Week 1 – The Fundamentals Of Agile

 

1. Fill in the blank: Agile project management is _____; the team operates within many short blocks of time where deliverables will evolve and improve depending on the feedback received.

Answers

·        iterative

·        inflexible

·        repetitive

·        linear

Explanation: The iterative nature of agile project management means that the team works within numerous small blocks of time, during which the deliverables will change and become more effective based on the input that is received.

2. As a project manager, when can an Agile methodology best support your project? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        When the project receives feedback from diverse stakeholders, with competing interests.

·        When the project deliverable is not yet clear

·        When the project may need adjustments along the way

·        When the project faces constraints, including costs or time

 

3. What are the four values of the Agile Manifesto? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

·        Responding to change over following a plan

·        Working software over comprehensive documentation

·        Prioritizing documentation over processes

·        Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

 

4. How do Agile teams collaborate with their business partners and stakeholders to create business value for the organization and their users? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Work together with business people and developers throughout the project

·        Welcome changing requirements

·        Help each other achieve the best outcome

·        Gather feedback at the end of the project only

Explanation: Agile teams work together with their business partners and other stakeholders to generate business value for the company and its users by using a variety of methods and concepts.

5. What does VUCA stand for?

Answers

·        Volatility, upheaval, collaboration, and ambiguity

·        Veracity, uncertainty, collaboration, and accountability

·        Volume, uncertainty, complexity, and accuracy

·        Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity

Explanation: The phrase "volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous" (sometimes abbreviated as "VUCA") is often used in the fields of strategic management and leadership to characterize the problems and characteristics of an environment that is dynamic and unexpected and calls for adaptable and flexible methods. It was first used in the context of the military, but it has since seen widespread use in the business sector to emphasize the need of companies to be responsive and resilient in the face of situations that are complicated and unpredictable.

6. In the following scenario about team management, the project manager blends which two methodologies?

A team is developing a software product. During the retrospective for the last sprint, a team member says, “I need to implement a certain feature, but I don’t have much experience building that particular feature.” Someone else on the team is an expert on the feature, so the project manager pairs them up to build the feature during the next sprint.

Answers

·        Waterfall and XP

·        Scrum and Xp

·        Agile and Scrum

·        Scrum and Kanban

 

7. What is the product owner on your team responsible for? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Providing the final say on how to prioritize the work

·        Maximizing the value of the product and the work of the team

·        Owning the inventory of work

·        Running the project team meetings

 

8. What are the four basic activities performed during the product development process of the XP method?

Answers

·        Planning, collaborating, testing, and designing

·        Planning, coding, summarizing, and developing

·        Designing, collaborating, testing, and summarizing

·        Designing, coding, testing, and listening

Explanation: The approach known as XP (Extreme Programming) places an emphasis on a core set of principles and beliefs in order to enhance the process of software development.

9. Fill in the blank: To get the full benefits from Agile, you must adopt not only its processes, but also its _____.

Answers

·        terminology

·        software

·        mindset

·        platform

Explanation: You must not only embrace Agile's techniques, but also its attitude, in order to reap all of the advantages that Agile has to offer.

10. As a project manager, you're leading a project that has clear requirements and goals based on mandated regulation. Which methodology is the best choice for your project?

Answers

·        Iterative

·        Waterfall

·        Scrum

·        Agile

Explanation: A conventional and plan-driven project management technique, such as the Waterfall model, may be the most suited option for a project with defined needs and goals based on required rules. This is because such a project is likely to be subject to strict restrictions. The Waterfall model is defined by a linear and sequential approach to project management, with different stages such as requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The Waterfall model was developed by the software company Microsoft.

Shuffle Q/A 1

11. Agile project management works well with projects that take an iterative approach. What does this mean? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        The team operates within many short blocks of time

·        Project deliverables improve continuously based on feedback

·        The project will take longer to complete

·        Project processes are repeated many times during the life cycle of the project

12. One of the values of the Agile Manifesto emphasizes working software over comprehensive documentation. Which example best describes what this means?

Answers

·        A team debates the documentation process before delivering a legal brief.

·        A team keeps a detailed log of development as they work on a late sales presentation.

·        A team delivers a beta version of a website for testing while still finishing the documentation.

·        A team delays a conference to complete the pre-launch process documentation.

Explanation: According to the Agile Manifesto, one of its core principles is "Working software over comprehensive documentation," which essentially indicates that it is more important to place an emphasis on the delivery of software that is both functional and useful than it is to provide documentation that is both vast and complete. Rather of putting a significant amount of effort into writing thorough documentation that may not directly contribute to the final product, the focus is on delivering measurable outcomes and giving value to customers via functional software.

13. What does the Agile Manifesto mean by business collaboration? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        To establish communication between business people and developers

·        To deliver working solutions frequently

·        To keep working solutions simple so the end user is not confused

·        To work with customers to deliver critical information to the team

14. In the acronym VUCA, the “U” stands for “Uncertainty.” What does “Uncertainty” mean in the context of VUCA?

Answers

·        Lack of business plans

·        Lack of predictability

·        Major change to employee workspace

·        Minor changes to budget

Explanation: The letter "U" in the acronym VUCA refers to the concept of "Uncertainty." The term "uncertainty" refers to the absence of predictability as well as the difficulty in generating accurate forecasts or predictions about situations or events that will take place in the future. It brings to light the difficulties involved in comprehending and predicting the consequences of a variety of scenarios.

In the context of a VUCA environment, which is denoted by the characteristics of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, uncertainty refers to the particular fact that the conditions or situations are not clear or well-defined. The degree of uncertainty may vary, but what it typically indicates is that the future condition of things is difficult to estimate and that there may be elements that are either unknown or difficult to foresee.

 

15. As a project manager, your team is developing software in an industry with strict regulatory requirements. Your team works in iterations. Additionally, to accommodate the strict requirements, you allocate more time to planning and documentation than previous projects.

Which two project management methodologies is the project manager blending?

Answers

·        Waterfall and XP

·        Agile and Waterfall

·        Agile and Scrum

·        Scrum and Kanban

Explanation: It seems as if you are using a hybrid strategy that combines the concepts of agile development with a focus on planning and documentation in order to satisfy stringent regulatory requirements. This strategy takes into account the need of adaptability and flexibility while at the same time guaranteeing that regulatory compliance is the utmost concern.

 

16. As a project manager, what are some reasons you might choose to follow a Scrum methodology? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        It offers a regular and predictable meeting and delivery schedule, with predefined agendas and outcomes for the meetings.

·        It supports and reinforces the Waterfall model.

·        It has clear roles and responsibilities for your team, but emphasizes the power of the team as a whole.

·        It’s free and open for everyone.

17. Why would you want to blend the Agile and Waterfall approaches? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Stakeholders may be more comfortable with traditional approaches and workflows, but, your project team is already established in Scrum and they wish to continue.

·        A vendor on your project may already be following a traditional approach and the integration of teams will require blending of methods.

·        There may be regulatory requirements that insist on certain traditional work processes, such as large requirements documents for certifications.

·        Your team is reluctant to follow one approach or the other, so to make everyone happy, you blend the approaches.

18. As a project manager, you're leading a project that has an initial set of requirements at kick off, but you know this list will grow and change. Your team will work with stakeholders to prioritize requirements as the project moves forward. What approach is the best choice for your project?

Answers

·        Agile

·        Waterfall

·        Scrum

·        Linear

Explanation: An agile methodology, such as Scrum, would be a good option considering the fluid nature of the project, which includes an initial set of requirements that are likely to expand and transform throughout the course of its duration. Scrum is well suited for projects that need to be flexible, adaptable, and able to accept changing needs. These are all qualities that Scrum has.

 

19. Why was the Agile Manifesto developed? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        The Agile Manifesto was designed by thought leaders and creators of new methodologies that came together to find common ground between their methods to solve a problem.

·        The Agile Manifesto was designed to be a guide that would help project teams please their customers.

·        The Agile Manifesto was developed to help project managers meet deadlines and stay within their budgets.

·        The Agile Manifesto was developed to help keep processes flexible and focused on people: both the team and the users, over the end products or deliverables.

20. As an Agile project manager, why is it important to value customer collaboration over contract negotiation? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        It reinforces that customer satisfaction is the highest priority when building a high quality and valuable product.

·        It allows the freedom to collaborate with customers early and often.

·        It encourages your team to seek out every opportunity to include the customer or stakeholder during project execution.

·        It saves your organization time and money.

21. Which principles of the Agile Manifesto refer to team dynamics and culture? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Stakeholders should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely

·        Regular team check-ins ensure the team stays on track

·        Face-to-face conversations are most efficient for conveying information

·        Best designs emerge from a well managed and overseen team

Explanation: These principles together lead to the formation of a healthy team culture that places importance on teamwork, communication, flexibility, and a dedication to providing value to consumers. The significance of the human factor in software development and project success is emphasized by the authors.

 

22. As a project manager, you identify that your business plan may face major disruptive changes and a high degree of uncertainty. Which project management methodology should you follow?

Answers

·        Agile

·        Neither Waterfall nor Agile will work

·        Waterfall

·        Both Waterfall and Agile can work

Explanation: In a circumstance in which your business strategy might be subjected to significant disruptive changes and there is a high degree of uncertainty, an Agile project management approach would be well-suited to solve these difficulties since it was developed to accommodate such circumstances. Agile techniques, such as Scrum and Kanban, were developed with the intention of thriving in situations that are both unpredictable and constantly changing.

Shuffle Q/A 2

23. What innovative practices does the XP methodology use? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Write tests, not requirements

·        Solo programming

·        Pair programming

·        Big design upfront

24. Retrospectives are a key component of which methodology?

Answers

·        Scrum

·        Lean

·        Kanban

·        XP

Explanation: The Agile approach, and the Scrum framework in particular, relies heavily on the practice of doing retrospectives regularly. At the conclusion of each iteration of a Scrum project, a meeting called a retrospective that is time-boxed and conducted on a regular basis takes place. The major objective of a retrospective is to think back on the most recent sprint and determine what went well, what might be improved, and what steps should be taken to make those changes during the next sprint via the use of action items.

The Scrum Team, consisting of the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Development Team, gets together during the retrospective to discuss and assess their teamwork, methods, and results. The purpose is to encourage continual development as well as increase the efficiency of the team.

Communication that is both open and honest is required for retrospectives, which also provide members of a team a structured chance to share insights, resolve difficulties, and collaboratively devise methods to improve their performance. The iterative nature of retrospectives is consistent with the Agile ideals and principles, which place an emphasis on adaptation, cooperation, and a primary focus on the delivery of value.

 

25. As a project manager, you lead a project with a team of developers working remotely. The client would like to review several prototypes before settling on the final product. Which approaches should you consider for this project? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Iterative

·        Scrum

·        Agile

·        Waterfall

26. As an Agile project manager you are faced with a situation where an additional feature is required before moving forward. This additional feature was not part of the original plan. What would be the best way to handle this situation?

Answers

·        Respond to the change rather than follow the original plan

·        Tell the client the feature was not part of the original plan so it cannot be implemented

·        Have your team continue with the plan while you implement the feature yourself

·        Finish the plan and then revisit the new feature

27. How does an Agile team create and maintain the right interpersonal and team dynamics to deliver value for the customers and the business? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        They do not waste time on face-to-face feedback.

·        They do their work during intense periods of high workloads followed by periods of light workload.

·        They build projects around motivated individuals.

·        They know face-to-face conversations are the most effective way to communicate.

28. You’re the lead project manager at Office Green LLC, a commercial landscaping company focused on interior plant design. Your company’s market research team identifies a major shift to workers setting up home offices. Your team wants to pursue this business opportunity.

The goal is to deliver their new service, called Virtual Verde, and you don’t have any existing project plans to build off of or time to do a lot of prep work. Which factors do you face? Select three that apply.

Answers

·        Volatility

·        Uncertainty and ambiguity

·        Budget constraints

·        Complexity

29. Where does Scrum get its name? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Scrum refers to a formation in rugby where players huddle closely together with their heads down while trying to gain possession of the ball.

·        Scrum refers to a football team’s huddle.

·        The purpose of the rugby scrum is for each player on the team to play their role in order to work together and achieve their shared goal.

·        Scrum is an acronym for the processes that make up the Agile methodology.

30. To create the most value for the customer, you ensure the customer can ask for additional features or incremental deliveries throughout the value stream. This is an example of what Lean methodology principle?

Answers

·        Define value

·        Create flow

·        Establish pull

·        Map value stream

Explanation: The concept to which you are referring is compatible with another principle of the Lean methodology referred to as "Customer Pull" or "Pull System." A Pull System is a kind of system that adheres to the principles of lean thinking and is intended to meet the requirements of the customer by enabling the client to "pull" more features or request incremental delivery as they see fit.The notion of "Customer Pull" is applied in the context of Agile techniques such as Scrum via behaviors such as keeping a prioritized product backlog, performing frequent sprint reviews, and integrating customer input into the development process. In other words, these practices help to ensure that the customer is in control of the development process.

 

31. What does it mean to say that Agile project management takes an iterative approach? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        The team operates within many shorter blocks of time

·        The activities are completed in a linear fashion

·        The team takes a subset of all the project’s activities and does all the work

·        The project processes are repeated

Explanation: An iterative approach in Agile project management refers to the adoption of a set of practices and concepts that places an emphasis on iterative cycles or repetitions throughout the lifespan of a project. When we state that Agile project management adopts an iterative approach, we imply that this.

 

32. Which one of the following describes one of the main reasons that led to the creation of Agile?

Answers

·        It is difficult to accommodate change using the Waterfall model when a client wants to modify a feature.

·        Agile was created to enhance and work alongside the already existing Waterfall model.

·        The Waterfall model was often not executed correctly, so a new methodology was needed to correct this.

·        The Waterfall model was not strict enough, so Agile was created as a more linear and strict approach.

33. As a project manager, you notice that your team members are spending a lot of time writing comprehensive documentation which contributes to a delay in delivering working software. What can you do to help your team recover from this and get back on track?

Answers

·        Let your team know that you will take over the documentation effort so that they can focus on producing working software

·        Ask your team to work more hours to make up for the time spent writing documentation

·        Remind your team that while documentation is important, it is more important to produce working software

·        Remind your team that documentation is not important, and only working software brings business value

34. What does the Agile Manifesto mean by value delivery? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Simplify and focus on the things that matter most

·        Deliver products quickly and frequently

·        Save clients as much money as possible

·        Deliver highly valuable products to customers

Shuffle Q/A 3

35. Why would an Agile approach be more successful than a Waterfall approach in a VUCA environment? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        The Waterfall method is too flexible and lacks proper planning.

·        The Agile method is only suited for when there is certainty.

·        The Agile method is better at adapting and reacting to change.

·        The Waterfall method requires proper planning and less flexibility.

36. As the project manager of an Agile team, you decide that your team should use pair programming and daily standups. Which two Agile approaches does this team blend? Select all that apply.

Answers

·         XP

·         Scrum

·         Kanban

·         Lean

37. Agile project management is based on the Agile Manifesto. Which one of the following best describes the Agile Manifesto?

Answers

·        A collection of four values and twelve principles that define a good mindset an Agile team should strive for.

·        A document which is sent to each team member by the project manager that outlines what each team member will be working on.

·        An informative book on how to best complete tasks on time in an Agile environment.

·        A set of steps which need to be followed rigorously by the entire team.

Explanation: The Agile Manifesto is a fundamental text that outlines the ideals and concepts that serve as the basis for Agile project management. It was developed by a team of software engineers that got together in the year 2001 in order to debate and record a set of common values and principles for the agile development of software. The Agile Manifesto is distinguished by the emphasis it places on adaptability, collaboration, and the complete satisfaction of the client.

38. Your Agile team is reducing waste in their processes. They need to reduce unnecessary documentation and ensure the client is happy with the current direction of the product. How can the team solve both forms of waste?

Answers

·        Meet with the client after every feature is fully tested and finished

·        Add more planning focused iterations

·        Add more team members so they can complete work more quickly

·        Increase collaboration between stakeholders and the team

39. Part of the Agile process is to reflect together as a team on how to become more effective, then implement the feedback from these reflections to improve. What is the Agile name given to this process of team reflection?

Answers

·        Retrospective

·        Continuous learning

·        Standup

·        Hindsight

Explanation: "Retrospective" is the term that the Agile methodology gives to the process of team reflection. A Retrospective is a meeting that takes place at the conclusion of each iteration or sprint in Agile techniques, notably Scrum. These meetings take place on a regular basis. The team will be able to reflect on their previous experiences, evaluate what went well, identify areas for improvement, and cooperatively decide on ways to increase their efficacy in the next iteration by participating in the Retrospective.

40. In the acronym VUCA, the “A” stands for “Ambiguity”. Which one of the following is an example of this in the context of project management?

Answers

·        Disruption to the business supply chain

·        Lack of ability to determine or control future changes

·        Major changes to project plans

·        Minor changes to project plans

Explanation: There is a high amount of ambiguity in a project if the requirements are either unclear or ambiguous, or where they are susceptible to frequent adjustments. The project team will have a difficult time defining clear goals, successfully planning, and delivering the results that have been anticipated since the requirements are ambiguous. Because of the lack of clarity, there is a potential for misunderstandings, which may result in delays and the need for ongoing modifications as the project moves forward.

A project's requirements may become cloudy for a number of reasons, including but not limited to fluctuating stakeholder demands, constantly shifting market circumstances, or initially inadequate information. In order to deal with uncertainty, you need a way of project management that is malleable and adaptable, such as the agile methods. These approaches are able to handle changes and uncertainties throughout the lifespan of a project.

41. How can the VUCA concept help you decide to use Agile or Waterfall? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        It helps determine whether your project is too volatile for the Waterfall method.

·        It helps determine how complex your project is.

·        It helps determine if your project needs more predictive stability than the Waterfall method provides.

·        It helps determine if your project is too ambiguous for the Waterfall method.

42. What are the main statuses used on a Kanban board? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        To do

·        Done

·        In progress

·        Planning

43. In the VUCA concept, what does volatility refer to? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        The high number of interrelated forces that influence a project

·        A high likelihood of disruptions in your operations

·        The rate of change and churn in a business or situation

·        A lack of predictability

44. What are the typical roles in Scrum? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Project Manager

·        Product Owner

·        Development Team

·        Scrum Master

45. Test first development is a best practice in what popular Agile framework?

Answers

·        Kanban

·        XP

·        Waterfall

·        Scrum

Explanation: The widely used Agile methodology known as Extreme Programming (XP) includes test-first development as one of its recommended best practices. This methodology is also often referred to as test-driven development (TDD). Extreme Programming is a software development process that uses the Agile framework and places an emphasis on communication, simplicity, feedback, and daring among other virtues.

Test-Driven Development, abbreviated as TDD, is a software development methodology in which programmers first draft tests for a particular capability before developing the actual code to implement that functionality.

46. A software development team uses a visual board to track their progress through each production sprint. What two Agile approaches does this team combine?

Answers

·        XP and Kanban

·        Waterfall and Scrum

·        Scrum and XP

·        Kanban and Scrum

47. Which one of the following describes one of the main reasons that led to the creation of Agile?

Answers

·        It is difficult to accommodate change using the Waterfall model when a client wants to modify a feature.

·        The Waterfall model was often not executed correctly, so a new methodology was needed to correct this.

·        The Waterfall model was not strict enough, so Agile was created as a more linear and strict approach.

·        Agile was created to enhance and work alongside the already existing Waterfall model.

Explanation: Traditional approaches to the production of software, such as the Waterfall model, provide a number of obstacles and restrictions, which is one of the primary factors that led to the development of the Agile software development methodology. The Waterfall methodology, which is typified by its sequential and inflexible approach, had difficulty reacting to customer input, adjusting to changing needs, and delivering software in a timely way that was adaptable.

48. As an Agile project manager, you should value individuals and interactions over processes and tools. What does this mean for your team? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Work together with your team to help each other achieve the best outcomes possible.

·        Improve collaboration within the team by effectively using processes and tools to drive and facilitate your project.

·        Forgo using processes and tools in order to speed up the production process.

·        Have brief conversations rather than long, drawn out email exchanges.

49. Your team completes work in larger chunks and keeps comprehensive documentation to track handoffs between phases. Which methodology are you using?

Answers

·        Waterfall

·        Linear

·        Agile

·        Scrum

Explanation: A conventional, plan-driven technique, such as the Waterfall model, is followed by a team that finishes the work in bigger chunks and maintains thorough documentation to monitor handoffs between phases.

50. As a project manager, you never feel like the team can settle into a normal routine with the project because of constant disruptions. Which part of the acronym VUCA does this describe?

Answers

·        Volatility

·        Uncertainty

·        Complexity

·        Ambiguity

51. Fill in the blank: Agile works best in industries or projects that are susceptible to or that encourage _____.

Answers

·        change and uncertainty

·        predictability and certainty

·        planning and documentation

·        flexibility and documentation

Explanation: Agile works well in sectors or projects that are vulnerable to or that foster change.Agile approaches, with their focus on flexibility, iterative development, and responsiveness to changing needs, are especially well-suited for workplaces where change is frequent, and adaptation is critical for success. Agile frameworks, such as Scrum and Kanban, offer methods for absorbing changes within the development process and continually providing value in response to shifting demands.

52. Waterfall and Agile include how many of the same phases and tasks?

Answers

·        None

·        A couple

·        Most

·        All

53. Which of the following are characteristics of Scrum? Select all that apply.

Answers

·        Weekly meetings are held to discuss obstacles and upcoming deadlines.

·        Daily meetings are held to discuss tasks and clear up any blockers.

·        Work is completed in short cycles.

·        Extensive project planning is required before kickoff.