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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

PMI-ACP Exam Questions

Page 7 of 25

121.

Which is not one of the thirteen XP core practices?

  • Build by Feature

  • Refactoring  

  •  Pair Programming

  • Small Releases

Correct answer: Build by Feature

All are part of the thirteen XP core practices except “Build by Feature,” which is used in Feature Driven Development (FDD).

122.

Jane, a Scrum Master for a newly formed Agile project team, is facilitating a sprint planning meeting. The Product Owner displays on the screen the items proposed to be included in the upcoming first sprint. Thomas, a developer in the team, thinks that the first few sprints should focus on implementing the easiest tasks first, to show immediate value while also allowing the development team to get acquainted with the systems and each other. What should the Scrum Master's recommendation be?

  • The development team should work on the most valuable items first, working down the backlog to the least valuable items.

  • The development team should work on the easiest user stories first to have a chance to get acquainted with the systems and the code.

  • The development team should get acquainted with each other and the existing systems first before getting started on the product backlog.

  • The development team should work on the risky items in the product backlog first.

Correct answer: The development team should work on the most valuable items first, working down the backlog to the least valuable items.

According to the Agile principles, the highest priority of a project team is to satisfy the customer by delivering value. The product backlog is arranged from the most valuable items at the top to the least-valuable items at the bottom.

The easiest user stories are not necessarily the ones that add the most value to the customer. Because of the low-tech, high-touch approach of Agile, the team will have various opportunities to interact closely with the systems and each other. There is no need to spend the whole sprint for this purpose, since the goal is to deliver value to the customer as soon as possible. The risky items will be included and prioritized along with the rest of the items in the product backlog. Thus, anything at the top of the prioritized backlog is fair game to be included in the next sprint.

123.

You are the servant leader of an Agile development team working on a software project. As you begin the project planning phase, you want to understand the key characteristics of Agile project planning. 

What is true about Agile project planning?

  • Agile planning is done throughout the project.

  • Agile planning is done up-front on a project.

  • Agile planning is only done at the beginning and closure of a project.

  • Agile planning is done before every release per the release plan.

Correct answer: Agile planning is done throughout the project.

Agile planning aims to deliver the highest business value to the customer soon while minimizing wasteful activities. It involves constant replanning and adaptation. Agile planning differs from traditional project management in the following ways:

  • Experimentation and discovery uncover true requirements that require replanning.
  • Agile planning is not done all up-front on a project. It is done throughout the project.
  • Constant adjustments are common.

While some planning is done up-front in Agile projects, it is not the only time that planning occurs. Agile planning is done throughout the project iteratively and incrementally.

While Agile planning does involve planning for releases, it is not the only time that planning occurs.

124.

An IT Agile project team is evaluating whether the new tool they are developing will be able to connect with the legacy system about to retire. The Agile project manager is concerned because if it is not possible to connect to the legacy system, the project may fail entirely. She sets up an effort to investigate this and eliminate the issue. What kind of effort should the Agile project manager choose for this?

  • Risk-based spike

  • Architectural spike 

  • Iteration H

  • Iteration 0

Correct answer: Risk-based spike

Spikes are timeboxed efforts used by Agile teams dedicated to solving specific topics. There are two types of spikes possible:

  • Architectural spike: This effort is used to evaluate the approach chosen and to determine whether it is viable before executing any work.
  • Risk-based spike: This effort is used to investigate an issue or threat to the project.

The following are the types of iterations possible in an Agile project:

  • Iteration 0: Optional iteration where no deliverables are built. Used to prepare the team or project for starting work.
  • Development iteration: This is a regular team iteration where the team produces a product increment as specified in the iteration goal.
  • Iteration H or hardening iteration: Also called release sprint. This iteration is dedicated to preparing for an upcoming release. It is used, for example, to stabilize the code, document the product, or for testing.

In this scenario, the team needs to investigate the issue which represents a threat to project success and eliminate the issue. Thus, this is a risk-based spike.

125.

Global listening is a defined level within the active listening framework developed by the authors of Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives. Which of the following would likely be categorized as global listening?

  • Reading the speaker’s mannerisms and posture to look for subtle clues

  • Hearing every word being spoken attentively

  • Putting ourselves in the mind of the speaker

  • Assessing how I will be affected by the message the speaker is sending

Correct answer: Reading the speaker’s mannerisms and posture to look for subtle clues

Active listening, according to the authors of Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives, progresses through three levels:

  1. Internal listening: We hear the words spoken and interpret them from our personal lens only.
  2. Focused listening: We put ourselves in the mind of the speaker.
  3. Global listening: We pick up on more subtle indicators to read the situation comprehensively and not just through the meaning of the words and within our own experience.

Thus, taking into account the speaker’s mannerisms and posture while looking for subtle clues to the meaning of the message would refer to global listening.

126.

A Scrum Master wants to measure how many user stories are being completed in each iteration to project how many more iterations will be needed. What should she be looking at to calculate?

  • Velocity

  • Features

  • Work remaining

  • Completed work

Correct answer: Velocity

In this scenario, the Scrum Master is looking to measure how many user stories are being completed in each iteration—effectively, how fast the team is burning through the user stories in the product backlog per iteration. Then, she will need to measure the team’s velocity. Velocity is the measure of a team’s capacity per iteration. A velocity chart would show the story points completed per iteration over the iterations.

127.

Which of the following is most likely a challenge that distributed Agile teams face due to a lack of physical co-location?

  • Different communication styles

  • Different organizational roles

  • Different project budget allocations

  • Different security and privacy requirements

Correct answer: Different communication styles

Distributed teams face difficult challenges due to their lack of physical proximity to working as a team. To overcome such challenges, they have to have enhanced coordination and communication capabilities. 

Some of the major challenges include different time zones, different cultures, different communication styles, and different native languages.

128.

The backbone in story maps represents which of the following?

  • Describes the main functions of features needed for the overall system to work

  • Represents a usage sequence for the overall product

  • Describes the user stories developed for that specific feature

  • Describes the minimum functionality that will satisfy the customer’s most basic needs

Correct answer: Describes the main functions of features needed for the overall system to work

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. The components of a story map are:

  • Backbone: Describes the main functions of features needed for the overall system to work
  • Walking skeleton: Describes the minimum functionality that will satisfy the customer’s most basic needs
  • User stories: Provides the smallest sized narrative that describes the work item to be added to the product increment

129.

Which of the following Agile Manifesto principles addresses maintaining a constant pace of work for the team indefinitely?

  • Agile processes promote sustainable development

  • Continuous attention to technical excellence

  • Working software is the primary measure of progress

  • Deliver working software frequently

Correct answer: Agile processes promote sustainable development

Promoting sustainable development means that the project needs to be done at a pace that is manageable for the team to continue to iterate as long as needed over the long term. While the focus is on delivering value and iterating in short-time boxed sprints, it is important to keep an eye on the level of effort the team is exerting so that fatigue does not set in and work-life balance is maintained.

130.

Brandon, who is the Scrum Master, is meeting with the Development team to review feedback received from the Product Owner and to identify opportunities for improvement from the sprint that just finalized. What Scrum ceremony would this be done in?

  • Sprint Retrospective

  • Sprint Planning

  • Sprint Review 

  • Scrum of Scrums

Correct answer: Sprint Retrospective

The Sprint Retrospective takes place after the sprint finalizes and before the next sprint planning meeting. This meeting is primarily for the Scrum Master and the Development team. They gather to review any feedback received in the last sprint and to look for ways to improve the mechanics of the team's work in future sprints.

131.

What is not a characteristic of high-performing Agile teams?

  • Agile teams need approval to try risky work.

  • Agile teams are empowered to make their own decisions.

  • Agile teams engage in constructive conflict.

  • Agile teams aim for group consensus.

Correct answer: Agile teams need approval to try risky work.

There are eight characteristics of high-performing Agile teams:

  1. Agile teams are self-organizing.
  2. Agile teams are empowered to make their own decisions.
  3. Agile teams own their decisions.
  4. Agile teams have the mindset that they can solve any problem.
  5. Agile teams have a team identity to be committed to success.
  6. Agile team members trust one another.
  7. Agile teams communicate and aim for group consensus.
  8. Agile teams know that conflict is natural, but constructive feedback is needed.

Thus, Agile teams don’t need approval for risky work.

132.

An Agile project team is distributed across the U.S. The Scrum Master wants to help team members enhance their communication since he has already seen some confusion in a recent discussion. However, the team has never worked together in the past, so some are apprehensive about reaching out to others in the group. What is one thing that the Scrum Master can do to help the team?

  • Create a rotating secondment to have team members meet and work in person

  • Intensify facilitation during virtual meetings to force everyone to speak

  • Create a dedicated chat for team members to come with questions

  • Keep track of who is on the call to determine engagement

Correct answer: Create a rotating secondment to have team members meet and work in person

Distributed teams face difficult challenges due to their lack of physical proximity to working as a team. They have to have enhanced coordination and communication capabilities to overcome such challenges. Some of the major challenges they face include different time zones, different cultures, different communication styles, and different native languages. Since this team has never worked together in the past, the Scrum Master should look for ways for the team members to meet face-to-face and work together, even if for a short period of time. Creating a rotating secondment or a temporary assignment would allow for team members to travel and work from another team member’s office, sharing time with one another. Then, when they go back to working virtually, they will have met, and it will be easier to reach out.

There is no need to force everyone to speak through facilitation. By nature, there will be some that are more introverted than others and will not want to speak in front of the group. Creating a dedicated chat for individuals with questions does not help much, since this group has not met in person. Even if we keep track of who joins the meeting, it does not help the team break the barriers they have between each other.

133.

The difference between osmotic communication and tacit knowledge is that:

  • osmotic communication is the useful flow of information between team members and tacit knowledge is information collectively known by the team

  • osmotic communication is collectively known information by the team and tacit knowledge is the useful flow of information between team members

  • osmotic communication is the useful flow of information between virtually co-located teams and tacit knowledge is the useful flow of information between co-located teams 

  • osmotic communication is the unwritten information known by the team and tacit knowledge is the written information known by the team

Correct answer: osmotic communication is the useful flow of information between team members and tacit knowledge is information collectively known by the team

Co-location takes place when all team members work in the same location in proximity and without physical barriers between them. In such an environment, teams will have osmotic communication, which helps information flow between team members because they are in close proximity. Tacit knowledge is unwritten information known or collectively known by the team from being in proximity.

134.

The user stories for an Agile project have been written, and the product owner has posted them on a wall for everyone on the team to see. The development team wants to get ready for the work as soon as possible. What should the next step be?

  • The product owner needs to prioritize the user stories based on the value to the customer.

  • The team needs to provide estimates for the level of effort for all user stories.

  • The project sponsor should pick the top five stories for the team to focus on in the next iteration.

  • The team needs to prioritize the user stories based on value to the customer.

Correct answer: The product owner needs to prioritize the user stories based on the value to the customer.

One of the main tasks of the product owner is to ensure prioritization of the backlog and work items is done based on business value.

Before we get the team to estimate the level of effort, a value prioritization needs to be made. The project sponsor does not make an authoritative call on what the team should be working on. The team does not prioritize the user stories. 

135.

A group of developers is writing tests before they create the code associated with business requirements to verify customer acceptance of the features produced. The team is using three perspectives for the development of these tests: customer, development team, and testing staff perspectives. What is this approach called?

  • Acceptance test-driven development

  • Refactoring

  • Kano analysis

  • Test-driven development

Correct answer: Acceptance test-driven development

Acceptance test-driven development (ATDD) develops the test before the code is written to examine the functionality at a user acceptance level. This approach advocates for the entire team being involved in writing these acceptance level tests from three perspectives:  

  • Customer perspective
  • Development team perspective
  • Testing staff perspective

Test-driven development is the practice of writing tests before the code is written. The idea here is that developers need to think about how the functionality should be used and thus tested before they think about writing the code. The tests will initially fail because the code has not yet been written. Refactoring is an activity to streamline the code base without changing the functionality. Kano analysis is a prioritization technique to classify customer preferences into four categories: delighters/exciters, satisfiers, dissatisfiers, and indifferent.

136.

An Agile project has multiple developers reviewing and updating the code. This leads to wider knowledge of the codebase within the team, improving the quality of the resulting code. What is the name of this Agile practice?

  • Collective code ownership

  • Individual code ownership

  • Test-driven development

  •  Visibility of progress and results

Correct answer: Collective code ownership

In XP, pair programming allows pairs of developers to work together to build and test parts of the code. This means that these developers can develop and update parts of the code, broadening the ownership of the codebase. This is in contrast with FDD’s practice of individual class ownership, in which the idea is to have a single owner of the code for consistency and integrity.

137.

An Agile team is prioritizing features by providing 100 points to each stakeholder to distribute as they see fit. What prioritization scheme is being used here? 

  • 100-point method

  • Kano analysis

  • Multi-voting

  • Monopoly money

Correct answer: 100-point method 

The 100-point method is a scheme for prioritizing features. In this method, stakeholders are given 100 points to distribute among a list of requirements. 

Kano analysis is a technique to classify customer preferences into four categories: delighters/exciters, satisfiers, dissatisfiers, and indifferent.

Multi-voting or dot voting is a technique where stakeholders get some dots or stickers to distribute among the list of requirements or features.

Monopoly money is another approach where stakeholders receive Monopoly money equal to the amount of the project budget to distribute among product features for prioritization. 

138.

Linda is facilitating a session with various stakeholders to prioritize requirements in an Agile project. She observes that 80% of items in the backlog have been categorized as high priority by the stakeholders. The remaining items are in the medium priority while only two have been set to Low priority. Linda is frustrated by the results she is getting in the session. 

What approach could Linda use to elicit better responses from the stakeholders?

  • MoSCoW approach

  • Little’s law

  • Cumulative flow diagram

  • Task board

Correct answer: MoSCoW approach

The MoSCoW prioritization scheme widely used in DSDM derives its name from: Must have, Should have, Could have, and Would like to have. This prioritization scheme helps put requirements into buckets to filter out what is not needed.

Little’s law states that the duration of a queue is proportional to its size. Little’s law is used in the context of Kanban work-in-progress (WIP) queues.

Cumulative flow diagrams (CFD) are visual representations of the status of work features. CFDs are stacked area graphs that show features in progress, remaining, and completed. CFDs provide an easy way to aggregate feature status over time.

A task board is a visual representation of a team’s work and its status.

139.

What is an example of utilizing W5H to develop an Agile charter?

  • A high-level description of the project goals

  • A detailed description of the project scope

  • A list of all the risks identified by the stakeholders

  • A description of the predictive approach to be implemented

Correct answer: A high-level description of the project goals

An Agile charter is a high-level document that describes the project to be undertaken in an effort to get agreement among stakeholders. It is kept at a high level due to the changing requirements expected as new things are discovered in an Agile project. The Agile charter will describe the project using W5H attributes (what, where, who, when, why, and how). A high-level description of the project goals would be a good example of what would be included in an Agile charter.

The entire project scope is never known at the start of an Agile project, so a detailed description will not be included in an Agile charter. Identified risks could be included in the Agile charter, but not all risks. There is no need to describe in this document a predictive approach, since that will not be used in an Agile project.

140.

Which of the following is not a characteristic of coaching project team members?

  • Advising the individual what to do if they encounter an issue

  • Providing a trust relationship by guaranteeing safety

  • Treating everyone with respect

  • Meeting them half a step ahead

Correct answer: Advising the individual what to do if they encounter an issue

Coaching project team members involves four major aspects:

  • Half a step ahead: A coach does not tell others what to do but talks them through their problems and meets them half a step ahead to lead them to a solution.
  • Guarantee safety: Trust is inherent in a coaching relationship by providing a safe environment for the individual to open up, assuring them confidentiality.
  • Partnership: The individual grows insights and expertise in their field by partnering with others.
  • Respect: A coach treats everyone with respect and keeps coaching conversations private.

Thus, advising the individual what to do about an issue is not effective coaching of a project team member.

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