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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

PMI-ACP Exam Questions

Page 4 of 25

61.

An Agile team is in the process of estimating the project’s user stories. They decide to size the user stories using the hours as a unit of measure. What sizing approach are they using?

  • Absolute sizing

  • Relative sizing

  • Agile sizing

  • Discrete sizing

Correct answer: Absolute sizing

User stories need to be estimated by the development team to determine the level of effort it will take to get that work done. We can use two types of user story sizing in Agile:

  • Relative sizing: Use a comparative approach for estimation. The unit of measure typically is story points, but it can be anything such as gummy bears.
  • Absolute sizing: Uses absolute measurements for estimation, such as miles or hours.

In this scenario, the team uses absolute sizing with hours as the unit of measure. Discrete and Agile sizing do not exist.

62.

An Agile project manager is putting together a survey for team members to respond to a team self-assessment after the iteration is finalized. He is asking for team members to look introspectively to see what they as individual contributors did well and what they could improve on in the next iteration. What is one observation that can be made about this approach for self-assessment as part of a retrospective?

  • The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of the team as a whole, not of an individual team member.

  • The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of the Scrum Master for guiding the team through the framework.

  • The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of the Agile processes put in place, looking to improve them.

  • The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of individual team members in making changes as needed in the next iteration.

Correct answer: The focus should be on evaluating the effectiveness of the team as a whole, not of an individual team member.

A team self-assessment is a survey or quiz taken by the team members to measure the performance of the team as a whole, not of an individual team member. Typically, the answers are scored based on what areas of the survey are found valuable for the group. Then the results are plotted on radar or spider diagrams for visualization.

The focus of team self-assessments is purely to evaluate the effectiveness of the team as a whole. Team self-assessments do not focus on evaluating Agile processes, the Scrum Master, nor individual team members.

63.

The Agile team has completed its first pass at estimating all the user stories using story points. Now the Scrum Master has created multiple columns on the whiteboard to group the user stories based on story points assigned. The Scrum Master takes a new user story worth 13 points and asks the group to compare it with the other user stories in that column and confirm the sizing. This approach is an example of:

  • affinity estimating

  • t-shirt sizing

  • story map

  • product roadmap

Correct answer: affinity estimating

Affinity estimating is a technique to group items into similar categories. In this case, user stories are grouped by the number of story points assigned. Any newly created and estimated user stories are then compared to those in that category based on number of story points. It could be found that the estimation is correct or that the user story needs to be further resized.

T-shirt sizing is an estimating technique to do the initial high-level estimation of features. Further work will require adding the user stories under each corresponding feature size.

Story maps are a high-level planning tool to map out the project priorities early in the project. It includes product features at a high level and the user stories underneath the features in descending order of priority.

Product roadmaps are a visual depiction of product releases and the features and user stories that make up a release. They serve as a visual representation to discuss with the customer and the team overall feature priorities and capacity for each release.

64.

As an Agile project manager, you have noticed that the team has been experiencing issues during the sprint retrospective meetings. The team members are not able to identify the root of the issues and are struggling to come up with effective solutions. 

Which of the following tools or techniques can you use to diagnose the issues before they occur in future sprints?

  • Control limits

  • Story maps

  • Wideband Delphi

  • Spikes

Correct answer: Control limits

Control limits involve statistically calculating the upper and lower limits of a process to determine the acceptable variation. Control limits help diagnose issues before they occur. As the measurements approach an upper or lower limit, actions can be taken to avoid surpassing the tolerance levels.

None of the other options help in diagnosing issues before they occur.

Story maps are a high-level planning tool to map priorities early in the project.

Spike is a short and intense iteration used in the XP methodology to eliminate or mitigate risks or to develop an optimal design before getting into execution.

Wideband Delphi is an estimating method for estimating effort based on consensus. 

65.

A project manager is approached by two members of the team who have a conflict with each other. One starts by explaining the situation to the project manager, providing evidence of their claims against the other person. 

What is the first thing the project manager should do to achieve conflict resolution?

  • Listen to the complaints without immediately trying to solve the problem

  • Talk to the other members of the group to gather more evidence

  • Press the person speaking for more concrete evidence

  • Submit a report to HR to start a detailed investigation

Correct answer: Listen to the complaints without immediately trying to solve the problem

When team members conflict, it is important first to listen and observe the situation rather than immediately make conclusions to try to solve the problem.

Going to talk to the other group members without listening to both parties is not the right approach.

Asking for concrete evidence is not the project manager's function; this is more related to HR and it does not achieve conflict resolution. Do not submit a report to HR without having all the information and facts.

66.

In the Theory of Constraints (TOC), once we’ve identified the constraint in the system, what should be the next step?

  • Determine how best to exploit the constraint

  • Subordinate everything else to the constraint

  • Prevent inertia from becoming a constraint

  • Elevate the constraint

Correct answer: Determine how best to exploit the constraint

The theory of constraints (TOC) states that a system is limited in achieving its full potential by at least one constraint or limiting factor. The idea is to identify and improve that constraint until it is no longer a problem. Then move on to the next constraint on the list. The five steps of TOC, in order, are:

  1. Identify the constraint: First, identify the bottleneck in the system that is causing the most issues.
  2. Exploit the constraint: Maximize the utilization of the constraint before attempting to add or reduce the constraint levels.
  3. Subordinate everything to the constraint: Avoid producing more than the constraint can handle. This means the non-constraints will need to be adjusted based on what the constraint needs to work efficiently.
  4. Elevate the constraint: Expand the capacity of the constraint if more is needed by adding labor, resources, etc.
  5. Prevent inertia from becoming a constraint: Once the constraint is eliminated, a new constraint will take precedence. Repeat all the steps in the TOC to deal with the new bottleneck.

67.

An executive wants to compare the business value that two Agile projects bring to her portfolio. Project A returns $10 million in 2 years, and project B returns $20 million in 5 years. The interest rate she received from the bank for borrowing capital is 5%. 

How should the executive go about evaluating these projects to compare their returns? 

  • Calculate the NPV of the projects and choose the project with the highest value.

  • Calculate the PV of the projects and choose the project with the lowest value.

  • Calculate the future value (FV) of the projects and choose the project with the lowest value.

  • Calculate the net cash flows of the projects and choose the project with the highest value.

Correct answer: Calculate the NPV of the projects and choose the project with the highest value.

We need to bring these returns into present terms to compare these projects. Net present value (NPV) is used to calculate the value at the end of the project in today’s terms. NPV requires adjusting for inflation and interest rates; the latter has been provided in the question. 

None of the other financial metrics account for interest rates. When calculating the present value (PV) or future value (FV), we always want to choose the one with the highest value. Calculating net cash flow would not help us compare these projects since there is no project execution financial data.

68.

Frequent verification and validation allow the team to do what?

  • Catch any mismatches in product expectations early

  • Gather prioritized requirements incrementally

  • Obtain approval of the final product early

  • Define the right contract to set up with a vendor

Correct answer: Catch any mismatches in product expectations early

Frequent verification and validation in Agile techniques help identify mismatches in product expectations early on. This minimizes any mismatches in understanding, helping the team converge toward the right solution even when requirements are continually evolving. In practice, having the customer inspect the increment and be involved in the project helps verify and validate that we are building the right solution.

Verification and validation do not relate to contract selection, setup, or gathering requirements. Obtaining approval for the final product early is not something Agile targets.

69.

Which of the following is not an Agile prioritization scheme? 

  • Theory of constraints

  • MoSCoW

  • Monopoly money

  • Dot voting

Correct answer: Theory of constraints

Theory of constraints (TOC) is an approach for production system optimization. This approach advocates finding one or a few variables (constraints or bottlenecks) in the system and focusing on improving them to make the greatest impact. TOC is not related to prioritization schemes in Agile, which are more concerned with providing techniques for facilitating product/feature prioritization among stakeholders.

MoSCoW is a widely used prioritization scheme in DSDM and stands for Must have, Should have, Could have, and Would like to have. Monopoly money is another approach where stakeholders receive Monopoly money equal to the amount of the project budget to distribute amongst product features for prioritization. Multi-voting or dot voting is a technique where stakeholders get a number of dots or stickers to distribute amongst the list of requirements or features.

70.

You are a member of an Agile development team working on a software project. Your product owner has provided a backlog list of user stories that need to be developed. As you prioritize the user stories, you realize that some of them lack sufficient details for development to occur. In this situation, you decide to "groom the backlog." 

What does this mean?

  • Keeping the backlog updated and accurately prioritized

  • Obtaining feedback from the Project Sponsor on the items in the backlog

  • Publishing the user stories for everyone in the organization to see

  • Creating a product backlog for the Agile project

Correct answer: Keeping the backlog updated and accurately prioritized

Grooming or refining the product backlog is the process of keeping the backlog updated and accurately prioritized to reflect the items that bring value to the customer. This also could involve adding new stories to the backlog, reprioritizing or removing existing stories, and slicing or dividing existing stories into smaller chunks.

While obtaining feedback from the project sponsor is an important aspect of development, it is not the definition of grooming the backlog.

While transparency is important in agile development, publishing user stories for everyone in the organization to see is not the definition of grooming the backlog.

While creating a product backlog is an important aspect of Agile development, it is not the definition of grooming the backlog.

71.

What is defined as a continuous approach that requires small, incremental steps that add up to a greater change over time?

  • Kaizen

  • Agile

  • Lean

  • Kanban

Correct answer: Kaizen

Kaizen is defined as a continuous approach that requires small, incremental steps that add up to a greater change over time.

Lean is a methodology to optimize resources to reduce waste and add value to the customer.

Kanban is a lean method to visualize and manage the flow of work.

Agile is a methodology that improves customer and team collaboration to add value to the end customer as soon as possible.

72.

Which of the following is an advantage of delivering a minimum viable product (MVP) in an Agile project?

  • It helps show the stakeholders the early value for the product they want.

  • It showcases the benefits of the product without being functional to the user.

  • It lowers the quality of the product to favor design, so customers can see what they will get.

  • It helps deliver risky items first to prove that the project is viable.

Correct answer: It helps show the stakeholders the early value for the product they want. 

An MVP refers to functionality that can be packaged and shipped to customers.  The team collects customer learnings and adapts the next iteration to improve the product. It is small enough that it does not implement all the project requirements, but it is useful to the user. If no collected customer learnings are possible because the product is not functional, it is not an MVP.  Developing a shippable solution brings value to the customers, and the project team can get buy-in from stakeholders early in the project.

An MVP needs to be functional for the user, and must not compromise quality. It does not limit itself to delivering risky items first. The focus is on delivering a functional but contained solution early on in the project.

Showcasing the benefits of the product without functionality is not recommended since the MVP should provide some type of functionality.

Design is important but does not dictate the functionality of the MVP.

MVPs are mostly built around basic functionality. They often sacrifice design, usability, and different UX components. Risk items are no different from the mentioned components. The MVP is not created with risk responses in mind.

73.

Which financial metric requires the use of projected inflation and interest rates for calculating project returns?

  • NPV 

  • ROI 

  • Net cash flow 

  • IRR

Correct answer: NPV

The net present value (NPV) calculates the present value of revenue streams (income minus cost) over a time period. This means that we assess the value of a project (all the way to the end) in today’s terms (present value). NPV requires that we provide estimates of inflation and interest rates to adjust to today’s value. Neither ROI nor net cash flow account for the effects of inflation and interest rates from future revenue streams. IRR uses an effective interest rate, or discount rate, based on project duration and payback period to calculate the project value. 

74.

 Which of the following activities is accomplished during a sprint planning meeting? 

  • Review items from the prioritized product backlog for consideration in the next sprint 

  • Demonstrate the sprint increment to the product owner 

  • Remove impediments specified by the development team 

  • Review what worked and did not work in the last sprint 

Correct answer: Review items from the prioritized product backlog for consideration in the next sprint

During the sprint planning meeting, the product owner shares the prioritized backlog for consideration in the next sprint. The product owner and development team discuss these items to make sure they agree on what success means for the next sprint.

Demonstrating the sprint increment to the product owner is accomplished during a sprint review session.

Removing impediments specified by the development team is done during daily stand-ups and throughout the sprint.

Reviewing what worked and did not work in the last sprint is reserved for a sprint retrospective activity.

75.

Which of the following is not one of the eight DSDM principles?

  • Deliver full functionality

  • Continually focus on the business need

  • Never compromise the quality of the product

  • Build through increments

Correct answer: Deliver full functionality

DSDM follows eight principles for Agile projects. Delivering full functionality is not one of them.

  1. Continually focus on the business need
  2. Deliver on time as promised
  3. Collaborate with the customer
  4. Never compromise the quality of the product
  5. Build through increments
  6. Develop the solution iteratively
  7. Communicate with all parties clearly and continuously
  8. Demonstrate control throughout the project

76.

Which of the following is not an Agile project review?

  • Pre-mortem

  • Retrospective

  • Daily Scrum

  • Demonstration session

Correct answer: Pre-mortem

Reviews are widely used in Agile to look back on the acceptance or identification of issues to improve the cycle. Examples of Agile project reviews include retrospectives, demonstration sessions, sprint reviews, sprint planning, and daily Scrums.

A project pre-mortem is a process to envision the areas where a project could fail before the project has started.

77.

During an iteration planning, the Scrum Master has requested work item estimates from the team. It looks like the majority of the group is readjusting their estimates to be the same as their manager who is also present in the session. What cognitive and psychological bias is occurring in this group?

  • HIPPO decision making

  • Groupthink

  • Wideband Delphi

  • Bandwagon effect

Correct answer: HIPPO decision making

Wideband Delphi is an estimation technique used to reduce cognitive and psychological biases from flawed estimates. It is administered anonymously to the group and the results are then shared with the group for additional input. This helps the group converge towards the right estimate.

Some examples of cognitive and psychological biases are:

  • Bandwagon effect: People tend to pick the answer that is most popular, even if it differs from their own opinion.
  • HIPPO decision making: The group tends to agree with the authorities in the field or with superiors.
  • Groupthink: Decisions made to maintain group harmony.

78.

A group of testers concluded the load testing of an app. They are ready to report their findings, along with any observations, to the development team. They create a dashboard with the findings, but this time they add an attachment to show evidence of their findings, including automated testing results and testing procedures. This will help avoid further questions from the development team on what other testing was done and how it was implemented. 

What stage of team formation does this scenario depict?

  • Norming

  • Storming

  • Performing

  • Forming

Correct answer: Norming

There are five stages of team formation and development:

  • Forming: initially coming together as a team
  • Storming: engaging in turmoil and challenging each other
  • Norming: learning to work with one another
  • Performing: working effectively together
  • Adjourning: disbanding of the team

In this scenario, the testing team includes additional evidence of its work in its report to the development team to avoid further questioning. Over time, the testing team has learned that the development team wants additional information, so it has adjusted its processes to work with the development team more efficiently. This is an example of norming.

79.

The “Gulf of Evaluation” refers to:

  • delivering a feature to the customer when the customer intended to get something else

  • estimating work packages inaccurately

  • analyzing variances in schedule and cost using EVM

  • evaluating product requirements before each iteration starts

Correct answer: delivering a feature to the customer when the customer intended to get something else

The “Gulf of Evaluation” refers to a semantic gap between what the customer expects and what the team delivers. This is an inherent problem in knowledge projects where we are dealing with intangible goods. This gap in the product often leads to rework.

The Gulf of Evaluation does not involve estimating work packages inaccurately nor analyzing variances in schedule and cost using EVM. Iteration planning, not the Gulf of Evaluation, is the process of evaluating product requirements before each iteration starts.

80.

A functional manager approached the Scrum Master to let him know that John, an engineer in his team, would need to return as soon as possible to his functional role to work on an urgent need. The Scrum team is currently in the middle of a sprint. What should the Scrum Master do? 

  • Explain the Agile approach and how John is contributing to adding value to the current sprint

  • Release John immediately to work on the urgent need

  • Negotiate a swap for John for someone else in the functional manager’s team

  • Refuse to release John until the sprint has concluded

Correct answer: Explain the Agile approach and how John is contributing to adding value to the current sprint

It is important to educate project stakeholders at all levels to set expectations on how the team will operate under Agile. Often, stakeholders at various levels will have concerns that need to be addressed to continue with the Agile approach. In this case, the functional manager does not seem to know what Agile is and how John is contributing to it. It is normal for managers to fear loss of control due to the flat organizational nature of Agile. The Scrum Master needs to start by explaining the Agile approach and how John is contributing to adding value to the customer. That should be the starting point, even if it is later decided that it is best to move John out of the sprint.

The fact that the functional manager says the need for John is urgent does not mean John should be removed immediately. Further discussion needs to take place. The starting point should be what the Agile team is trying to accomplish and the role that John plays in it. Negotiating resources may be a good strategy, but we do not know at this point if others have the same skills as John. The Scrum Master does not have to refuse to release John. The first impulse should be understanding and educating stakeholders when needed.

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