Glossary of Agile Terms Flashcards
ACP
Agile Certified Practitioner
Acceptance Test Driven Development
A method used to communicate with business customers, developers, and testers before coding begins.
Active Listening
To focus on what is said and provide feedback to communicate understanding.
Adaptive Leadership
A leadership style that helps teams thrive and overcome challenges throughout a project.
Affinity Estimation
A method used to quickly place user stories into a comparable-sized group.
Agile
To develop a goal through periodic experimentation in order to fulfill the need of a complex decision.
Agile Adaption
To adapt the project plan continuously through retrospectives in order to maximize value creation during the planning process.
Agile Coaching
To help achieve goals that is either personal or organizational.
Agile Experimentation
To use the empirical process, observation, and spike introduction while executing a project to influence planning.
Agile Mentoring
To pass on and teach based on experience, knowledge, and skills to other individuals in the team or that work for the organization.
Agile Methodologies
A way to complete a goal effectively and efficiently. Examples of Agile Methodologies include XP, Scrum, and Lean.
Agile Modeling
A workflow depiction of a process or system a team can review before it is turned into code. Stakeholders should understand the model.
Agile Planning
The most important aspect of the Agile project. Planning happens at multiple levels such as strategic, release, iteration, and daily. Planning must happen up-front and can change throughout the project.
Agile Practices
To make use of the Agile principles through activities.
Agile Projects
A project that occurs based on the Agile Manifesto and Agile Principles.
Agile Smells
Symptoms of problems that affect Agile teams and projects.
Agile Space
A space that allows team members to establish collaboration, communication, transparency, and visibility.
Agile Themes
Themes used to help the team focus on the functions of iteration.
Agile Tooling
To increase team morale with software or artifacts.
Analysis
To develop possible solutions by studying the problem and its underlying need and to understand the information provided.
Approved Iterations
After the deadline of iteration is reached, the team and stakeholders conduct a meeting for approval. Stakeholders approve the iteration if the backlog used supports the product increment.
Architectural Spikes
Spikes that relate to any area of a system, technology, or application domain that is unknown.
Artifact
A process or work output Ex. Document, Code
ASD
Exhibits continuous adaptation to the project and its processes with characteristics that include: mission focused, feature based, iterative, time-boxed, risk driven, and change tolerant.
Automated Testing Tools
These tools allow for efficient and strong testing. Examples: Peer Reviews, Periodical Code-Reviews, Refactoring, Unit Tests, Automatic and Manual Testing.
Being Agile
To work in a responsive way to deliver the products or services a customer needs and when they want the products or services.
Brainstorming
An effective and efficient way of gathering ideas within a short period of time from a group.
Burn-Down Chart
A chart used to display progress during and at the end of iteration. “Burning down” means the backlog will lessen throughout the iteration.
Burn Rate
The rate of resources consumed by the team; also cost per iteration.
Burn-Up Chart
A chart that displays completed functionality. Progress will trend upwards, as stories are completed. Only shows complete functions, it is not accurate at predicting or showing work-in-progress.
CARVER
An acronym to measure the goals and mission of the project with each letter meaning: Criticality, Accessibility, Return, Vulnerability, Effect, and Recognizeability.
Ceremony
A meeting conducted during an Agile project that consists of daily stand-up, iteration planning, iteration review, and iteration retrospective.
Change
To change requirements that increase value to the customer.
Charter
A document created during initiation that formally begins the project. The document includes the project’s justification, a summary level budget, major milestones, critical success factors, constraints, assumptions, and authorization to do it.
Chicken
An individual involved but not committed to an Agile project.
Coach
A team role that keeps the team focused on learning and the process.
Collaboration
A method of cooperation among individuals to achieve a common goal.
Collective Code Ownership
The entire team together is responsible for 100% of the code.
Collocation
The entire team is physically present, working in one room.
Common Cause
An issue solved through trend analysis because the issue is systematic.
Communication
To share smooth and transparent information of needs.
Command & Control
Decisions created by higher up individuals in the organization and handed over to the team.
Compliance
To meet regulations, rules, and standards.
Cone of Silence
An environment for the team that is free of distractions and interruptions.
Conflict
Disagreements in certain areas between individuals.
Conflict Resolution
An agreement made after a conflict.
Continuous Improvement
To ensure that self-assessment and process improvement occurs frequently to improve the product.
Continuous Integration
To consistently examine a team member’s work. To build, and test the entire system.
Coordination
To organize work with the goal of higher productivity and teamwork.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
To measure the cost spent on a project and its efficiency. Earned Value / Actual Cost = CPI
Cross-Functional Team
Teams that consist of members who can complete various functions to achieve a common goal. Team members are able to do more than one role in a project.
Crystal Family
An adaptable approach that focuses on interaction between people and processes that consists of families that vary based on team size, system criticality, and project priorities.
Cumulative Flow Diagram
A chart that displays feature backlog, work-in-progress, and completed features.
Customer
The end-user who determines and emphasizes business values.
Customer-Valued Prioritization
To deliver the maximum customer value early in order to win customer loyalty and support.
Cycle Time
The time needed to complete a feature (user story).
Daily Stand Up
A brief meeting where the team shares the previous day’s achievements, plans to make achievements, obstacles, and how to overcome the obstacles.
Decide As Late As Possible
To postpone decisions to determine possibilities and make the decision when the most amount of knowledge is available.
DEEP
The qualities of a product backlog which include: detailed, estimate-able, emergent, and prioritized.
Deliverables
A tangible or intangible object delivered to the customer. Ex. Document, Pamphlet, Report
Disaggregation
To separate epics or large stories into smaller stories.
Dissatisfaction
The lack of satisfaction among workers such as, work conditions, salary, and management-employee relationships. Factors known as demotivators.
Distributive Negotiation
To reach a deal through tactics so both parties receive the highest amount of value possible.
Done
When work is complete, and meets the following criteria: complies, runs without errors, and passes predefined acceptance and regression tests.
Dot Voting
A system of voting where people receive a certain number of dots to vote on the options provided.
Dynamic Systems Development Model (DSDM)
A model that provides a comprehensive foundation for planning, managing, executing, and scaling agile and iterative software development projects based on nine principles that involve business needs/value, active user involvement, empowered teams, frequent delivery, integrated testing, and stakeholder collaboration.
Earned Value Management (EVM)
Earned Value Management, works well at iteration. It is a method to measure and communicate progress and trends at the current stage of the project.
Emergent
Stories that grow and change overtime as other stories reach completion in the backlog.
Emotional Intelligence
An individual’s skill to lead and relate to other team members.
Epic Story
A large story that spans iterations, then disaggregated into smaller stories.
Escaped Defects
Defects reported after the delivery by the customer.
Expectancy Theory
An individual chooses to behave in a particular way over other behaviors because of the expected results of the chosen behavior.
Exploratory Testing
To inquire how software works with the use of test subjects using the software and asking questions about the software.
Extreme Persona
A team-manufactured persona that exaggerates to induce requirements a standard persona may miss.
eXtreme Programming (XP)
A methodology in Agile with one-week iterations and paired development.
Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
A comprehensive model and list of features included in the system before the design work begins.
Feature
A group of stories that deliver value to the customers.
Feedback
Information or responses towards a product or project used to make improvements.
Fibonacci Sequence
A sequence of numbers used in Agile estimating, 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100.
Finish Tasks One by One
Tasks must be finished in all iterations to meet the “Definition of Done” requirements as a way to track progress and allow frequent delivery.
Fishbone Diagram
A root cause diagram.
Five Whys
The root causes analysis technique that asks WHY five times. The problem is looked into deeper each time WHY is asked. Toyota developed this technique.
Fixed Time Box
Assigned tasks prioritized for completion based on an estimated number of days. Top priorities are usually completed first.
Focus
To stay on task, and is facilitated by the scrum master or coach.
Force Field Analysis
To analyze forces that encourages or resists change.
Functionality
An action the customer must see and experience from a system, which will add value to the customer.
Grooming
To clean up the product backlog by removal of items, disaggregation of items, or estimation of items.
Ground Rules
Unwritten rules decided and followed by team members.
Herzberg’s Hygiene Theory
A theory that states factors in the workplace create satisfaction and dissatisfaction in relation to the job.
High-Bandwidth Communication
Face-to-face communication that also includes non-verbal communication.
High Performing Team
This team reaches maximum performance by creation of clear, detailed goals, open communication, accountability, empowerment, use of the participatory decision model, and the team consists of twelve dedicated members or less.
Ideal Time
The amount of time needed to complete an assignment without distractions or interruptions.
Incremental Delivery
Functionality conveyed in small phases.
Incremental Project Releases
To build upon the prior release of a goal, outcome, or product, not all requirements are met, but after all releases, the requirements will be met.
Information Radiator
Artifacts used to help maintain transparency of a project status to team members and stakeholders.
Information Refrigerator
Information that is not transparent or useful to the team and stakeholders.
Innovation Games
Practice used to induce requirements from product, owners, users, and stakeholders.
Integrative Negotiation
To reach an agreement collaboratively that creates more value for both parties by a win-win solution.
Interaction
Face-to-Face communication
IRR
Internal Rate of Return- a discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows from a project equal to zero. Used to determine potential profitability of project or investment.
Intraspectives
To inspect within, during a meeting with the Agile team to review practices, usually when a problem or issue occurs.
Intrinsic Schedule Flaw
Poor estimation that occurs at the beginning of iteration.
INVEST
The benefits of good user stories, which include: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimate-able, Small, and Testable.
Iteration Backlog
Work to complete in a particular iteration.
Iteration
Work cycle, Scrum uses 2-4 weeks, XP uses 1 week.
Iteration H
Iteration used to prepare the launch of software, and to test software.
Iteration 0
Iteration to complete tasks before the development work occurs, for technical and architectural spikes and to gather requirements into the backlog.
Iteration Retrospective
A meeting used in Scrum, the team discusses ways to improve after work is completed.
Just-In-Time
Used to minimize inventory cost by materials delivered before they are required.
Kaizen
Based on Japanese management philosophy, to continue improvement through small releases.
Kanban
A signal used to advance transparency of work-in-progress, a new task can begin once a previous one is complete.
Kanban Board
A chart that shows workflow stages to locate work-in-progress.
Kano Analysis
An analysis of product development and customer satisfaction based on needs fulfilled/not fulfilled vs. satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
Last Responsible Moment
To make decisions as late as possible in order to preserve all possible options.
Lean Methodology
To eliminate waste, an Agile method derived from manufacturing.
Little’s Law
The law that limits work-in-progress efficiently with development of an appropriate cycle time.
Low Performing Team
This team has a lack of trust, no accountability, fear of conflict, less commitment, and less attention to details and results.
Lean Software Development (LSD)
This methodology focuses on the “Value Stream” to deliver value to customers. The goal is to eliminate waste by focusing on valuable features of a system and to deliver the value in small batches. Principles of Lean include: elimination of waste, amplify learning, to decide late as possible, deliver as fast as possible, empowerment of the team, to build in integrity, and to see the whole.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
This theory suggests the interdependent needs (motivators) of people based on five levels in this order: Physiological, Safety & Security, Social, Esteem, and Self-Actualization.
Metaphor
To explain how a project will be completed successfully to stakeholders by use of real-world examples of systems and components.
Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
A product with only the essential features delivered to early adopters to receive feedback.
Minimal Marketing Feature (MMF)
The smallest feature of a product that provides value to the end-user.
Monopoly Money
To give fake money to business features in order to compare the relative priority of those features.
MoSCoW Analysis
An analysis used to help stakeholders understand the importance of each requirement delivered. MoSCoW is the acronym for Must have, Should have, Could have, and Would like to have.
Negotiation
To reach an agreement between two or more parties to resolve a conflict.
Negotiable
Anything opened to discussion.
NPV
Net Present Value- A value that compares the amount invested today to the present value of future cash receipts from the investment.
Osmotic Communication
To communicate by sharing an environment.
Pair Programming
When developers work together in XP Practice
Pareto Principle
Known as the 80/20 rule. For Agile projects, it means that 80% of all development should be spent on the top 20% of the features the customers need.
Parking Lot
A storage place for ideas that distract from the main goal during a meeting.
Participatory Decision Models
To have stakeholder’s involvement in decision making with techniques such as a simple vote.
Persona
A depiction of the customer of system with applicable details about usage.
Personnel Loss
When an employer faces the loss of a human resource through death, injury, or disability of an employee.
Pig
A committed individual impacted by the outcome.
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Work cycle in smaller, quick iterations than traditional.
Planning Game
To prioritize work and estimate effort required by creation of a release plan in XP.
Planning Poker
A tool used to estimate team effort on user stories.
PMBOK Guide
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMI
Project Management Institute
Positive Value
To maximize value through incremental work in order to gain competitive advantage.
Pre-Mortem
Team members asked to define reasons of a project’s failure and to identify causes of failure missed in previous analyses.
Present Value
A way to calculate the time value of money.
Process Tailoring
To perfect agile processes for a particular project and environment.
Productivity
The effectiveness of production, usually measured with output per unit of input.
Productivity Variation
The difference between the planned and actual performance.
Product Backlog
The known features for a project.
Product Road Map
An artifact that displays planned project functionality.
Product Vision
A document that describes what the product is, who will use the product, why the product will be used, and how the product supports the strategy of a company.
Product Vision Statement
A statement that defines the purpose and value of the product.
Programmer
The role of a team member that writes the code, a role used in XP.
Progressive Elaboration
An approach for planning that occurs in cycles instead of upfront, which happens frequently.
Project
An enterprise planned and designed to create a product, service, or result.
PMP
Project Management Professional credential.
Prototyping
A model used to perfect requirements.
