ACP Agile Estimation and Sizing 3

Question 1

Which technique involves subject-matter experts independently submitting estimates, sharing rationale anonymously, and iterating until consensus is reached?

Accepted Answer

Wideband Delphi

Answer

Wideband Delphi uses anonymous expert estimates and structured discussion rounds to converge on a consensus estimate while minimizing social pressure and groupthink.

Question 2

A product owner wants to split a large epic into smaller stories. Which split strategy ensures each resulting story still delivers independent business value?

Accepted Answer

Split by workflow step or user journey segment

Answer

Splitting by workflow step or user journey segment produces stories that each deliver a recognizable increment of value to the user, satisfying the 'V' in INVEST (Valuable).

Question 3

During backlog refinement, a team consistently over-estimates complex stories. What agile practice would most help calibrate these estimates?

Accepted Answer

Reviewing actuals vs. estimates each sprint retrospective

Answer

Retrospective comparison of estimated vs. actual story points gives teams empirical data to recalibrate their sizing intuition over time.

Question 4

What does it mean when a team's velocity is highly variable (e.g., 15, 40, 22, 38 points across sprints)?

Accepted Answer

There may be inconsistent story sizing, scope changes, or external interruptions affecting the team

Answer

High velocity variance typically signals inconsistent estimation practices, scope changes mid-sprint, impediments, or team instability that should be addressed in retrospectives.

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a 'spike' in agile, and how does it relate to estimation?

Accepted Answer

A spike is a time-boxed research task used to reduce uncertainty before estimating a story

Answer

A spike is a short, time-boxed investigation or prototype whose outcome provides the information needed to estimate or implement a story that was previously too uncertain.

ACP - Agile Certified Practitioner Practice Test

ACP - Agile Certified Practitioner Practice Test

ACP Agile Estimation and Sizing 3