Agile Business Analysis Agile Business Analysis MCQ 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team is using Kanban. Work items are consistently piling up in the 'In Review' column. What should the business analyst recommend?
- Increase the work-in-progress (WIP) limit for the Review column
- Decrease the WIP limit or add capacity to the review process (Correct answer)
- Move items directly to Done to clear the bottleneck
- Split the Review column into multiple sub-columns
Correct answer: Decrease the WIP limit or add capacity to the review process
A buildup in one column indicates a bottleneck; decreasing WIP limits upstream or adding review capacity addresses the root cause.
Question 2: In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), which role is MOST equivalent to the business analyst function?
- Release Train Engineer
- System Architect
- Product Manager / Business Owner (Correct answer)
- Scrum Master
Correct answer: Product Manager / Business Owner
In SAFe, the Product Manager and Business Owner roles cover the business analysis responsibilities of defining value and refining requirements.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of a non-functional requirement in Agile?
- As a user, I can reset my password via email
- The system must process 10,000 transactions per second (Correct answer)
- The checkout page displays a confirmation message after purchase
- Administrators can assign roles to new users
Correct answer: The system must process 10,000 transactions per second
Non-functional requirements define system quality attributes like performance, security, and scalability rather than specific behaviors.
Question 4: What technique helps a BA identify which stakeholder groups will be affected by a new feature and to what degree?
- Story mapping
- Stakeholder analysis / power-interest grid (Correct answer)
- Root cause analysis
- Burndown charting
Correct answer: Stakeholder analysis / power-interest grid
A stakeholder analysis using a power-interest grid maps stakeholders by influence and interest to determine engagement strategies.
Question 5: During backlog refinement, the team finds a user story has a dependency on an external API that is not yet available. The BEST action is to:
- Include the story in the next sprint anyway to maintain velocity
- Flag the dependency, add it to the impediment log, and adjust prioritization (Correct answer)
- Remove the story from the backlog permanently
- Assign the story to the external team to resolve
Correct answer: Flag the dependency, add it to the impediment log, and adjust prioritization
Dependencies should be made visible, tracked as impediments, and factored into sprint planning to avoid blocked work.
Question 6: Which Agile estimation technique uses a sequence where each value is roughly double the previous to reflect increasing uncertainty?
- T-shirt sizing
- Planning Poker with Fibonacci sequence (Correct answer)
- Bucket system
- Dot voting
Correct answer: Planning Poker with Fibonacci sequence
Planning Poker uses Fibonacci numbers (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…) because the gaps grow with complexity, reflecting uncertainty in larger estimates.
Question 7: A product owner asks a BA to help create a roadmap. What should the roadmap PRIMARILY communicate?
- The exact list of features for each sprint over the next year
- The strategic direction and high-level themes the product will pursue over time (Correct answer)
- The resource allocation plan for the development team
- The technical architecture decisions for the next release
Correct answer: The strategic direction and high-level themes the product will pursue over time
A product roadmap communicates strategic intent and themes, not detailed sprint-level commitments, leaving room for adaptation.
A team is using Kanban.
Work items are consistently piling up in the 'In Review' column.
What should the business analyst recommend?