback before formal delivery. Which is NOT one of the seven key disciplines within a release?

A) Discipline of the high level model
B) Discipline in managing stakeholders expectations
C) Discipline in testing
D) Discipline in configuration management

Answer 9

B) Discipline in managing stakeholders expectations

Answer explanation: Agile focuses on transparency to ensure the customer needs are met, not in specifically managing customer expectations

Question 10

You are leading a coaching session with your project team on the additional Agile and Lean frameworks that have contributed to the Agile way of work. What frameworks will you share with the team?

A) Project management plan, project charter
B) Scaled Agile Frameworks, Large scale scrum
C) Working group meetings, project post mortems
D) flow charting, affinity diagrams

Answer 10

B) Scaled Agile Frameworks, Large scale scrum

Answer explanation: Agile and lean frameworks include scaled agile framework (SAFE), large scale scrum (Less), Scrum of Scrums (SoS), Dynamic systems Development Method (DSDM), along with the more common Kanban, eXtreme programming and scrum

Question 11

Introduced by Alexander Cockburn in his book “Crystal Clear” and created at IBM in 1991, Crystal is an Agile framework focusing on individuals and their interactions, as opposed to processes and tools (the first Agile principle). It is not a set process, but a guideline for team collaboration and communication. Which of the following is NOT one of its core beliefs?

A) Technologies change techniques
B) People change functions
C) Cultures change norms
D) Distances change communication

Answer 11

B) People change functions

Answer explanation: Crystal clear describes the three core beliefs as technologies changing techniques, cultures changing norms, and distances changing communication- all reasons behind the core practices of Agile such as stand ups, collaborative user story creation retrospective and the whole team approach

Question 12

What are the three core beliefs for crystal clear?

Answer 12

1) technologies changing techniques
2) cultures changing norms
3) distances changing communication

Question 13

You are working on a project in the role of Scrum Master, and have set a meeting with the team and the product owner to refine the product backlog. What should the team do in this meeting?

A) Estimate and refine the work items
B) Prioritize the work items
C) Add features to the project backlog
D) Identify fixes

Answer 13

A) Estimate and refine the work items

Answer explanation: The product owner adjusts the priority of product backlog items. The team is responsible for estimating and refining work items. Each time the team refines their estimates with a higher level of detail.

Question 14

You are working with a team who would like to become agile. The functional manager asks you what the difference between Kanban and Scrum is. What will you tell them?

A) Kanban teams plan their work in sprints or iterations
B) There are no WIP limits in Kanban
C) Kanban teams work on a project as a whole.
D) Kanban teams employ a pull system

Answer 14

D) Kanban teams employ a pull system

Answer explanation: The main difference between scrum and Kanban is that Kanban teams employ a pull system. This means that when an item of work is completed, it triggers someone to “pull” the next item in the que onto the board to work on. Kanban teams work off a Kanban board that displays each task, and have a limit to how much work in progress (WIP) can be in place.

Question 15

You are working on a new project with an Agile product development team, who have self-formed and chosen a scrum master called Jeremy. Jeremy immediately sets a meeting with the team to explain and flesh out their Team Charter. What has made Jeremy a good choice for Scrum Master?

A) He likes to work within set processes
B) He has been with the company for more than five years
C) He shows servant leadership and engages the team in decisions
D) He sticks to the plan and does not change

Answer 15

C) He shows servant leadership and engages the team in decisions

Answer explanation: Jeremy shows the traits of servant leadership by engaging the team in team decisions, starting with the Team Charter and ground rules so everyone knows where they stand. By communicating the reasons for his decisions, he is a suitable scrum master and will be less focused on command and control

Question 16

You are managing a project as an Agile project manager and a business representative for the product you are delivering asks you how many defects were found in the latest round of testing. You don’t know the answer. What should you do?

A) Guess the number then change the subject
B) Tell the business partner you will send an e-mail to him with the information
C) Take him to the team area, where the “information radiator” where project information is displayed
D) Ask the business partner to call the scrum master to get a correct answer.

Answer 16

C) Take him to the team area, where the “information radiator” where project information is displayed

Answer explanation: A core component of Agile is Visual Management and transparency. Part of this are the various parts of the project information radiator (often physical, but can be tech-driven). This includes things such as the team velocity, Kanban board, the product backlog, the burndown chart, the latest test results and issues, and results of retrospectives.

Question 17

What ___ things are parts of the project information radiator (often physical, but can be tech-driven).

Answer 17

1) team velocity
2) Kanban board
3) the product backlog
4) the burndown chart
5) the latest test results and issues
6) results of retrospectives.

Question 18

You are working in a company that is moving from a waterfall methodology to Agile. You mention to the business unit manager that the team will be better prepared to respond to change and meet the customer needs. Why is this?

A) The agile team works directly with a business owner or representative to constantly prioritize delivered value
B) The agile team delivers the product all in one go
C) The agile team is for developers only, so development will improve
D) The business partners review statuses and ask for recommendations

Answer 18

A) The agile team works directly with a business owner or representative to constantly prioritize delivered value

Answer explanation: Working with business partners or someone who represents the customer almost daily is a key part of Agile. The team hears what the business would like the results to be, and meeting face to face is better than reading requirements, documents, emails, or even a conference call

Question 19

For agile life-cycles, two kinds of planning occur, release planning and iteration planning. In release planning, business representatives establish and prioritize the user stories for the release, in collaboration with the team, refining larger user stories into a collection of smaller stories. What is the INCORRECT descriptions below regarding iteration planning and backlog preparation?

A) The backlog is the ordered list of all the work, presented in “story” form, for a team
B) The project coach encourages the team to work alone, so no one bothers them
C) The facilitator encourages the team to work in triads of a developer, tester, product owner/business analyst.
D) the triad discuss, write, and then place enough stories into an iteration, and enough features for a first release

Answer 19

B) The project coach encourages the team to work alone, so no one bothers them

Question 20

Behavior driven development (BDD) allows a developer to focus on testing the code based on the expected behavior of the software and is a method of writing user stories. What is the correct description regarding BDD acceptance-based criteria?

A) Make, Buy, Do
B) Tell, Show, Repeat
C) Find, create, perform
D) given, when, then

Answer 20

D) given, when, then

Answer explanation: Given, when, then is the way BDD is used, particularly when outlining user story cards for your iteration. It highlights “given” a certain situation, “when” something happens, “then” we want this to happen.

Question 21

Every project has characteristics around requirements deliver, change and goals. Understanding the different types of life cycle, you can choose the right one for the circumstances of your project. What is the correct description for a “waterfall” approach?

A) predictive- fixed requirements, performed once for the entire project, in a single delivery
B) Predictive- fixed requirements, performed multiple times for the entire project, in multiple deliveries
C) Predictive- Variable requirements, performed once for the entire project in a single delivery.
D) Predictive- Variable requirements, performed multiple times for the entire project, multiple deliveries.

Answer 21

A) predictive- fixed requirements, performed once for the entire project, in a single delivery

Answer explanation: A predictive or waterfall project management lifecycle focuses on fixed requirements performed once for the project for a single delivery

Question 22

Every project has characteristics around requirements, delivery, change and goals. Understanding the different types of life cycle will allow you to choose the right one for the circumstances of your project. What is the correct description for an “iterative” project approach.

A) dynamic requirements, repeated until correct, in multiple deliveries
B) Dynamic requirements, repeated until correct, in a single delivery
C) Fixed requirements, repeated until incorrect, in a single delivery
D) Fixed requirement performed once for a given increment, in a single deliverable

Answer 22

B) Dynamic requirements, repeated until correct, in a single delivery

Answer explanation: iterative methods have dynamic requirements, repeated with feedback until they are correct, but delivered only once.

Question 23

A team charter is also a “social contract”. Which of the below is NOT usually a part of an Agile Team Charter?

A) Team values, such as sustainable pace and core hours
B) Working agreements, such as what “ready “ means so the team can take in work, and what “done” means so the team can judge completeness consistently
C) ground rules, such as one person talking in a meeting
D) Schedule performance index and cost performance index for the project.

Answer 23

D) Schedule performance index and cost performance index for the project.

Answer explanation: The agile team charter focuses on the vision (the “why”) and the team way of work. SPI and CPI are earned value management metrics from a predictive project methodology, and not part of an Agile Team Charter.

Question 24

You are working with a team that is new to agile and are using scrum to manage the project. The business representative is confused about the difference between a spring review and a sprint retrospective. What will you tell them?

A) Spring reviews demonstrate the work completed in the spring. Sprint retrospectives look at all the work completed in the project.
B) Spring reviews discuss what is worked on in the spring. Sprint retrospectives are done at the end of the project for a lessons learned opportunity.
C) Sprint reviews review the lessons learned. Sprint retrospectives look at the history of the product retrospectively.
D) Sprint reviews are for product demonstrations. Sprint retrospectives are for lessons learned.

Answer 24

D) Sprint reviews are for product demonstrations. Sprint retrospectives are for lessons learned.

Answer explanation: Sprint reviews are for product demonstrations. Sprint retrospectives are for lessons learned, where we ask “ what went well, what didn’t go well, and what did I learn”

Question 25

You are working on an Agile project as a team member, and begin gathering the product requirements. What is the overall first question that you should ask and use as a guide for your work?

A) How long will the project last?
B) What is the business value?
C) How much is in the budget?
D) How many team members will participate?

Answer 25

B) What is the business value?

Answer explanation: Agile projects center around delivering business value, and working closely with the customers and business representatives to ensure that the value is always correct. Business risk and the impact of not undertaking the project must also be considered.

Question 26

The agile team for which you are the project manager has determined several key features to deliver to the customer. How should these tasks be tackled by the team?

A) The features should be prioritized, tested, and delivered incrementally
B) The features should be delivered quickly, whether or not they are complete, to gather feedback
C) The features should be delivered according to the project plan
D) All features should be delivered at the end of the project.

Answer 26

A) The features should be prioritized, tested, and delivered incrementally

Answer explanation: Agile is a combination of Incremental delivery and iterative development. That means business value is continuously and iteratively improved and prioritized, while also being delivered in increments that the customer can see, feel, and touch. The features be complete tested and quality is everyone’s responsibility

Question 27

You are working on an Agile project and the project team have just finished an iteration. All tasks for the iteration have been completed, and you are ready to move to the next iteration, but are not sure what the team should work on. What will you do next?

A) Follow the project plan developed early in the project
B) Follow the PMO, who has already determined how the project should progress
C) Ask the product owner, who continuously prioritizes the backlog
D) Ask the project coach or team leader to determine the next iteration

Answer 27

C) Ask the product owner, who continuously prioritizes the backlog

Answer explanation: The product owner represents the customer, who you are delivering business value to. The team works through the list of items that have identifiable value and have been prioritized by the customer.

Question 28

While meeting with the customers or business owners, they introduce several pieces of new functionality into the product backlog list. The deadline for the product cannot be changed. What will you do next?

A) Tell the team to work overtime in order to deliver the project
B) Stand by your team and tell the customers the project will not be delivered on time
C) Be sure the customers understand that lower priority features may drop off the project completely
D) Agree with the customers to have all new items put into a separate category that will be completed if time allows

Answer 28

C) Be sure the customers understand that lower priority features may drop off the project completely

Answer explanation: An Agile project can accept changes even late in development. But while the competing constraints of cost, quality and schedule are often fixed, in Agile the scope can vary. This means some features may need to drop off, as others become prioritized. A maintainable amount of work is required too- project managers must not overwork the project team to increase the pace or scope of project work.