Keeping the Team on Track Flashcards
An Agile team member encounters a technical issue while developing one of the user stories she selected for the current sprint. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue, the team member approaches the Scrum Master for advice.
What is the best course of action for the Scrum Master?
A. Ask the product owner who wrote the user story to resolve the issue
B. Recommend that the team member try other alternative solutions
C. Replace the team member with another more experienced one
D. Request that the rest of the team members swarm on the user story
D. Request that the rest of the team members swarm on the user story
Two days before the end of the last iteration of the project, an Agile coach has noticed that the performance of one of the developers significantly degraded, risking the iteration goal. The coach and the developer have a one-on-one coaching meeting scheduled a day after the iteration’s end date.
What is the best course of action for the Agile coach to take in this situation?
A. Conduct the individual performance appraisal of the developer
B. Wait for the one-on-one meeting scheduled with the developer
C. Ask the team to swarm on the tasks assigned to the developer
D. Employ real-time feedback to address the issue with the developer
D. Employ real-time feedback to address the issue with the developer
You have been provided a list of concerns some stakeholders have with your project. You meet with them to address the concerns in hopes of gaining their support and cooperation. You pay close attention by actively and effectively listening. You focus on each person’s input to ensure you are aware of and are taking all perspectives into consideration. You then clearly articulate your point and your position and ask for their support.
Which tool or technique best describes the skills you are using?
A. Team performance assessments
B. Influencing
C. Emotional intelligence
D. Conflict management
B. Influencing
Unlike traditional managers, Agile leaders:
A. Solve problems for the team
B. Handles uncertainties, risks, and changes
C. Create working agreements
D. Enable team members to act
D. Enable team members to act
As a Scrum Master, you are facilitating a retrospective for a sprint that failed to meet all of its objectives. Members of the development team and the product owner are arguing over who is responsible for the failure. After performing a root cause analysis, you uncover the source of the conflict.
Of the following, what did you most likely discover?
A. The development team decided how many user stories were to be completed during the sprint
B. You, as the Scrum Master, failed to assign user stories to the development team
C. The Gantt chart did not include enough story points
D. The product owner determined how many user stories were to be completed during the sprint
D. The product owner determined how many user stories were to be completed during the sprint
You are the project manager for a project that is in its early stages. During a meeting, your boss informs you that senior management would like you to include a particular staff member on your project team because of their necessary expertise. You have not recruited any other team members, and the project has not even been formally authorized yet.
How should you handle senior management’s request?
A. Accept the request only after you have finished creating the project management plan.
B. Deny the request because the project manager should be the one to acquire project resources.
C. Accept the request, since identifying specific resources for the project can occur as part of the early planning process.
D. Deny the request since you have not had an opportunity to verify that the individual has the proper skills.
C. Accept the request, since identifying specific resources for the project can occur as part of the early planning process.
You are managing a virtual project team across multiple time zones. As the project progresses, the team members learn to trust one another and adjust their work routines to accommodate the different time zones, work habits, and culture.
What stage of team development is being demonstrated in this situation?
A. Performing
B. Norming
C. Storming
D. Forming
B. Norming
You are a project manager conducting a meeting with your project team. The goal of the meeting is to improve the overall team environment to enhance project performance. The meeting becomes contentious with team members interrupting each other and being disrespectful to each other’s suggestions. You attempt to return civility to the meeting by establishing ground rules for acceptable behavior but working relationships may already be damaged.
What might you have missed that could have prevented this situation?
A. Making sure each team member has a copy of the project charter
B. Allowing the team members to work independently and avoid interaction
C. Involving the project team in the creation of a team charter and gaining agreement with the content
D. Sharing the team management plan with the project team
C. Involving the project team in the creation of a team charter and gaining agreement with the content
Scrum Master is conducting a daily stand-up. Each member of the development team states that their work has been stalled due to various blockers. As a result, the entire development team has idled, and the schedule baseline is in jeopardy.
What should the Scrum Master do first?
A. Assign the team to work on another project in the meanwhile
B. Escalate the issue to the project sponsor
C. Attempt to resolve the problems during the meeting
D. Analyze and prioritize the blockers
D. Analyze and prioritize the blockers
Late in a project, a key team member leaves the company. The project manager realizes that he does not have enough team members to meet the hard deadline. At a weekly status meeting, the project manager discusses several options with his project team, including authorizing additional overtime, hiring subcontractors, or bringing in additional resources from another project team within the company.
Which resource management technique does the project manager use?
A. Problem solving
B. Cost-benefit analysis
C. Interpersonal skills
D. Alternatives analysis
D. Alternatives analysis
