Domain 1
75- A few days before the end of an iteration, agile team members have faced a technical issue that may cause them to miss the iteration goal. They requested their agile coach to help them resolve the issue, knowing that the coach had the required knowledge from their previous experience as a senior developer. What should the agile coach do first? A) Let the team resolve the issue B) Help the team resolve the issue C) Resolve the issue for the team D) Consult with the product owner
Answer: A Applying agile servant leadership principles to this situation, the first thing the agile coach should do is to let the team resolve the issue by themselves in order for the team to own the decision and be accountable for the outcome.
68- An agile practitioner is attending a scrum meeting where the team is demonstrating some individual product components to the customer via Skype in anticipation of a major feature release coming up in two weeks. What scrum meeting is the team currently attending? A) Daily standup meeting B) Sprint review meeting C) Release review meeting D) Sprint retrospective meeting
Answer: B The sprint review meeting is a product-oriented meeting held at the sprint to demonstrate product components completed within that iteration to the product owner, customer and other interested stakeholders.
7- After a few weeks of observation, on agile coach that was hired to guide a company through their transition from a waterfall to agile project management approach told the company's management that the company was still trapped in between waterfall and agile methods. Which of the following would be the reason to support the coach's claim? A) Using of a phased and gated approach B) Advocating small batch hand-offs C) Decentralized control D) Mandatory product vision statement
Answer: A A phased and gated approach is associated with Waterfall. Phases are strictly linear sequences of activities to build a product or deliver a peoject.
27- An agile team wants to experiment with new technology during their next sprint. They believe if this trial run were successful, the technology would produce a better product and increase efficiency in the long run. The product owner opposes this idea saying it will cause the sprint to fail and put the whole project at risk. What is the best course of action for the agile coach to take in this scenario? A) Support the team in their endeavor B) Support the product owner in their argument C) Consult with the customer D) Escalate the issue to the project sponsor
Answer: A By supporting the team, the agile coach will be demonstrating proper servant leadership which encourages the team to experiment, improve, and achieve higher levels of performance.
5- After a major company reorganization, an agile team is assigned to a new manager who announces that the project has dropped in priority and will lose two of its ten members but would still need to be delivered on time. What steps should the team leader to ensure that the project is delivered on time given these new circumstances? A) Work with all project stakeholders to reprioritize the remaining features preparing a new product roadmap and backlog to meet the original project completion date B) Continue working with the current roadmap and product backlog and have the remaining team members work overtime to meet the original project completion date C) Continue working with the current product roadmap and product backlog and develop a risk analysis report to track instances where anticipated work is not completed due to insufficient resources. D) Evaluate the skill sets of the remaining team members and redistribute the team members where they will be most effective at bridging the skill gaps caused by the staff reduction
Answer: A Given the project has lost resources, it is unlikely that all of the features or user stories will be able to be completed within the established timeline. Taking the time to reprioritize the remaining features is an agile best practice whenever scope, resources, or deadline changes.
34- Agile leaders differ from traditional managers in the agile leaders: A) Enable team member to act B) Solve problems for the team C) Create working agreements D) Handles uncertainties, risks, and changes
Answer: A In order to empower teams, agile leaders enable team members to act and make their own decisions.
10- for their upcoming project, agile team member have selected a method that limits the number of tasks being worked on by the team member at any given time. This method will also allow the team to increase visibility of issues and bottlenecks in their work process. Which of t he following agile methods did the members select? A) Kanban B) Product road map C) Agile-traditional hybrid model D) Value stream mapping
Answer: A Kanban is an agile method for managing work with an emphasis on, among the others, limiting work in progress (WIP).
76- The agile triangle provides a different way of looking at project success and addresses the real goals of projects, which are represented by the three sides or parameters of the agile triangle. Which of the following is a parameter contained in the agile triangle? A) Constrains B) Time C) Risk D) Resources
Answer: A Only constrains are included in the agile triangle ( scope, schedule, and cost)
53- During a review of the XP team's list of core practices displayed on a wall, an agile practitioner noticed that one of the items in the list was an XP core value rather than a core practice. Which item did the agile practitioner notice? A) Simplicity B) Collective code ownership C) Pair programming D) Refactoring
Answer: A Simplicity is one of the XP core values, rather than core practices, and therefore is the answer. Simplicity refers to the ability of the XP teams to "find the simplest thing that could probably work".
32- A junior software developer will be paired with a senior developer in an eXtreme Programming (XP) project. What can the senior developer teach the junior developer about he XP pair programming practices? A) The product quality is higher because defects are caught early in development B) Refactoring is done more frequently as both developers code at the same time C) The defect rate is doubled because the code is produced by two developers D) The learning curve is halved because each developer has only half the time to learn
Answer: A The earliest time the defect can be caught is when it is first coded. Pair programming allows one developer to watch another developer code and catch any issues as soon as possible. Therefore, in this way, the code quality is higher.
14- The product owner for an agile project has another project at the same time. As a result, the product owner spends very little time with the development team and the product is suffering. What should an agile practitioner on this team do first? A) Coach the product owner on the importance of participating in the team events B) Escalate the issue to the project sponsor C) Request a new product owner be assigned to the project D) Have the scrum master fill a dual role as Agile encourage generalizing specialists
Answer: A The product owner needs to be educated on the importance of participating in the team's events. As the customer representative, the product owner needs to be involved to ensure success in the project.
58- An agile team used a simple change management process where the product owner could reprioritize user stories based on the customer feedback. New user stories would need to be the same relative size as those being replaced in order to maintain a fixed budget and schedule. The final product included the highest value customer features and the project was completed on schedule and budget. What Agile Manifesto value did the team emphasize to ensure project success? A) Responding to change over following a plan B) Customer collaboration over contract negotiation C) Individuals and interactions over processes and tools D) Working software over comprehensive documentation
Answer: A The scenario emphasized the change management process, flexibility, welcoming, and accommodating changes while including the features that represented the highest value to the client. While the scenario does not explicitly mention the original plan that was not followed, of the choices provided, responding to change over following a plan best addresses the question asked and is, therefore, the best answer to the question asked.
49- A scrum master is monitoring work items being processed and completed on an agile project. The scrum master is measuring the project performance for its effectiveness by calculating lead and cycle time. Which Kanban principle is described in this situation? A) Manage flow B) Improve collaboration C) Visualize the workflow D) Make process policies explicit
Answer: A The third Kanban core principle is 'manage flow'. Team should track the flow of work items and measure for effectiveness, monitor the value currently flowing through the system, and implement changes as needed
4- A new team member has recently has recently joined an experienced high-performance team. The new team member approaches the agile coach and recommends using a new testing methodology that if successful would save the team time in each iteration. If the new testing method is unsuccessful, it could threaten the iteration goals. What should the agile coach do? A) Allow the new testing approach for next iteration B) Let the team decide whether to use the new testing methodology in the next iteration C) Don't do anything that would jeopardize the iteration goals D) Check with the product owner
Answer: B A team should not play it too safe. They should be open to discussing new approaches and experiment since these innovations and changes may improve their performance. The team should not just blindly introduce new process or change their existing one. The team has to decide if and how the new testing methodology should be introduced in the next iteration.
12- During the last few iteration of the agile project, the team member found themselves with many completed user stories. One team member suggested imposing an upper limit on the amount of work that the team takes on at any point during an iteration. What should an agile practitioner advise situation? A) The team should not set an upper limit on the work in progress because that would reduce the team's velocity B) The team should set an upper limit on the work in progress to reduce waste C) Consult the customer before setting an upper limit on the work in progress as the project goal is to add value to the customer D) Only the sponsor can approve limits that lower resource utilization and may lead to wasting project funds
Answer: B Adding WIP limits reduces waste and increases increase value being delivered.
70- The product owner on an agile team used to be a developer and has set ideas on how things should be done. What should the product owner do for the team? A) Provide detailed technical instructions so the team can do things right the first time B) Allow the team the freedom to decide how to organize, plan, and solve technical issues C) Conduct daily inspections of the working product D) Empower the team to prioritize the work
Answer: B Agile Manifesto Principle #5
16- A developer joined a new agile team after working with a different team for 3 years. The team member's former manager keeps asking the developer for help resolving defects. What should the project manager of the new team do first? A) Allow the developer to support both projects B) Disallow the developer from interacting with their former project C) Escalate to senior management D) Replace the developer
Answer: B Agile teams should have dedicated team members. When a team member is not 100% dedicated to the team, team velocities can not be accurately estimated.
74- Agile team members are concerned that Kanban method suggested by the scrum master for their upcoming project is not agile 'enough' for the project's needs. Which of the following would support the team members' concern? A) Kanban focuses on delivering value B) Kanban relies on staff specialization in each phase C) Kanban includes reflection as part of its process D) Kanban is as adaptable as other agile methods
Answer: B All answer choices listed are characteristics of Kanban and three of these are considered characteristics of agile in general. However, one limitation of Kanban, which is in conflict with the best agile practices, is its reliance on staff specialization in each phase, while agile preaches for generalizing specialists. Some argue that this may be considered a reason why Kanban is not considered agile 'enough'.
56- Two agile practitioners are discussing whether to implement Kanban's pull system with their respective agile teams. One of them believes that Kanban is not a true agile method and cites several reasons why Kanban may be considered controversial in some organizations. Which of the following is a reason why Kanban may be considered controversial? A) Kanban is demand driven using a push system B) Kanban requires little planning and may eliminate estimation C) User stories remain in the process only for a prescribed length of time D) User stories are completed in strict iteration lengths
Answer: B Although there may be some planning involved in Kanban, there is no need to plan for when or what to push or estimate when or how much demand there will be for work by the teams. Kanban does reduce planning and may eliminate estimation. This is partially why Kanban is controversial.
50- Towards the end of the sprint, some of the user stories developed by the team are waiting for waiting. What do these user stories represent? A) Extra Processes B) Partially done work C) Extra Features D) Task switching
Answer: B An example pf partially done work in software development can be completed requirements waiting for design and coding, or code waiting for testing. Code waiting for testing is the situation described in the question. Therefore, this option is the best answer choice.
19- An agile team is comprised of eighteen team members. Half of them are co-located, while the others are distributed globally. The team lead has made several suggestions to an experienced agile practitioner to help the team deliver effective results. However, the agile practitioner indicates that one of the suggestions may be problematic. Which of the following did the agile practitioner view as problematic? A) Use webcams, to establish a feeling of presence and awareness with fellow teammates B) Utilize a lightweight agile methodology for teams of a bigger size, to reduce overhead C) Implement automated build reports sent over email in real-time, to communicate status D) Establish caves and commons, to improve osmotic communication while allowing privacy when needed
Answer: B As team get larger, they need a heavyweight rather than a lightweight methodology. For example, an 18 person team is larger than the optimal size (6 to 12) recommended by agile best practices. Therefore, lighter-agile methodologies would not be very effective.
71- Before the start of the first iteration, the team held the final discussion in the series of meetings intended to select a technical approach among many suggested approaches for the product development. The meeting has been running late and eventually got stuck as the meeting participants did not seem to agree on anything. What is the best action for the team lead to take in this situation? A) Encourage the discussion until a consensus is reached B) Select a technical approach and make a decision C) Set another meeting, but this with external experts D) Suggest an architectural spike to explore the approach
Answer: B Based on the information described in the question, there is no point to continue the debate. This technical meeting is supposed to be the last meeting in the series. It was time to make a decision. While not ideal, this answer is the best option among the choice given.
36- An agile practitioner would like to see their company start using Scrum on future projects, but getting buy-in at the executive level has been challenging since executives are not familiar with the benefits of agile methodologies. Which of the following is correct in describing the benefits of using Scrum over other agile methodologies? A) Scrum does not have many roles or artifacts because it's more of a general agile mindset than a true methodology B) Scrum has strict artifact, roles, and rules, and although it's not flexible, it is most successful when applied correctly C) Scrum is lightweight and easily paired with other methodologies, making it flexible to anyone with any type previous project management experience D) Scrum is the least likely agile methodology to be used by organizations due to its overly strict roles, rules, and artifacts.
Answer: B By Being strict with artifact, roles, and rules, Scrum allows teams to cope with the changes and unpredictability that are part of continuous discovery and learning
43- An XP team is looking to replace one of its programmers who left to take another position. Which of the following characteristic should the team consider most important in new applicants for the position? A) Expert coder who works well with others B) Diverse skill set to be play many roles C) Excellent development experience on a wide range of products D) New to agile and easily trainable as they do not have any bad agile habits
Answer: B Extreme Programming (XP) emphasizes the idea or whole team and generalizing specialists. Often those most valuable on an XP team are who can develop, test, and play other roles, and can switch responsibilities and tasks as the need arises. A team of generalizing specialists has less of information and rarely has anyone waiting or idle.
44- An agile practitioner was explaining the differences and similarities between agile and traditional project management approaches to a senior manager. After the conversation, the practitioner realized that she had misstated one important point. Which of the following points would that be? A) Both agile and traditional methods are value-driven B) Agile methods are iterative and non-incremental C) Both traditional and agile methods allow for changes throughout the project D) Too much planning on agile projects introduces risk
Answer: B False, therefore correct. Agile methods are iterative and incremental. Agile delivers increments to focus on the important features first and to deliver these features to the customer sooner.
20- A scrum master is helping the team understand and embrace the five scrum values to ensure the team's and the project's health and success. The product owner has brought the team a daunting amount of user stories that need to be completed during the current project. Which specific scrum value should the scrum master emphasize with the team to deliver the most valuable items to the client as quickly as possible? A) Courage, by feeling supported and having more resources at their disposal B) Focus, by working on only a few things at a time C) Respect, by working together and sharing successes and failures D) Commitment, by having control over their own destiny
Answer: B For the situation described, Focus has the largest impact on the value of the product delivered to the client
29- An agile team has recently received additional funds to help improve the team's performance. Give the following four possibilities for how to use these funds, which of these would best reflect the value of an agile team? A) Upgrade the team's computers with the latest technology to increase work productivity B) Co-locate the team members to improve team collaboration and communication C) Purchase additional software tools to improve the team's remote communication D) Assign a cubical to each team member to help them better maintain their focus
Answer: B Improving team performance is not just individual productivity but also about the team's ability to work together effectively
48- While some of the company executive believe that agile does not utilize managers, as teams are self-directed and self-organizing, an agile coach thinks that Agile still needs leaders to keep projects on track. Which of the following is considered a best practice of agile leaders? A) Set goals for what will be accomplished during each iteration B) Enhance focus, personal safety, and communications within teams C) Protect teams from customer input that would change prioritization of project work D) Maintain confidentiality by only sharing project progress with the project team
Answer: B Monitoring and enhancing focus, personal safety, and communications within teams are among the tasks agile leaders are expected to preform to improve team performance.
2- A software developer is writing code in an Extreme Programming (XP) environment and discovers an error in another developer's code and he believe he knows how to correct the error. Which of the following is the developer's best course of action? A) Document the error and report it to the original developer so it can be corrected B) Make the necessary correction to the code himself and document as needed C) Report the error to the product owner and let them decide how to proceed D) Ignore the error because it will be discovered and corrected during testing
Answer: B On an Extreme Programming software development team who owns the code?
15- During the feasibility stage, stakeholders who are unfamiliar with Agile are concerned about preliminary estimates being too uncertain. Which statement about agile estimating and planning at the feasibility stage should the product owner communicate to allay fears of stakeholders that the project would most likely exceed budget and last longer than expected? A) Planning and estimating at the feasibility stage is simply about determining an appropriate deadline or schedule for the project. B) The value of the work as well as planning and estimating for the work to be done are determined iteratively and incrementally C) Estimates are not needed to create plans for purpose of marketing, training, and release activities until deliverables are produced D) Accurate estimates will be available during iteration Zero, therefore by the time the actual work starts, precise plan can be provided
Answer: B Planning and estimating during a feasibility stage is focused on determining value to the customers by asking questions like, "What should we build?" As the project progresses past the feasibility stage, the cost, the budget, and the overall project schedule become clearer and easier to control.
77- All the work performed in Scrum needs a set of values to serve as the foundation for the team's processes and interactions. One of these important values is openness. Which of the following represents one of the questions that the team addresses in the spirit of openness during the daily standup meeting? A) What went well on the last iteration? B) What is in our way? C) How do we best develop a user story? D) What do we plan to accomplish in the upcoming sprint?
Answer: B Sharing any impediments to progress is one of the key aspects of the daily standup meeting. The scrum master is responsible for removing any impediments to progress so the team can focus on delivering value to the customer.
23- An agile team becomes more stable after working together on many projects. What should the team do when solving problems to continue being high performing? A) Support the sentiment and opinion of the majority B) Share potential solutions outside the team C) Encourage group think D) Trust without questioning the team's capabilities to solve the problem
Answer: B Teams should consider sharing ideas with trusted parties; perhaps get an expert opinion or even at times, an external, more objective opinion.
40- A stakeholder frequently calls and emails the development team to get status on the project. How should an agile coach handle this situation? A) Escalate to the project manager B) Contact and guide the stakeholder C) Ask the product owner to handle the stakeholder D) Let the team continue to answer emails and phone calls
Answer: B The agile coach should contact the project stakeholder and guide, coach , and educate them about the proper channels to use to address their need for project status.
38- What activity might an agile practitioner recommend to their distributed team for the project kickoff? A) Hold a video conference with the entire team B) Bring team together for a face-to-face meeting C) Create and share a short biography about themselves on the project blog D) Make team member attendance optional as they are a self-organizing and empowered team
Answer: B The preferred way for agile teams and stakeholders to communicate is through face-to-face interactions. This method of communicating has the highest bandwidth, transfers the most and richest form of information in a given period. It allows participants to convey their tone and non-verbal gestures.
17- During the most recent spring, the product owner's availability has been restricted by his other responsibilities. At the last daily standup, a team member who needed clarification for a user story has identified the difficulty getting feedback from the product owner as a roadblock. Which of the following is the best course of action for the scrum master? A) Let the senior developers make the product decisions B) Contact the product owner on behalf of the member C) Mention the issue during the sprint review D) Discuss the issue at the sprint retrospective meeting
Answer: B The scrum master should contact the product owner and inform him of the team members need for clarification. It would also be a good idea to remind the product owner that regular and consistent feedback is an integral part of agile project success.
25- A scrum master is responsible not only for enforcing the rules of scrum but also enacting the five values of scrum. Which of the following statements would properly communicate the scrum value of "commitment" to the team? A) Because we work as a team, we feel supported and have more resources at our disposal. This requires commitment as we undertake greater challenges. B) Because we have great control over our own destiny, we are more committed to success C) Because we focus on only a few things at a time, we work well together and are committed to excellent work. We deliver valuable items sooner D) Because we work together, we express how we're doing, what is in our way, and our concerns and we are committed to seeing them addressed
Answer: B The scrum value of commitment states 'Because we have great control over our own destiny, we are more committed to success'
8- The Chief Technology Officer for a large enterprise is working hard to create a learning organization. The CTO Knows that Scrum helps an organization with continuous process improvement with its defined roles, artifacts, and ceremonies. Which scrum ceremony is dedicated to continuous process improvement? A) Sprint planning meeting B) Sprint retrospective meeting C) Sprint review meeting D) Daily scrum meeting
Answer: B The sprint retrospective meeting is held by scrum team at the end of each sprint to discuss and agree upon ways they could improve their processes, practices, teamwork, environment, or organization for the next sprint.
21- The product owner suspects that the iteration could be behind schedule and therefore pushes the team members to work extra time to ensure that they meet the deadline. What should the scrum master do in such situation? A) Discuss the product owner's concern at the next daily stand-up meeting B) Ensure that the team updates information radiators C) Tell the product owner that the team will continue working at the same pace D) Ask the team members to work extra time as requested by the product owner
Answer: B There is no evidence that the team is indeed behind schedule. It is just the product owner's concern. However, concerns should not be ignored. Therefore, the best course of action for the scrum master to confirm or reject the concern of the product owner and make sure that relevant information radiators are up to date.
31- It is recommended that the new project is executed as an agile project, but an organizational study indicates a company is not prepared to execute agile projects. What should an agile practitioner do in this situation? A) Begin an agile project so the organization can get used to agile methods B) Teach others in the organization about the benefits of agile methods C) Abandon adopting agile within the organization D) Use a hybrid of waterfall and agile methods
Answer: B This choice is part of agile principle and mindset: to promote agile within the organization. The agile leader should take the opportunity to continue to promote agile within the organization until it is ready for its adoption.
37- Which of t he following is a value stated in the Agile Manifesto? A) Customer collaboration over comprehensive documentation B) Responding to change over following a plan C) Individuals interactions over processes and techniques D) Working software over contract negotiation
Answer: B Value #4 from the Agile Manifesto: Responding to change over following a plan.
30- A company is considering removing an experienced scrum from their current high-performing team to help other agile teams within the organization to leverage their scrum knowledge. What advice would an agile practitioner give to the company's management? A) Remove the scrum master from the team to assist other teams assign a department manager instead B) Do not remove the scrum master from the team and also allow the scrum master to assist other teams C) Remove the scrum master from the team to assist other teams and allow the product owner to double as the scrum master D) Do not remove the scrum master and let the other teams manage themselves as agile teams are self-organizing and self-directing
Answer: B While it is advisable to assign a unique scrum master to each scrum team, it is acceptable to allow a scrum master to assist multiple teams if it does not impose an undue burden on the scrum master or any of the teams.
42- After creating a simple design, an XP team held a brainstorming session in order to explain this design to the project stakeholders and establish a shared technical vision. Which of the following agile practices is described in this scenario? A) Drafting a project elevator statement B) Designing a system metaphor C) Establishing a collective code ownership D) Documenting the team code standards
Answer: B XP teams use metaphors to describe their program or system's vision. It is an easy way to communicate to all stakeholders how the system should work.
65- An agile team is developing a product for a customer. In the few iterations, the team members spent extra hours creating product documentation and reviewing the contracts with the customer. How would the team's time been better spent? A) Reporting the extra hours in the company's time and attendance tools B) Building features according to the initial project management plan C) Creating the product increment and working with the product owner D) Developing functionality as requested by the project sponsor
Answer: C "Creating the product increment and working with the product owner" is the best answer among the choices given, as it represents value to the customer and is aligned with the Agile Manifesto value of creating working software and collaborating with the customer (or with the product owner who is the voice of the customer).
51- A new manager insists that team has to extensively document the code in formal document. The product owner explains that while a certain amount of documentation is necessary, the team's time is better spent writing code because the code is what represents the most value to the customer. Which of the following agile concepts does the product owner explain to the new manager? A) Fractionally assigned B) Servant leadership C) Barely sufficient D) Pair programming
Answer: C 'Barely sufficient' is the agile term used to describe the approach of doing only as much as is necessary to accomplish the work without including non-value added activities.
13- The agile Manifesto's 4 values and 12 principles form the foundation of all agile methods. Although all of these values and principles are critical to the success of any agile project, one principle stands out as the top priority for all agile projects. Which of the following describes this top priority? A) Delivering working product frequency, from a couple of weeks to couple of months B) Welcoming changing requirements, late in development C) Satisfying the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable product D) Building projects around motivated individuals
Answer: C Agile Manifesto principle #1 states 'Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
66- You are a PMI-ACP certified scrum master for an agile team and also a speaker at your local PMI chapter. You have been asked to prepare a presentation about the place of a command and control management style in agile project management. What would you say when your audience asks you to provide insight on how agile leaders are different from command and control top-down managers? A) Agile leaders demand results within the limits of an iteration, while command and control top-down managers demand results within the defined scope of the project B) Command and control top-down managers facilitate collaboration between team members, while agile leaders dictate work based on the needs of the backlog C) Agile leaders influence their teams and facilitate the work to help set direction and guidance, while command and control top-down managers tend to dictate the work and demand results D) Command and control top-down managers dictate and facilitate collaboration, while agile leaders set direction and provide guidance based on the needs of the backlog
Answer: C Agile leaders influence their teams and facilitate the work to help set direction and provide guidance, while command and control top-down managers tend to dictate the work and demand results.
73- An agile team is working to meet an aggressive release goal. The team leader has recently notice that the performance of one of the team members has dropped and the team member seems to be communicating less in group discussions. What should the team leader do? A) Backfill their work load using other more productive teammates B) Discuss ways to improve performance at team retrospective C) Meet with the team member and try to determine what motivates them D) Look for a replacement because agile teams require the best people
Answer: C Agile uses leadership instead of management to guide and govern. Leadership is about tapping into people's intrinsic motivations. As leaders, agile practitioners need to know what motivates the members of the team. Therefore, it is reasonable that the team leader meet with the team member and try to determine what motivates this individual.
47- A company is looking to outsource some work for an agile project. What is most important to emphasize and ensure when selecting and contracting with prospective vendors? A) Ensure vendors are all agile certified B) Establish contracts as fixed-cost incentives C) Maintain regular contact and feedback with customers D) Enforce strict coding standards
Answer: C All agile methods require regular stakeholder and customer feedback. The most important thing to emphasize and establish with an external vendor on an agile project, is that the project be structured to ensure that there is the ability for customers to provide regular feedback to the contractor during development.
9- What agile project management principle promote the development of new and highly innovative products opposed to making minor enhancements to existing products? A) Efficiency and adaptability for new products, innovation and optimization for existing products B) Innovation and optimization for new products, efficiency and adaptability for existing products C) Innovation and adaptability for new products, efficiency and optimization for existing products D) Optimization and adaptability for new products, efficiency and innovation for existing products
Answer: C Innovation helps agile teams deliver products that are of high value and often disruptive to industries. Agile project management supports the creation of innovative new products and services by using methods that allow adaptation to constantly changing technological and competitive constraints. Developing minor enhancements of existing products is most often guided by efficiency and optimization.
72- What product development method would best fit an agile team's needs if team members want to visualize and manage their workflow and limit work in progress without being constrained by strict time-boxed iterations? A) Extreme programming B) Generic agile C) Kanban D) Scrum
Answer: C Kanban method does not have time-boxed events, and the work items are pulled by the team members.
41- An agile project to build a new company website is implemented using lean product development approach. The project manager has delegated some of their duties to the team lead as well as encouraged the team members to make local decisions. This is an example of which of the following lean core concepts? A) Eliminating waste B) Delivering fast C) Empowering the team D) Visualizing the workflow
Answer: C Lean product development provides a model in which managers can avoid both micromanagement and abdication through the use of delegation. This concept is known as empowering the team.
59- A software developer has background in a manufacturing environment, where Kanban was utilized to analyze and reduce work in progress. Recently hired on an agile project team because of his skills and experience in process improvement, the developer is explaining Little's Law to a fellow project team member. What formula does the developer use to describe cycle time? A) Cycle time = throughput / work in progress B) Cycle time = number of items completed / throughput C) Cycle time = work in progress / throughput D) Cycle time = number of items completed / work in progress
Answer: C Little's law is an important concept used to help a project team analyze and minimize work in progress when implementing Kanban on an agile project. The law is a mathematical proof developed by John D.C Little that states that the more things you have going at the same time, the longer each thing will take. To understand the formula, let's break down the different parts of it and describe what each variable means. Cycle time is the time through the progress for each item. Work in progress is the number of items you work on at the same time. Throughput is the average time it takes to complete each item. Cycle time = work in progress / throughput.
61- Programmers developed just enough code to demonstrate working features. They used a minimal number of code classes and avoided any code duplication. They intended to adapt the code further based on customer feedback. Which of the following agile principles/ best practices / tools & techniques / Knowledge & skills is described in this scenario? A) Refactoring B) Continuous Integration C) Simple Design D) Sustainable pace
Answer: C One of the XP goals is to build the simplest design and just enough to make the feature work. The design should deliver features the customer needs.
45- A two-year project to create a state-of-the-art drivetrain for the latest model of a global automobile company has just come to an end. The team is engaged in the final project closeout activities. Which of the following might be included in these activities? A) Conducting a kick-off meeting to celebrate the successful completion of the project B) Project closure is not performed on an agile project as it does not produce value for the customer C) Release of the final product to the operations team D) Preparing the project definition of done
Answer: C Projects, by definition, are temporary endeavors and the project team eventually needs to release the product to the operations team. The hand over of the final product is an essential component of project closure.
6- The project stakeholders have approached the scrum master of a team working on their third sprint to ask why a certain feature was removed from the sprint, what features are planned to be delivered in the next sprint, and how and where the money is being spent. What would be the best course of action for the scrum master to take in this situation? A) Advise the project stakeholders to consult the project burndown chart B) Refer the project stakeholders to the team member to get the information C) Refer the project stakeholders to the product owner to get the information D) Present the required information at the upcoming iteration review meeting
Answer: C Questions related to the direction of the project, project schedule, and project budget fall into the responsibility of the product owner, rather than the scrum master or the development team members.
60- When agile teams focus on creating comprehensive documentation, they will have less time to: A) Play collaborative gams to have fun at work B) Prepare progress status reports for management C) Respond to changes requested by the customer D) Negotiate contracts with the third-party vendors
Answer: C Responding to change requested by the customer is one of the main agile practice. Creating comprehensive documentation would leave the team with less time to focus on responding to change requested by the customer. The team's inability to respond to change would eventually negatively affect the project.
39- The product roadmap for a customized lodging software system consists of, on-line room reservations, payment system, customer reward program, employee on-line scheduling, and in-room checkout. The requested the reservation system up and running as soon as possible to bring in revenue. What advice should the agile practitioner offer in this situation? A) Ask the client to delay the opening until the team can finish developing all features B) Recommend the client purchasing pre-packaged off-the-shelf software instead of the customized one C) Coach and influence the product owner to reduce requirements and prioritize by value D) Hire more developers to have all features ready for the date required by the customer
Answer: C The best answer is to only build a simple and basic design to get the reservation system up and running to bring in revenue for the client as soon as possible. Low value requirements can be added later in the project.
18- A scrum master is facilitating the daily scrum meeting when one of the team members brings up a problem accessing a database that is impeding his progress. Another team member offers a possible solution, which in turn begins a conversation between the two team members. After a minute or two, the scrum master cuts off their conversation reminding them that the daily scrum meeting is not the appropriate venue for their discussion. What should the scrum master do next? A) Ask the team member who mentioned the problem to create a change request regarding the database roadblock and let the individuals responsible for the database resolve the problem B) End the daily scrum meeting and focus the team on resolving the database problem since it seems to take priority over the remainder of the daily scrum meeting C) Continue the daily scrum meeting and when it is complete dismiss the rest of the team and ask the appropriate people to remain in the parking lot to help resolve the database roadblock D) Allow the conversation between the two team members to continue until the issue is resolved because problem solving is one of the primary objectives of the daily scrum meeting
Answer: C The daily scrum meeting should not be used to address and resolve problems or to remove roadblocks but only to identify them and place them on a list to be discussed in the parking lot after the daily scrum meeting has been completed.
28- New team members who come from a traditional waterfall background and have no agile experience joined the team a few weeks ago. Around the same time, customer satisfaction with the team's deliverables started to drop. Which of the following would be the most likely reason for the decline in customer's satisfaction? A) These new team members did not productively contribute to the team's velocity B) These new team members did not get along with each other and refused to work collaboratively C) These new team members resisted changes in the initial customer requirements D) These new team members preferred oral communication over exchanging emails
Answer: C The reason for the customer's dissatisfaction was specifically inked to the project's product component deliverables, which are the customer requirements. These new team members mostly likely resisted changes in the initial customer requirements because of their traditional/waterfall background and lack of understanding of basic agile principles.
24- An experienced software developer is working with a less experienced developer in pair programming setup. What should the more experienced developer say to less experienced developer to best explain continuous integration? A) The source code is reviewed, line by line, by the more experienced partner in a pair programming setup and rewritten prior to being entered into the control system B) The source code is compiled in the control system at the end of the iteration, where it will undergo quality by the developers and the QA team prior to the next iteration C) Small batches of the source code are checked in, the control system initiates a full build, a suite of automated is run, and developer is notified electronically of any code compilation failures D) The source code is compiled in the control system at the end of a release and then tested just before release dates approach at the "last responsible moment"
Answer: C This is the correct explanation of continuous integration
26- Scrum team members are geographically distributed across the globe. The team was in a video conference discussing steps to troubleshoot a critical found in the customer production system. The discussion turned into a heated debate where the team members blamed each other for the defect. How should the scrum respond? A) Have the development team members work together to resolve this issue on their own B) Request that all development team members be on site for these types of troubleshooting sessions C) Facilitate the team discussion to ensure that the problem is resolved collaboratively in a professional way D) Wait until the retrospective meeting and review the team working agreements with the team
Answer: C When a conflict arises, and the team is unable to resolve it on their own, the scrum master as a servant leader should step in and facilitate the discussion to ensure the team members work with each other in a professional and collaborative manner
33- Agile team members want to create an application for a new video game console. While the team wants to early adopters by hitting their targeted release window, they do not want to end up with a lackluster game. What strategy would best allow the team to balance building the game rapidly while meeting their objectives? A) Focus on reactive thinking to improve the speed of development B) Depend on refactoring at later stages to fix errors made early on C) Arrange prioritized elements using an information hierarchy, such as a wireframe D) Delay requirements gathering until more is known about the system to avoid the compounding of errors
Answer: C Wireframes assist the project's development by laying out content and functionality so the project has a visual structure and basis for development.
54- A senior software developer is demonstrating to a junior programmer how they use a Kanban on their project to pull user stories through the system. What would be the typical order of the series of phases on their Kanban board? A) In development, in test, in requirements B) In test, in development, in requirements C) In requirements, in test, in development D) In requirements, in development, in test
Answer: D A Kanban board will show user stories progress through a series of phases that being with requirements, followed by development, and finally completed by testing. While there could be different names to the phases as well as additional phases, " in requirements, in development, in test" is a typical sequence of work and therefore is the best answer among the choice given
52- After a few successful iterations, agile team members held a sprint planning meeting for the next sprint. Which of the following would be a result this meeting? A) An increment of the product B) A prioritized list of backlog items C) A sprint toolbox with storyboard, code repository, and wireframes D) A sprint goal as agreed upon by the product owner and the team members
Answer: D A sprint goal includes a description of what the product owner and the team have agreed to accomplish during the sprint. A sprint goal is among the artifacts produced during the sprint planning meeting.
35- An agile coach has up a meeting for team to reflect and adapt. What is the purpose of this meeting? A) To demonstrate the product to the customer B) To select user stories for the next iteration C) To discuss the team progress and impediments D) To determine team's process improvement
Answer: D Agile teams use sprint retrospective meetings where they reflect on the work processes used in the latest sprint and determine how to improve or adapt processes for the next sprint.
22- Team members are complaining that they can't get their work done because the new sponsor, who is not familiar with agile practices, keeps contacting them project details. How should the scrum master address this? A) Ask one of the team members to serve as a speaks person so the others can get their work done B) Meet with the product owner and ask for their assistance in dealing with the sponsor C) Tell the team that the scrum master's permission is required before discussing project details with the sponsor D) Contact the sponsor and request that they should direct all questions to the scrum master
Answer: D Contacting the sponsor would be the best action for the scrum master to take in order to explain to the sponsor how agile works and what is the right way to get the project details.
62- A company specializing in robotics and system automation was hired to develop an automated system to improve the efficiency of a production line. The company produced the automated system exactly per the customer's specifications which were documented in the agreement at the start of the project. However, upon delivery, the system did not produce the customer's expected results. Which value of the Agile Manifesto might have prevented this situation? A) Business people and developers must work together daily through daily throughout the project B) Individuals and interactions over processes and tools C) Responding to change over following a plan D) Customer collaboration over contract negotiations
Answer: D Customer collaboration form the basis for joint decision-making and establishes connections between the customer and the development team to ensure the customer receives the intended benefits of the project.
69- During the team's daily standup meeting, two of the team members are arguing about how to solve an issue that is delaying development of one of the modules. What is the best course of action for the agile coach to take? A) Do nothing as agile methods encourage constructive disagreement B) Do mothing as the team needs to learn to work out disagreements without outside influence C) Allow the opinion of the majority determine how to remove the impediment D) Remind the team members that the daily standup is not the forum to discuss such issues
Answer: D Daily stand-up meeting is a time-boxed event with a very clear agenda
64- An agile practitioner wants to ensure that their agile project team follows the Agile Manifesto in terms of valuing working software over comprehensive documentation. Which of the following would be most appropriate for the agile practitioner to do if they want to follow this Agile Manifesto value? A) Creating only those documents that are legally required B) Documentation should be done at the first responsible moment C) Developing software only without creating any documentation D) Adding the documentation user story to the product backlog
Answer: D Even minimal, barely sufficient documentation, is typically required for an agile project. Creating documentation requires an effort from the agile team. Therefore, the team should account for this work and add it to the product backlog as documentation user story.
11- An agile team has successfully delivered the product to the customer who was very satisfied with the final result of the project. Which of the following most likely contributed to the project success? A) The team member worked in pairs during the development of the product B) Refactoring and continuous integration were done as per agile best practices C) The entire team was involved in the daily standup and owned the code collectively D) Representative of the customer were always available to answer the team questions
Answer: D Having representatives of the customer work closely with the team and be available to answer members' questions are most likely the key factors that contributed to project's success and customer satisfaction. Frequent feedback from the customer helps the team build what customer requested, which eventually leads to a higher customer satisfaction.
67- For the upcoming sprint, the product owner created and groomed the backlog to include software features only. The product owner then set up a product review meeting. What is the main purpose of this meeting? A) To capture and record requirement B) To demonstrate the team progress to the project stakeholders C) To provide opportunity for end-users to test and verify that the system is working as designed D) To demonstrate product to the customer in order to obtain feedback
Answer: D Obtaining feedback during product review is the best way of determining if team's effort adds value and is to the customer's satisfaction.
55- An agile coach joined a team that has been working on a project for the last few months. The coach noticed that the team members were struggling to remove impediments, did not have a discipline around time-boxed events, and were not using information radiators to display the project status. What is the best course of action for the agile coach to take? A) Do nothing, since all the issues are minor B) Help the team deal with impediments, remind of the importance of time-boxing, and force the team to use information radiators C) Tell the team to deal with impediments, remind of the importance of time-boxing, and suggest the team to use information radiators D) Help the team to deal with impediments, remind of the importance of time-boxing, and suggest the team to use information radiators
Answer: D Of the choices provided, this answer represents the best course of action for the agile coach to take.
1- After working overtime for the last few iteration, agile team members decided that from now on they would maintain a 40-hours workweek. Why is it important to have a regular 40-hour workweek? A) To maximize the amount of work not done B) To minimize the amount of work in progress C) To deliver working software frequency D) To promote sustainable development
Answer: D Promoting sustainable development is the Agile Manifesto principle #8, which supports work-life balance by maintaining regular 40-hour workweek.
78- A scrum master has successfully facilitated the work of team members by rigidly following the three pillars of Scrum. Which of the following represents one of the three pillars of scrum? A) Having the courage to share work that is incomplete B) Maintaining respect for the other members of the team at all times C) Maximizing the amount of work not done by the team members D) Ensuring that the work and progress is visible to the project stakeholders
Answer: D Significant aspects of the process must be visible to those responsible for the outcome. Transparency requires those aspects be defined by a common standard, so observers share a common understanding of what is being seen. This answer choice represents the scrum pillar of transparency.
63- Agile team members are establishing some rules of engagement as they begin their project. They post these rules in a visible location so that each team member understands the nature of their relationship as a team. Which of the following is true regarding these rules? A) Developed in a prescriptive manner at the project and maintained throughout project B) Are captured in the project charter C) Should be developed by agile coach and then covered by the project team D) Describe relationship building, practice definition, and decision making
Answer: D The rule of engagement, also known as ground rules or working agreements, provide structure and boundaries for how team members are expected to treat each other. They serve in relationship building, practice definition, and decision making
46- A stakeholder wants to delay the completion date of an iteration so that the features that the stakeholder requested can be completed. How should the team respond? A) Delay the iteration completion date B) Work extra hours on the project C) Bring additional developers on the team for this iteration only D) Continue working at their sustainable pace and not extend the iteration
Answer: D The team operates within a fixed iteration length and should not extend it. The team should also maintain a sustainable pace.
57- Scrum is being considered for use on a project that requires frequent turnaround on deliverables very early in the project. The reasoning was that the defined roles, artifacts and meetings used by a scrum team would help ensure the best results would be delivered as early as possible. What else can be said about the roles defined in scrum to help make the case for using it on the project? A) The product owner ensures that the team understands and follows the scrum process while the scrum master negotiates what work can be completed in a sprint with feedback from the development team B) The scrum master is responsible for working with the customer to prioritize the product backlog, and the product owner acts as a servant leader for the scrum team members C) The scrum team self-organizes, choosing its own product owner and scrum master, and decomposes user story tasks based on each individual team member's skill level D) The scrum master removes impediments and focuses on the health of the team, the product owner represents the business and stakeholders, and the development team is a cross-functional group that designs, develops and tests the product
Answer: D This choice accurately describes the main responsible of the product owner, scrum master and development team members on a scrum team.
