Agile Business Analysis Delivery Horizon Activities 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the Delivery Horizon, how should a BA handle a non-functional requirement (NFR) such as system response time?
- Document it separately from user stories and review it at project close
- Embed it as a testable acceptance criterion within the relevant user stories or as a team-wide DoD item (Correct answer)
- Assign it exclusively to the architect with no BA involvement
- Defer it to post-launch performance tuning
Correct answer: Embed it as a testable acceptance criterion within the relevant user stories or as a team-wide DoD item
NFRs must be made explicit and testable at the story level or DoD so they are enforced during delivery, not discovered after release.
Question 2: A BA uses example mapping during Delivery Horizon story refinement. What is the PRIMARY benefit of this technique?
- It replaces the need for a product backlog
- It surfaces edge cases and shared understanding through concrete examples before coding begins (Correct answer)
- It generates automated test scripts directly from user stories
- It eliminates the need for sprint retrospectives
Correct answer: It surfaces edge cases and shared understanding through concrete examples before coding begins
Example mapping uses real examples to expose ambiguity and edge cases early, aligning team understanding before work begins.
Question 3: Which of the following is the MOST accurate statement about BA involvement after a story is coded but before it is accepted?
- The BA's role ends once the story is handed to the developer
- The BA collaborates with testers to verify that acceptance criteria are fully met before acceptance (Correct answer)
- The BA independently accepts the story without involving other stakeholders
- The BA creates formal test plans submitted to a QA department
Correct answer: The BA collaborates with testers to verify that acceptance criteria are fully met before acceptance
Active BA collaboration with testers during verification ensures acceptance criteria are faithfully met and business intent is preserved.
Question 4: During the Delivery Horizon, a BA identifies that two separate teams are building overlapping features. What should the BA do FIRST?
- Allow both features to proceed and merge them after release
- Raise the dependency in the appropriate cross-team coordination forum and work to eliminate duplication (Correct answer)
- Escalate directly to executive leadership for a decision
- Remove one feature from both backlogs without team discussion
Correct answer: Raise the dependency in the appropriate cross-team coordination forum and work to eliminate duplication
Cross-team coordination forums are the correct channel to surface and resolve dependencies and overlaps before they cause integration conflicts.
Question 5: A BA is asked to produce a release readiness report at the end of a delivery increment. Which information is MOST critical to include?
- Total number of hours spent on business analysis activities
- Status of acceptance criteria, outstanding defects, and stakeholder sign-off for each story in the increment (Correct answer)
- A comparison of planned vs. actual budget for the sprint
- A list of team members who contributed to each story
Correct answer: Status of acceptance criteria, outstanding defects, and stakeholder sign-off for each story in the increment
Release readiness depends on confirmed acceptance, known defect status, and stakeholder approval — not effort or budget data.
Question 6: In the Delivery Horizon, which activity MOST directly supports value stream optimization?
- Minimizing the number of stakeholder interactions to save time
- Identifying and eliminating handoff delays and wait states between discovery, development, and deployment (Correct answer)
- Increasing sprint length to allow more thorough documentation
- Centralizing all decisions with the project manager
Correct answer: Identifying and eliminating handoff delays and wait states between discovery, development, and deployment
Reducing handoff delays and wait states shortens cycle time, accelerating the flow of value from idea to production.
Question 7: A BA is supporting a team practicing behavior-driven development (BDD). Which Delivery Horizon artifact should the BA help produce?
- Detailed UML sequence diagrams for each story
- Gherkin-style Given-When-Then scenarios derived from acceptance criteria (Correct answer)
- Formal use case specifications with pre/post conditions
- BPMN process models for each sprint
Correct answer: Gherkin-style Given-When-Then scenarios derived from acceptance criteria
BDD uses Given-When-Then scenarios that serve as both specification and automated test input, directly supporting delivery quality.
Agile Business Analysis Delivery Horizon Activities 4
In the Delivery Horizon, how should a BA handle a non-functional requirement (NFR) such as system response time?