Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) Exam – Quiz 03

A Definition of Ready (DoR) ensures that all user stories or backlog items are sufficiently detailed and actionable before being accepted into a sprint. This helps in reducing ambiguity and increases the chances of the team meeting its sprint goals. Daily stand-ups, sprint length, and switching frameworks address different aspects of Agile processes but do not directly solve the issue of unclear requirements.

Time and materials contracts with scope flexibility are better suited for Agile delivery as they allow for adaptive planning and iterative progress. Fixed-price contracts with detailed specifications and firm-fixed-price contracts are less flexible and do not align well with Agile principles. Cost-plus contracts without performance metrics lack the necessary structure to ensure accountability.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) is a technique where tests are written before the actual code, ensuring that the code meets the requirements from the start and maintaining high quality throughout the development process. Code reviews, sprint retrospectives, and Waterfall approaches do not provide the same level of integrated quality assurance as TDD.

Automated testing and continuous integration ensure that code changes do not break existing functionality by automatically running tests on new code commits. This supports frequent and reliable software releases. Reducing manual testing is a secondary benefit, while increased costs and limiting release frequency are not direct benefits.

Lead Time measures the total time from the beginning to the end of a process, helping teams identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement. While velocity, burndown charts, and cycle time are useful, lead time provides a comprehensive view of process efficiency and accountability.

A Definition of Done (DoD) outlines the criteria that must be met for a user story or backlog item to be considered complete. This ensures that all completed items meet a consistent standard of quality. Defining the start of a sprint, scheduling retrospectives, and task assignments are not purposes of the DoD.

Sprint reviews and demos provide a transparent and real-time way to measure and report progress to stakeholders. They allow for immediate feedback and adjustments. Daily status meetings, monthly progress reports, and quarterly performance reviews do not offer the same level of real-time insight and stakeholder engagement.

Customer satisfaction score is an effective KPI for Agile teams as it directly measures the value delivered to customers. The number of bugs fixed, total hours worked, and lines of code written are less effective as they do not directly reflect the value or satisfaction derived from the product.

Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) enhances collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders by defining acceptance criteria in plain language. This helps maintain high standards of quality. Increasing commit frequency, weekly reviews, and extending sprint lengths do not directly ensure high quality standards.

Integrating QA into Agile processes ensures that quality is considered throughout the development cycle, leading to better end products. Reducing costs and limiting the scope of testing are not primary benefits, and decreasing customer feedback is contrary to Agile principles.

Addressing technical debt is crucial for maintaining code quality and system stability. According to the Agile Manifesto principles, continuous attention to technical excellence enhances agility. Allocating a portion of the sprint to address technical debt ensures that it does not accumulate to a level that hinders progress and maintains the balance between new feature development and system stability.

A risk register is a tool commonly used in Agile projects to document, track, and manage risks. It helps in identifying risks, assessing their impact and likelihood, and defining mitigation strategies. This systematic approach aligns with Agile practices by ensuring transparency and proactive risk management.

Rolling wave planning is an Agile technique that allows for continuous refinement and adjustment of requirements as more information becomes available. This approach helps in adapting to changes while maintaining a structured planning process. The Agile Manifesto values responding to change over following a plan, making this technique effective for dynamic project environments.

Developing cross-functional skills within an Agile team is essential for increasing flexibility and resilience. Providing training and mentorship aligns with the principle of empowering individuals and promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement. This approach helps team members acquire the skills needed to handle various tasks effectively.

Managing scope creep in Agile projects involves continuously reviewing and reprioritizing the product backlog. This ensures that the most valuable and essential features are delivered first while maintaining flexibility to adapt to changing requirements. The Agile principle of welcoming changing requirements, even late in development, supports this approach.

Fostering collaboration and teamwork in a diverse Agile team requires respecting and valuing cultural differences. Implementing team-building activities that consider these differences helps build mutual respect and understanding, enhancing teamwork. Agile emphasizes individuals and interactions over processes and tools, making this approach critical.

Balancing flexibility and stability in Agile projects involves using flexible planning while maintaining stable core processes. This approach allows the team to adapt to changes without sacrificing overall project stability. The Agile principle of simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential in achieving this balance.

Establishing a fixed scope for each sprint helps the team maintain focus and avoid scope creep. This technique ensures that the team commits to a specific set of user stories for the sprint, providing clarity and direction. The Agile practice of time-boxing supports this approach, helping teams deliver incremental value within fixed time frames.

Conducting regular sprint reviews and retrospectives allows the team to reflect on their progress and adapt to changing requirements. These Agile ceremonies provide opportunities for feedback and continuous improvement, aligning with the principle of responding to change over following a plan. This approach ensures that the team remains flexible and adaptive to evolving needs.

Implementing a sprint review meeting is an effective way to manage stakeholder interactions and ensure that updates and new requirements are addressed in a structured manner. This approach aligns with the Agile principle of involving stakeholders and ensuring their feedback is incorporated while minimizing disruptions to the team’s workflow. Sprint reviews provide a regular opportunity for stakeholders to review progress and discuss changes, helping to balance the need for updates with the team’s need for focus and productivity.

The best approach for Sarah is to schedule a private meeting with both John and Emily to discuss their issues (option a). This allows her to understand the root cause of the conflict and mediate a solution in a controlled environment. Addressing the conflict in a team meeting (option b) can escalate the issue, ignoring it (option c) is unlikely to resolve the problem, and replacing team members (option d) is a last resort and does not address the underlying issues. According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring a good team dynamic and resolving conflicts.

In the MoSCoW prioritization technique, the “C” stands for “Could have” (option a). The MoSCoW method is used to prioritize requirements based on Must have, Should have, Could have, and Won’t have. This technique helps Scrum teams prioritize tasks and focus on delivering the most critical features first. Understanding the correct terms is essential for effective prioritization.

The most effective way for James to mentor the team is to encourage team members to take ownership of their tasks and facilitate problem-solving discussions (option b). This approach helps the team develop self-organization skills and become more independent. Providing direct solutions (option a) and frequently correcting mistakes (option c) can create dependency, while assigning tasks (option d) does not foster a self-organizing environment. According to the Agile Manifesto, the best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

Velocity (option a) is the most useful metric for a Scrum team to measure its performance and productivity. Velocity represents the amount of work a team can complete in a sprint, providing insight into the team’s capacity and helping with future sprint planning. The number of user stories completed (option b), lines of code written (option c), and number of bugs fixed (option d) are less comprehensive measures of overall team productivity.

Lisa should facilitate a meeting with both stakeholders to understand their perspectives and find a common ground (option c). This approach ensures all voices are heard and can lead to a more informed decision that balances the needs of both stakeholders. Implementing the feature (option a) or rejecting it (option b) outright can lead to dissatisfaction, and deciding independently (option d) may not address the root concerns. According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner is responsible for stakeholder management and maximizing the product’s value.

The primary goal of user story mapping (option c) is to visualize the user journey and identify gaps in the product. This technique helps teams understand the flow of user interactions and ensure all necessary features are captured. Creating a hierarchical list (option a) and prioritizing the backlog (option b) are not the main purposes of user story mapping, while assigning tasks (option d) is not relevant to this technique.

Raj should focus on the expected benefits and impact on users (option c) to define and measure the value of the feature. Value in Scrum is determined by how well the feature meets user needs and improves their experience. Complexity (option a) and time required (option b) are secondary considerations, while the number of developers (option d) is irrelevant to measuring value. According to the Agile principles, delivering valuable software to users is the highest priority.

Maria should launch a minimal viable product (MVP) and measure user interactions (option d) to validate the assumption. This technique allows for testing the feature with minimal investment and gathering real user feedback. Conducting a survey (option a) provides only hypothetical insights, fully developing the feature (option b) is costly, and brainstorming (option c) does not provide concrete user data. Validating assumptions through MVPs aligns with Lean Startup principles and Agile methodologies.

The most crucial element for Tom to include in the product vision is a high-level description of the product’s purpose and benefits (option b). This provides a clear and compelling narrative that aligns stakeholders and guides the development team. Detailed technical specifications (option a) and a list of features (option c) are too granular for a vision statement, and the budget (option d) is not relevant to the vision. According to the Scrum Guide, a product vision should inspire and guide the team and stakeholders.

Mind mapping (option d) is an advanced facilitation technique that is most effective for fostering creative solutions during a Scrum team workshop. It allows participants to visually organize ideas and explore connections, promoting creativity and collaboration. Brainstorming (option a) is useful but less structured, root cause analysis (option b) focuses on problem-solving, and SWOT analysis (option c) is more strategic and less about creative solution generation. Mind mapping aligns with Agile’s emphasis on collaboration and innovation.