Chapeter 4 - Agile & Hybrid Project Management

Question 1

Traditional (predictive) project management

Answer 1

Process = Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing
Strenuous change management approach
PM is generally in charge of the entire project

Question 2

Agile (flexible) project management

Answer 2

Build the project in increments vs being built as a whole
Allows for more interaction with the customers and more empowerment to the team

Question 3

Types of Agile methods

Answer 3

Scrum
Extreme programming (XP)
Kanban
Lean development

Question 4

Values of Agile

Answer 4

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

Question 5

Product owner

Answer 5

Designate person that represents the customer on the project

Question 6

Agile Project Manager/Scrum Master

Answer 6

Manages the agile project, primarily acts as a facilitator

Question 7

Product Backlog

Answer 7

Project requirements from the customers
Prioritized based on value by the product owner

Question 8

Sprint Planning Meeting

Answer 8

Meeting done by the Agile team to determine what features will be done in the next sprint
Store the items that will be getting done in the next sprint in a document called the sprint backlog

Question 9

Sprint Backlog

Answer 9

Work the team selects to get done in the next sprint

Question 10

Sprint

Answer 10

A short iteration where the project teams work to complete the work in the sprint backlog (1 - 4 weeks typically)

Question 11

Daily Stand-Up Meeting

Answer 11

A quick meeting each day to discuss project statuses
Led by the Agile project manager
(15 minutes)
1.) What did you do since the last stand-up
2.) What will you do between now and the next stand-up
3.) what impediments or roadblocks are you facing currently

Question 12

Sprint Review

Answer 12

An inspection done at the end of the sprint by the customers
Evaluate the work that has been completed and give their feedback

Question 13

Retrospective

Answer 13

Meeting done to determine what went wrong during the sprint and what went right
Lessons learned for the sprint

Question 14

Release

Answer 14

Several sprints worth of work directed to operations for possible rollout and testing

Question 15

Minimal Viable Product (MVP)

Answer 15

A product that may not have all the features but is still usable
The release of a partial product all the way to the customer is known as a release
Made up of one or numerous sprints

Question 16

Value of an Agile Project

Answer 16

Customers can start using a product within just a few months
Customers realize the benefits of that product without having to wait months or years
Customers are involved right at the beginning of the sprint and gave their feedback — allows teams to find and resolve defects or design issues at the very start of the project
Product backlog is prioritized based on value by the product owner

Question 17

Roles on an Agile Project

Answer 17

Product owner: represent the customer, responsible for the creation and maintenance of the product backlog
Agile project team: a self-directed and self-managing team that does the actual work to build the actual product, small (3-9 members)
Agile project manager: scrum master or agile coach; a servant leader who works to support the team by providing the tools they need while removing any impediments

Question 18

Grooming the Product Backlog

Answer 18

The process of adding and removing items to the product backlog
This results in re-prioritizing the product backlog

Question 19

Extreme Programming (XP)

Answer 19

Sprint = iteration
Only about 2 weeks long
Product owner = customer

Question 20

Pair Programming

Answer 20

2 programmers work together on one computer
One person writes the code while the other on observes and reviews the code as it’s being written

Question 21

Collective Code Ownership

Answer 21

Any of the developers can improve or amend any code
Results in increased knowledge of the code — less risk if a person leaves the team

Question 22

Test-Driven Development

Answer 22

The test(s) that the code needs to pass is developed first, and then the code is written to match the test(s).

Question 23

Lean Development

Answer 23

Eliminate waste
Empower the team
Deliver fast
Optimize the whole: see the system as more than the sum of it’s parts
Build quality in: assure quality throughout the development process
Defer decisions
Amplify learning: facilitating communication early and often; getting feedback a soon as possible and building on what we learn

Question 24

Kanban

Answer 24

Japanese word for signboard or billboard
Limits the work in progress so that teams are not overburdened and able to focus on a specific set of work at any given time
Create the eponymous Kanban board
Limit the work in progress to each section

Question 25

Tools Used for Agile

Answer 25

Low-tech / High-touch
Allow more collaboration and interaction among team members, customers, senior management, Agile project managers, and other stakeholders
White board and markers
Charts: burn-up and burn-down
Kanban or task boards

Question 26

Servant Leadership

Answer 26

Focusing on understanding and addressing the needs and growth of team members in order to ensure the highest possible team performance
Facilitator for the project team
Help and coach the team
Promotes self-awareness
Effective listening
Servicing the team
Helping people grow individually and as a team
Coach the team and not control the team
Encourage safety, respect and trust
Communicate the project vision continuously

Question 27

Hybrid Approach

Answer 27

Design — Develop — Test: Agile
Rollout: Predictive

Or

Design — Develop — Test: Agile
Design — Develop — Test: Predictive

Question 28

12 Agile Principals

Answer 28

1) Customer satisfaction by early and continuous delivery of valuable software
2) Welcoming change requirements
3) Deliver working software frequently
4) Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
5) Projects are built around motivated individuals who should be trusted
6) Face-to-face communication is best
7) Working software is the primary measure of progress
8) Sustainable develop, able to maintain a constant pace
9) Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
10) Simplicity - the art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential
11) Best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams
12) Regularly, the team reflects on how to become more effective, and adjusts accordingly

Question 29

Agile Project Team

Answer 29

A small group of cross-functioning individuals that will generally manage their own work to create the project
Team decides how much work they can get done in the next iteration
Made up of generalizing specialists
Complementary / overlapping skills
Do not change during the project — especially during a sprint
Workspace: open-common areas and caves

Question 30

Inverting The Triangle

Answer 30

Traditional
Fixed: scope
Variable: time and cost

Agile
Fixed: time and cost
Variable: scope