Pega SAE questions

What is the naming convention for an alternate stage?

noun or noun phrase (limited to 1-2 words)

What is the naming convention for a stage in the case life cycle?

noun or noun phrase, 1-2 words (e.g. Pre-Qualify, Underwriting)

Explain the functionality of check in/check out.

upon check out, a copy of the rule is added to the ruleset reserved solely for the developer who checks out the rule; the personal ruleset occupies the top spot in the ruleset stack (the rules in your personal ruleset override rules in the rest of the application); when the rule is checked back in, the rule is copied back to the original ruleset, overriding the previous version, and the updated rule is available to be checked out again

What is the naming convention for processes and steps?

verb + noun

Scenario: You check out a rule to update it. While the rule is checked out, another developer decides to test a case type by creating and processing the case. What happens when the application attempts to use the rule you checked out? A. The application ignores the checked-out version and uses the previous version in the application ruleset B. The application runs the checked-out version of the rule, because that is the most up-to-date version of the rule C. The application cannot run because the rule is unavailable D. The application returns an error and stops processing the case, because the rule is unavailable for use

(A) - Checking out a rule does not prevent an application from running the rule; checking out a rule only prevents system architects from updating the rule until you check in the rule B - Checked-out rules are saved to your personal ruleset, which only you can access; this prevents other users from using the rule until you check in the rule C - Checking out a rule does not affect the application in this manner D - Checking out a rule does not affect the application in this manner.

Which requirement could be satisfied with a user action? A. Allow a user to transfer a case to another employee at any stage of the case B. An application randomly sends a survey to customers once their case is resolved C. Requiring a separate approval process whenever an order exceeds USD 10,0000 D. Reassign any task that remains open after three days to another user

(A) - Since the decision to transfer the case is left to the user, the case can be implemented as an optional process B - Sending a survey to customers randomly is defined as a step in the case life cycle C - Optional processes are launched at the user's discretion; a required approval process should be defined as part of the case life cycle D - Optional processes are launched at the user's discretion; reassigning open tasks after three days is best implemented as an automated action

The goal milestone in a service level defines: A. The amount of time in which the case or step should be completed B. The amount of time allowed before the case automatically advances to the next assignment C. The amount of time allowed for a user to advance a case to the next stage D. The amount of time in which the case or step must be completed

(A) - The goal milestone is the amount of time in which the business would like the case or step to be completed B - Escalation actions can be applied at the end of a goal interval, using a service level rule; however, the main intent of the goal interval is to establish the desired amount of time to complete the case or assignment, and not to perform the escalation action C - Goal milestones do not apply to a stage D - This is the definition of the deadline milestone

Which statement demonstrates a well-written business objective? A. Reduce inaccurate claims to less than 10 percent of all claims B. Passwords must be at least 8 characters C. Require HR VP approval for sabbatical leave D. Allow up to 200 concurrent users

(A) - a well-written business objective indicates a goal and a measure of success towards the goal B - this statement describes processing needs that must be met for processing work and data in the application C - this statement describes processing needs that must be met for processing work and data in the application D - this statement describes processing needs that must be met for processing work and data in the application

Scenario: A business process requirement states that users should be able to modify the shipping address at any time and not interrupt the primary case. Which of the following options is the best way to design for this requirement? A. Add a local action to the case type B. Add an optional process to any stage in the case type C. Add a step in the process D. Add a process in the stage

(A) - adding a user action to the case type allows end users to choose when they want to modify the address and not take the case off the primary path B - an optional process is started by a user, but it leaves the primary path of the case C - a step only executes when a process in a stage is executed; a user cannot determine when the step is run D - a process runs within a stage and cannot be executed manually by a user

Which two statements identify why you should automate correspondence? A. Automating correspondence allows for sending consistent information to users B. Automating correspondence keeps all interested parties informed of the current status of a case C. Automating correspondence allows you to send timely communication D. Automating correspondence allows you to advance a case

(A) - by defining the correspondence in a case, you can be assured that correspondence is sent for every case B - while you can send status updates for a case, you typically don't send a correspondence for every status change (C) - by automating when a correspondence should be sent, you can send it to users when they need it D - correspondence does not change the status of a case

Scenario: You are developing a case life cycle for a human resources application. The first stage contains a single process named Collect Candidate Information. Which of the following steps would you choose to include in the Collect Candidate Information process? A. Collect personal information B. Conduct interview C. Determine compensation D. Assess candidate

(A) - collecting personal information is necessary to complete the goal of collecting candidate information B - this task is not necessary for completing the process goal C - this task is not necessary for completing the process goal D - this task is not necessary for completing the process goal

A connector is used to _____ (choose three) A. Identify an outcome of a decision B. Indicate an event handled by a user C. Indicate possible branches of a process D. Identify the order of events in a process E. Indicate an automated action performed by the application

(A) - connectors are used to represent outcomes of an automated decision B - a processing event handled by a user is indicated by an assignment, not a connector (C) - by adding more than one connector to a shape, you allow a process to branch as required for case processing (D) - connectors are used to indicate the order of events in a process, from start to end E - automated actions are indicated by a utility shape

Which two tasks do system architects perform on a Pega project? (choose two) A. Configure UI forms B. Develop feature prototypes C. Identify business objectives for an application D. Define application requirements

(A) - system architects create user interfaces (B) - system architects develop feature prototypes C - business stakeholders work with business architects to identify business objectives for an application D - business architects are responsible for defining application requirements

Scenario: An organization wants to automate its existing expense reporting process. Which two actions should the organization take in order to follow Pega's best practices for application design? A. Build and test the application before rolling it out for review by interested parties to ensure the application is ready for release B. Build the required features as soon as they are needed during application development to keep the project moving quickly C. Identify the departments responsible for the application design and have them work independently to enhance organizational efficiency D. Use DCO to enter business requirements for the application to facilitate direct engagement of IT and business resources

(A) - the organization should build the application iteratively and plan for regular reviews in iterative development cycles B - you should research existing Pega functionality and features before building your own C - all interested parties in the organization should coordinate their efforts as they work on the application design (D) - Pega recommends that all projects leverage DCO as a core part of the delivery process

Select the two items of information used to uniquely identify a rule (choose two): A. The type of the rule B. The class of the rule C. The description of the rule D. The application that uses the rule E. The status of the rule

(A) - the type identifies the behavior modeled by the rule; this type allows you to differentiate between a process named Approval and a UI named Approval (B) - the class is used to uniquely identify a rule C - the description is used to provide greater detail about the purpose of a rule, but is not used to identify the rule D - you must specify the ruleset in which to save the rule, but not the application E - while you can assign a status to a role, this information is not required when creating a rule

Scenario: A company provides two applications to its employees. One application is managed by the Accounting department, and allows employees to submit expense reports for reimbursement. The second application is managed by the IT department, and allows employees to submit support tickets for IT-related issues. Each application requires a data element to track the status of cases. Select the best strategy for implementing this requirement. A. Check the inheritance path to determine if an appropriate data element is already available B. Create one data element in the organization layer, for both applications to use C. Create a data element for each case type, since they may use different status values D. Create one data element in the framework layer, for both applications to use

(A) - verify that no appropriate data element already exists and is usable by the application, before you create one B - while this approach would work, it does not take into account that such a data element may already exist C - even though the data element may report different values in each application, the data element itself is the same D - because the applications represent different business processes, there is little likelihood that they share a framework application.

What are the eight categories of standard Pega process reports?

1. Analyze Performance 2. Analyze Quality 3. Case Metrics 4. Monitor Assignments 5. Monitor Processes 6. Open Cases 7. Service Level Performance 8. Step Performance

What are the 5 types of business requirements in Pega?

1. Business rule 2. Change control 3. Enterprise Standard 4. Functional 5. Non-functional

What are the groups of classes in an application's class hierarchy?

1. Case Type (classes that describe a specific case type) 2. Division/Organization (classes that collect common rules and data elements) 3. Other Applications (i.e. industry-specific Pega applications) 4. Pega 7 (base classes provided by the Pega platform)

What are the responsibilities of an SA?

1. Configure and unit test individual application elements such as correspondence and automated decisions 2. Help draft processes and user interfaces during DCO sessions

What are guidelines to follow when planning the application UI?

1. Design an intent-driven UI 2. Design a model-driven UI 3. Keep the UI simple and obvious 4. Use common UI labels and elements

What are the responsibilities of an LSA?

1. Direct the technical effort on a project 2. Work with business architects to design an application architecture 3. Design the architecture to reuse application assets as much as possible 4. Meet quality goals, including application performance

What are the responsibilities of an SSA?

1. Focus on a particular process of UI form, and supervise the development of that process or form 2. Add technical details to specifications, translating application requirements into guardrail-compliant feature designs 3. Identify opportunities to reuse existing assets within the application design

What are 4 questions to ask when establishing best practices?

1. Is the best practice appropriate for your organizational goals? 2. Does the best practice fit with the structure of your organization? 3. Do you have the necessary resources to use the best practice? 4. Is the best practice cost-effective?

What are some Pega-defined best practices?

1. Leverage DCO to improve product quality 2. Use standard Pega capabilities 3. Iterate and test as you build 4. Communicate project progress at all levels 5. Ensure project team members are certified 6. Follow Pega guardrails 7. Collaborate with everyone invested in the success of the project

What three questions should you ask when determining if you need to use a user action?

1. Should the user be allowed to update the information at any time during a case or stage? 2. Do you need multiple steps to update the information? 3. Can the information be updated in a single screen?

What are the three levels of system architects?

1. System architect 2. Senior system architect 3. Lead system architect

Which three pieces of information does the Compliance Details tab of the guardrails landing page provide to analyze the risk areas in your application?

1. Warning impact - the severe and moderate configuration issues to address before releasing the application 2. Warning age - the age of the warnings in your application 3. Application risk introduced by operator - the developer(s) responsible for introducing the behavior generating the warnings

What are the access groups and their usages that are automatically created for each Pega application?

1. [application]:Administrators - developer access to the application; configured to open the application in Designer Studio 2. [application]:Authors - developer access to the application; configured to open the application in Pega Express 3. [application]:Managers - manager access to the application; configured to open the application in the Case Manager portal 4. [application]:Users - user access to the application; configured to open the application in the Case Worker portal

What are three formats for viewing reports?

1. lists 2. summary layouts 3. charts

Which three items of information does Pega use to manage user access?

1. operator 2. access group 3. application

What are the two types of user actions?

1. optional processes 2. local actions

What are the critical dimensions of any business?

1. product 2. region 3. channel 4. customer The Situational Layer Cake allows us to organize applications using these dimensions

Which 4 components uniquely identify new rules?

1. rule type (determines rule behavior) 2. identifier (identifies purpose of rule) 3. class (identifies scope of rule) 4. ruleset (container for the rule)

What are the four levels of pattern inheritance?

1. rules for a specific type of case (rules at this level only affect a single type of case) 2. class group (contains all of the case types in an organization - rules at this level affect all the case types in the class group) 3. division layer (contains the work, data, and integration classes for the division) 4. organization layer (contains all of the classes for applications across an entire business or other organization - often contains data and integration classes that can be applied across the entire organization)

What are the three benefits of modularity (created by the use of individual rules)?

1. versioning 2. delegation 3. reuse

What are the three types of classes used by a Pega application?

1. work class 2. integration class 3. data class

What is the guideline for number of alternate stages?

3-5 stages

Scenario: In a help desk ticket application the Respond to Ticket assignment can be handled by any help desk agent. To configure the assignment for routing you update the _____? A. Case B. Process C. Stage D. Step

A - you do not configure routing at the case level, this would mean all assignments in a case would go to the same location B - you do not configure routing at the process level, this would mean all assignments in a process would go to the same location C - you do not configure routing at the stage level, this would mean all assignments in a stage would go to the same location (D) - you configure routing for an assignment for the step

A step in the case life cycle has a Set Status value of Pending-Approval. When is the status of the case automatically updated? A. Only if the user manually updates the case status B. At the beginning of the step C. The status of a case cannot be automatically updated D. At the end of the step

A - A user can choose to manually update the status of a case, but the status can also be automatically updated (B) - When the Set Status value is defined on a step, the status is set when the step is executed C - The status of a case can be automatically updated D - The case status is updated prior to the end of the step

Select two benefits of following Pega's guardrails: A. Guardrails help project managers ensure that applications are completed on time. B. Guardrails help developers build applications that are easier to maintain and have fewer defects C. Guardrails help developers to track compliance with Pega's best practices D. Guardrails help managers create schedules for efficiently allocating developer resources

A - Pega's guardrails are not used for project management planning (B) - when developers follow Pega's guardrails, they are more likely to choose the best approaches, which lead to maintainable, reliable applications (C) - Pega's guardrails help developers choose the best approach to meet specific design requirements D - Pega's guardrails are not used for scheduling resources

On a Pega project, who is typically responsible for designing the application architecture? A. Senior System Architect B. System Architect C. Business Architect D. Lead System Architect

A - SSAs typically work to identify reusable assets within the application architecture B - SAs typically configure application functionality C - BAs typically manage application requirements and specifications (D) - LSAs are typically responsible for designing the application architecture

Scenario: You are assigned to a team to develop a case life cycle design for an application. Why would you design the case life cycle? A. Show technical users how to use Pega developer tools for collecting customer information B. Help estimate the total time required for the case life cycle to produce a new policy C. Guide the development team with guidelines on how to manage the project development D. Ensure all team members have a common understanding of how a case is processed and resolved

A - a case life cycle design does not provide technical details on how to implement functionality B - a case life cycle design does not measure processing time C - a case life cycle design does not provide information on how project development is managed (D) - a case life cycle allows all project team members to visualize the work as a whole and easily define its parts

Alternate stages are used to _____ . (Choose two) A. represent an alternative flow of the case life cycle sequenced from beginning to end B. organize process steps that are not part of the normal course of events C. define the expected flow of events in the life cycle of a case D. define the tasks that users accomplish while the case is in the stage

A - alternate stages cannot be sequenced (B) - an alternate stage is used to model the out-of-sequence events in the life cycle of a case C - primary stages are used to define the expected flow of events in the life cycle of a case (D) - as with primary stages, alternate stages are used to organize process steps

The Report Browser allows users to _____ (choose two) A. Create business metrics B. Create process metrics C. Create reports D. Delete reports

A - business metrics cannot be created using the Report Browser B - process metrics cannot be created using the Report Browser (C) - you can create new reports using the Report Browser (D) - you can delete reports using the Report Browser

With whom does a system architect work to develop application specifications? A. Business stakeholders B. Business architects

A - business stakeholders work with system architects to review completed elements of the application design (B) - system architects work with business architects to develop specifications that describe elements of the application design

Scenario: An application references a data element found in the Work- class. How is this rule inherited by the application? A. By naming PegaRULES as the built-on application B. By applying pattern inheritance C. By applying directed inheritance D. By adding the ruleset that contains the property to the application

A - naming a built-on application adds the application ruleset to the ruleset stack, but does not establish inheritance B - pattern inheritance iterates through the classes listed in the class name prefix (C) - directed inheritance is the only option that allows an application class to inherit rules defined for the Work- class D - adding a rulset to an application adds the ruleset to the ruleset stack, but does not establish inheritance

Business metrics are used to _____ A. Provide statistics on how work is performed in Pega applications B. Manage data instances for an application C. Describe and measure what the organization's work is D. Define the data types for an application

A - process metrics provide statistics on how work is performed in Pega applications B - business metrics are not used to manage data instances (C) - organizations use these business metrics to make informed decisions about improving its business performance D - data types define and hold data for your application

What is the difference between a requirement and a specification? A. There is no difference between a requirement and a specification B. A requirement provides a blueprint for how the application will meet the goals defined in a specification C. A requirement describes what the business need is, and specification describe how the application will meet the business need D. A requirement defines a specific step in a process; a specification defines a complete process

A - requirements and statements do have differences; requirements describe what the application will do; specifications describe how applications perform B - business objectives define the goal of an application; requirements describe what the application will do; specifications describe how applications perform (C) - this is the main distinction between requirements and specifications D - requirements and specifications do not strictly revolve around processes; they are used for all functionality you want to build; requirements describe what the application will do; specifications describe how applications perform

Adding instructions to a step _____ . A. Defines what the step should do B. Describes the business value of the step C. Instructs an architect how to build the step D. Describes to an end user what should be done in the step

A - requirements define what to build B - business objectives define the business value of an application C - specifications tell architects how to build an application (D) - instructions inform end users what to do next on a case at runtime

Scenario: A loan origination case requires the loan application be routed to an underwriter for verification. Any underwriter in the department can complete the verification. How would you route the verification assignment? A. To the current user B. To a specific user C. To a work queue D. To the reporting manager

A - routing the assignment to the current user would not route the assignment to a new user; the user currently working on the loan application would get the assignment B - routing the assignment to a specific user would prevent other underwriters from completing the verification (C) - routing the assignment to a work queue would allow any underwriter with access to the work queue to complete the verification D - routing the assignment to the reporting manager would route the assignment to the current user's reporting manager

Which type of record identifies the application that a user opens when logging in to Designer Studio? A. operator ID B. access group C. application

A - the operator ID identifies the user (B) - the access group identifies the privileges extended to a group of users for a specific application C - the application record identifies the contents of an application, such as the case types available to users

What are three questions you should ask when creating a correspondence? A. How often should you send the correspondence? B. Which email server should the correspondence use? C. How will the correspondence be sent? D. When does the correspondence need to be sent? E. Who is the user that receives the correspondence?

A - this is not something you will configure in a correspondence B - this is not something you will configure in a correspondence (C) - you will determine the medium in which the correspondence will be sent (D) - you will determine in the case when to send the correspondence (E) - knowing who the correspondence is going to will be important

Scenario: You are adding steps to a process named Select Insurance Policy. Which one of the following steps would be named correctly? A. Confirm B. Employee confirmation C. Confirm employee and employer D. Confirm employee

A - this name describes an action but not where the action is directed B - this name does not describe an action C - this action describes two separate purposes (D) - this name describes both the action and where the action is directed

Which statement demonstrates a well-written requirement? A. Eliminate order processing delays due to incorrect routing of requests B. A user should be able to cancel an order at any time C. System displays "Authorization History and Summary" for the last 12 months D. User must be able to select "Add Temporary Member" when "Authorization is Required" notice is displayed

A - this statement indicates a goal and a measure of success towards the goal; requirements describe what the application will do (B) - this statement describes processing needs that must be met for processing work and data in the application C - this statement describes how the system must perform; requirements describe what the application will do D - this statement describes how the system must perform; requirements describe what the application will do

Which statement demonstrates a well-written specification? A. The product catalog should be easy to navigate B. If the complainant type is "Provider", then provider information must be populated during the Triage Stage in the Basic Research Step C. Reduce time needed for time-off approvals from three weeks to one D. User passwords shall be encrypted using AES-256 encryption

A - this statement is ambiguous and open to interpretation; specifications describe how applications perform (B) - this statement describes how the system must perform C - this statement indicates a goal and a measure of success toward the goal; specifications describe how applications perform D - this statement describes processing needs that must be met for processing work and data in the application; specifications describe how applications perform

The primary purpose of a service level is to ____ . A. Track assignment status over time B. Assign cases to the appropriate case worker C. Generate service level reports D. Help ensure timely completion of assignments

A - tracking assignment status over time is accomplished using reports B - assigning cases to the appropriate case worker is accomplished using routing C - generating service level reports are accomplished using report definitions (D) - Service Levels, also known as Service Level Agreements (SLAs), are used to ensure work is completed within the expected time intervals

What three questions can you ask to help you plan user views? A. Will the information be stored in an external database? B. Will users want to see information displayed using different styles? C. Can users modify the values or only read the values? D. What fields do users need to see? E. How will users enter values in those fields?

A - where the information will be stored is important to know; however, it is an implementation detail that does not need to be decided upon when planning user views B - do not use different styles for different users; make the styles, color palettes, images, icons and fonts, consistent throughout your application (C) - knowing what each user must do to complete a specific task will help them complete the task with fewer errors (D) - in order to complete tasks, end-users enter information in fields on the forms (E) - use the appropriate display format for the data to be entered

What is the purpose of a class in a Pega application?

A class organizes rules within an application; the position of a class within the class hierarchy determines the reusability of the rules in that class

How many access groups can an operator belong to?

An operator can belong to any number of access groups; however, only one access group is active at any time

Which standard flow shape creates a task in a work list or workbasket?

Assignment

If a case manager oversees the efforts of a case worker, what does a case worker do?

Case workers are responsible for creating, viewing, and working on their own cases and assignments

What are the main differences between a local action and an optional process?

Local actions are single tasks and return to the primary path of a case, whereas an optional process is a series of steps that is not required to return to the primary path of a case

Scenario: The compliance score for an application is 85. Is the application ready to be deployed to users?

No. A compliance score of 85 indicates that the application requires review before deployment to users; warnings should be reviewed and addressed to raise the compliance score to 90 or greater.

What is the key to efficient application development?

Only develop the assets you need to develop; reuse existing assets to limit development of new assets

What are some standard case status values?

Open, Pending-Approval, Resolved-Completed

If business architects (BAs) gather business objectives and application requirements, for which tasks are the system architects (SAs) responsible?

SAs provide the technical skills needed to complete the application. They configure application assets such as User Interface (UI) forms, automated decisions, and correspondence. SAs then review the application with business stakeholders for approval.

What is the purpose of the compliance score for an application?

The compliance score provides a quantifiable assessment of application quality by indicating the amount of severity of rule warnings in an application

A ruleset version is identified with a string of three numbers. What do these three numbers indicate?

The three numbers used to identify a ruleset version indicate the major version, minor version, and patch version of the ruleset

Why do we need to uniquely identify each rule in Pega?

To allow the application to call the correct rule during case processing though a process called rule resolution

What is a model-based approach to app development?

Using visual, form-based definitions of application components; no coding required.

Which standard flow shape represents an automated system action?

Utility

What are the possible consequences of not following best practices and guardrails when designing and building an application on the Pega 7 platform?

When not following best practices, you may spend excessive time re-creating existing functionality, or debugging a component that is not well-designed. There is also the risk that you will implement a feature that does not work correctly.

What is the significance of a unified platform (pega)?

With a unified platform, you configure applications using a consistent set of components. The use of a consistent set of components reduces application development time.

Scenario: You are designing an SLA for a mortgage request life cycle that includes a step in which a user collects the applicant's loan history. It is expected that the user completes this step within 24 hours when they receive the case. If the step is not completed within 48 hours, the case is considered late. What milestones and values do you use to support this requirement?

You enter a value of 24 hours in the goal milestone, and enter a value of 48 hours in the deadline milestone

What is the central metaphor in Pega's model-driven approach to building business applications?

a case (and its life cycle)

What is the purpose of a rule in a Pega application?

acts as an instruction for describing a specific case behavior, such as a process or automated decision

What does a compliance score of 90 or greater indicate?

application is in good standing

What does a compliance score of 80-89 indicate?

application needs review for improvement

What does a compliance score below 80 indicate?

application requires immediate action

Scenario: A sales manager is required to run weekly performance reports on how long it takes for a car to be prepared for customer delivery after the sale has been signed. Which type of report metrics does this report apply to?

business metrics

What are the two types of metrics associated with report data?

business metrics and process metrics

A _____ delivers a meaningful business outcome to a customer, partner, or internal stakeholder

case

The modeling technique used to describe in business terms how a business application should work is called _____ _____ _____ _____

case life cycle design

What is the role of the system architect?

configure the application to resolve a problem

What is the role of a business stakeholder?

define a business problem

What is the purpose of pattern inheritance?

describes the business relationship between classes; allows your application to share rules with other applications throughout an organization

What is the purpose of directed inheritance?

describes the functional relationship between classes; allows your application to reuse rules from classes in other applications and standard rules provided with the Pega platform

What is an appropriate number of steps for each process in a case life cycle?

limited to 5, +/- 2

What is an appropriate number of stages for a case life cycle?

limited to 7, +/- 2; don't be concerned about the minimum side though

To ensure visibility among all team members to an overall application design, which application development approach does Pega Platform use?

model-based application approach

How many Start shapes can a flow rule contain?

one

What is the role of a business architect?

plan the application to address the problem

What is the purpose of private edit?

private edit provides a nonexclusive check out of a rule and allows other system architects to edit a rule at the same time; private edits are used for quick debugging without interrupting development by other team members

Flow rules represent a _____ in the case life cycle

process

In Pega 7, _____ are organized within stages and define one or more paths the case must follow

processes

Draft mode enables you to _____

save and run a flow rule even if other referenced rules do not yet exist

Pega Express allows you to run an application in __________ so that you can test your design as a user would experience using the application.

simulation mode

A _____ is used as a first level of organizing work in a case

stage

Flow shapes represent _____

tasks to be completed as part of a business process