Course 5 - Agile Project Management

Development Team

In Scrum, the people who do the work to build the product; also called Developers

Extreme Programming (XP)

a methodology that aims to improve product quality and the ability to respond to changing customer needs; takes best practices for the development process to extreme levels

Kanban

a methodology that provides visual feedback to everyone who might be interested in the status of the work in progress; displays progress of a project as "to do", "in progress" and "done"

Waterfall Project Management

a project management methodology that refers to the sequential or linear ordering of phases

Mission

a short statement that stays constant for the team throughout the project and gives them something to work toward

User Story

a short, simple description of a feature from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or a customer of the system

Ambiguity

a state where conditions and root causes of events or circumstances are unclear, leading to the possibility of misunderstanding

Deliverable

a tangible outcome from a project

Scrum of Scrums

a technique for integrating the work of multiple, smaller Scrum Teams working on the same project or solution

Inspection

a timely check toward the outcome of a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances; one of the three pillars of Scrum

Coaching

a two-way communication style aimed at influencing and developing employee' skills, motivation, and judgment

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

a version of a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers

Burndown Chart

a visual that measures time against the amount of work done and amount of work remaining

Product Roadmap

a visualization or document that provides a high-level view of the expected product, its requirements, and an estimated schedule for reaching milestones

T-Shirt Sizes

a way to estimate what is needed for a work effort in terms of time, budget, and energy by categorizing it as XS, S, M, L, XL, or XXL

I.N.V.E.S.T

acronym for the criteria each user story should meet; stands for: independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small, and testable

Adaptions

adjusting project, product, or processes to minimize any further deviation or issues; one of the three pillars of Scrum

Value Roadmap

an Agile way of mapping out the timelines and requirements for the product-development process

Definition of Drone

an agreed-upon set of items that must be complete before a project or user story can be considered complete

Agile Project Management

an approach to project and team management that embodies "agility" based on the Agile Manifesto

Solution Design Sprint

an entire Sprint spent working solely on the solution design

DevOps

an organizational and cultural movement that aims to increase software delivery velocity, improve service reliability, and build shared ownership among software stakeholders

Requirements

conditions that must be met or tasks that must be finished to ensure the successful completion of the project

Product Vision

defines what the product is, how it supports the customer's business strategy, and who will use it; makes clear what outcomes the team is responsible for and where their boundaries are

Organizational Culture

describes shared workplace values and shows up in people's behaviors, activities, and the way they communicate, and how they work with each other

Incremental

describes work that is divided into smaller chunks that build on one another

Three Pillars of Scrum

the foundational concepts on which Scrum is based: transparency, inspection, and adaptation

Empiricism

the idea that true knowledge comes from actual, lived experience

Change Management

the process of getting people to adopt a new product, process, or value system

Volatility

the rate of change and churn in a business or situation

Product Backlog

the single authoritative source for things a team works on; contains all of the features, requirements, and activities associated with deliverables to achieve the goal of the project

Product Increment

what is produced after a given Sprint

Daily Scrum

A brief meeting of up to 15 minutes that takes place every day of the Sprint to inspect progress toward the goal; also called a stand-up

When it comes to deliverables, what are the differences between Waterfall and Agile? Select all that apply. A. Agile project deliverable releases are smaller and more frequent throughout the project. B. Agile and Waterfall project deliverable releases follow a comparable schedule. C. Waterfall project deliverable releases are often at the end of the project. D. Agile projects have one major release, at the end of the project.

A. Agile project deliverable releases are smaller and more frequent throughout the project. C. Waterfall project deliverable releases are often at the end of the project.

Which three of the following are Agile values? A. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation B. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools C. Responding to change over following a plan D. Comprehensive documentation over working software

A. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation B. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools C. Responding to change over following a plan

Which of the following statements are true about the Scrum framework? Select all that apply. A. In Scrum, work is completed in short cycles called Sprints, and the team meets daily to discuss current tasks and their progress. B. A team of cross-functional members come together to build deliverables and deliver value to their users. C. The originators of Scrum saw their teams as a heads-down group working very closely to get the ball down the field. D. Scrum is a framework of the Waterfall methodology.

A. In Scrum, work is completed in short cycles called Sprints, and the team meets daily to discuss current tasks and their progress. B. A team of cross-functional members come together to build deliverables and deliver value to their users. C. The originators of Scrum saw their teams as a heads-down group working very closely to get the ball down the field.

What are the two benefits of the Kanban methodology? A. Kanban ensures that the project team only accepts a sustainable amount of in-progress work. B. Kanban provides transparent visual feedback to everyone who might be interested about the status of work in progress. C. Kanban tests out more and smaller features of a product before building them in full. D. Kanban maps out the process or stream to include all the steps involved in producing value for the customer.

A. Kanban ensures that the project team only accepts a sustainable amount of in-progress work. B. Kanban provides transparent visual feedback to everyone who might be interested about the status of work in progress.

Agile is best-suited for what type of projects? Select all that apply. A. Projects that are ambiguous B. Projects that have a degree of uncertainty C. Projects that experience volatility D. Projects with a high level of complexity E. Projects that have a high degree of stability

A. Projects that are ambiguous B. Projects that have a degree of uncertainty C. Projects that experience volatility D. Projects with a high level of complexity

Which of the following statements best describe the Agile Manifesto? Select all that apply. A. The Manifesto captures Agile's values and reinforcing principles to support Agile project management planning and processes. B. The Manifesto helps project managers and stakeholders focus on end products and deliverables rather than on users. C. The Manifesto establishes a new approach that proves the Waterfall model wrong. D. The Manifesto lays out a software development process that is flexible and focuses on people.

A. The Manifesto captures Agile's values and reinforcing principles to support Agile project management planning and processes. D. The Manifesto lays out a software development process that is flexible and focuses on people.

What are the benefits of Agile projects? Select all that apply. A. They help the customer realize—and receive—the product they really wanted. B. They deliver one product release at the end of the project, which helps save time and energy. C. They seek out ways to work more efficiently by streamlining processes without losing value. D. They embrace the reality that the world, markets, and users are uncertain and unpredictable.

A. They help the customer realize—and receive—the product they really wanted. C. They seek out ways to work more efficiently by streamlining processes without losing value. D. They embrace the reality that the world, markets, and users are uncertain and unpredictable.

Why was Agile created? Select all that apply. A. To embrace the reality that the world is uncertain B. To help project managers who work with unpredictability C. To act as a direct response to the strict linear processes of Waterfall D. To complement the Waterfall model

A. To embrace the reality that the world is uncertain B. To help project managers who work with unpredictability C. To act as a direct response to the strict linear processes of Waterfall

Which element of VUCA refers to the rate of change and churn in a business or situation? A. Volatility B. Uncertainty C. Complexity D. Ambiguity

A. Volatility

In 2001, thought leaders and creators came together to find common ground between their methods and solve a problem. The problem, they agreed, was that companies were so focused on planning and documenting their projects they lost sight of what really mattered: _____. A. pleasing their customers B. making a profit C. completing projects on time D. collaborating with stakeholders

A. pleasing their customers

Sprint Retrospective

An essential meeting of up to three hours for the Scrum Team to take a step back, reflect, and identify improvements about how to work together as a team

Fill in the blank: The _____ is the central artifact in Scrum where all possible ideas, deliverables, features, or tasks are captured for the team to work on. It's prioritized and proactively managed continuously throughout the life of the project. A. Daily Scrum B. Product Backlog C. Sprint Backlog D. Sprint

B. Product Backlog

What is the difference between Agile and Waterfall project management approaches? Select all that apply. A. Waterfall is more flexible than Agile, as it accounts for changes in stakeholders' needs as the project progresses. B. Waterfall aims for predictability and tries to avoid change, while Agile embraces the reality that the world is uncertain and unpredictable. C. Agile is a less linear approach than Waterfall. D. Agile and Waterfall approaches are the same. There are no major differences between the two.

B. Waterfall aims for predictability and tries to avoid change, while Agile embraces the reality that the world is uncertain and unpredictable. C. Agile is a less linear approach than Waterfall.

Fill in the blank: VUCA is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and _____. A. adaptability B. ambiguity C. alternatives D. assumptions

B. ambiguity

What kind of process is the project management approach based on the Agile Manifesto? A. A flexible process that is varied and does not allow for changes once the process has started B. A linear and sequential process that doesn't allow changes to the project scope once the project starts C. An iterative, flexible process that incorporates necessary changes throughout the process and is based on foundational values and principles

C. An iterative, flexible process that incorporates necessary changes throughout the process and is based on foundational values and principles

Which two of the following are Business Collaboration principles? A. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. B. Working software is the primary measure of progress. C. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. D. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

C. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. D. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

Which Extreme Programming (XP) innovation practice merges product changes into a shared version several times a day? A. Write tests, not requirements B. Pair programming C. Continuous integration and continuous refactoring D. Avoid big design up front

C. Continuous integration and continuous refactoring

Which of the following projects are best suited to an Agile approach? Select all that apply. A. Projects with a set design and goals that are unlikely to change B. Projects with clear client expectations that face minimal uncertainty C. Projects that are complex and fast-paced D. Projects that are susceptible to change or uncertainty

C. Projects that are complex and fast-paced D. Projects that are susceptible to change or uncertainty

How many values and principles make up the Agile Manifesto? A. 14 values, 10 principles B. 5 values, 14 principles C. 4 values, 14 principles D. 4 values, 12 principles

D. 4 values, 12 principles

What is a deliverable? A. The team feedback gathered during a project B. Any communications sent from one party to another during a project C. The tasks produced during a project D. A tangible outcome from a project that provides customer value

D. A tangible outcome from a project that provides customer value

Fill in the blank: The Agile Manifesto emphasizes _____ over processes and tools. A. feedback and procedures B. flexibility and communication C. communication and feedback D. individuals and interactions

D. individuals and interactions

True or False: Formally-approved project plans work well with a Waterfall process, when the desired end product is known and understood.

True; the Waterfall process works best with formally approved project plans when the desired end product is known and understood.

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

a Lean-Agile scaling framework that combines concepts from Kanban, Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), DevOps, and Design Thinking methodologies; puts the goal of delivering value above all else

Timebox

a Scrum concept that refers to the estimated duration for an event

Agile Manifesto

a collection of four values and 12 principles that define the mindset that all Agile teams should strive for

Relative Estimation

a comparison of the effort for a task to the effort for another task

Work-in-Progress (WIP) Limit

a constraint on how many work items are actively being worked on at any given time

Flow

a core principle of Kansan that aims to maximize efficiency

Product Requirements Document

a document that lists the scope and requirements of the project; used in Waterfall project management

CSV File

a file type that holds a spreadsheet's data; stands for "Common Separated Value" because it uses commas to separate values

Change Control Board

a formal and rigorous process to manage any changes to requirements

Stacey Matrix

a framework developed to help project managers identify the complexities of their environment so they can adapt their style of decision-making; enables a project manager to consider the knowns and unknowns within their project based implementation and requirements

Scrum

a framework for developing, delivering, and sustain complex products

Large Scale Scrum (LeSS)

a framework that aims to maximize the Scrum Team's ability to deliver value and reduce waste in larger organizations

Cynefin Framework

a framework used for measuring project complexity; pinpoints five sections of complexity that various projects may fall into: obvious, complex, complicated, chaotic, and disorder

Epic

a group or collection of user stories

Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)

a hybrid approach that combines the strategies from various Agile frameworks, including Kanban, LeSS, Lean Development, Extreme Programming, and Agile Modeling; guides people through process-related decisions and helps develop a scaled Agile strategy based on context and desired outcomes

Uncertainty

a lack of predictability or high potential for surprise

Velocity

a measure of the amount of work a team can take on during a single Sprint

Sprint Review

a meeting with the entire Scrum Team where the product is demonstrated to determine which aspects are finished and which aren't

Story Points

a method for estimating user stories, tasks, and backlog items by assigning a point value based on effort and risk

Lean

a methodology in which the main principle is the removal of waste within an operation

Scrum Master

in Scrum, the role responsible for ensuring the team lives Agile values and principles and follows the processes and practices the team agreed to; shares informations with the larger project team and helps the team focus on doing their best work

Product Owner

in Scrum, the role responsible for maximizing the value of the products and the work of the team

Case Studies

in depth, data-driven analyses of business to manage nay changes to requirements

Release Plans

indicates the approximate date when the team is expected to release and deliver certain features to the customer or user; contains a release goal, the list of Backlog items, an estimated release date, and any other relevant dates that impact a release

Transparency

making the most significant aspects of the work visible to those responsible for the outcome; one of the three pillars of Scrum

Team Dynamics and Culture

refers to creating an effective team culture that is inclusive, supportive, and empowering; one of the four themes of the Agile principles

Value Delivery

refers to delivering the work as quickly as possible to get feedback and mitigate time risk; one of the four themes of the Agile principles

Business Agility

refers to incorporating Agile principles into the wide sphere of management

Iterative

refers to repeating cycles of delivery

Retrospectives and Continuous Learning

refers to striving continuously to learn and adapt to what's working and what's not; one of the four themes of the Agile principles

Complexity

refers to the high number of interrelated forces, issues, organizations, and factors that would influence a project

Sprint Planning

refers to when the entire Scrum Team comes together to map out what will be done during the Sprint

Releasable

refers to when the team has developed a minimum viable product of a given feature or requirement

Influencer

someone who is able to lead and influence others to change their behaviors, hearts, and minds to produce meaningful, sustainable results

Continuous Integration and Continuous Refactoring

the Extreme Programming practice of merging product changes into a shared version several times a day in order to get quick feedback on the quality of the code or product

Spotify Model

the Spotify organization's version of the Agile approach; focuses on culture, team autonomy, communication, accountability, and quality to increase agility

Pair Programming

the XP practice that refers to when two team members work together at the same time on one task

Backlog Refinement

the act of keeping the Backlog prioritized, estimated, and described so the Scrum Team can operate effectively

Managing

the act of overseeing the work of others; can include onboarding and orienting new employees, conducting meetings, delegating tasks and assignments, monitoring progress and performance against those tasks, making decisions, and dealing with conflict

Capacity

the amount of work a team can handle in a given amount of time

Acceptance Criteria

the checklist the project manager uses to decide whether a story is done

Business Collaboration

the concept that collaborating with customers gets critical business information to the team immediately, allowing them to adjust and adapt new information instantly; one of the four themes of the Agile principles

VUCA

the conditions that affect organizations in a changing and complex world; stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity

Five Values of Scrum

the core values that guide how Scrum Teams work and behave: commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect

Product Goal

the desired future state of the product; can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against