Agile Project Management User Stories and Estimation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A user story has acceptance criteria but no clear value to the user. Which INVEST trait is most violated?
- Valuable (Correct answer)
- Small
- Testable
- Independent
Correct answer: Valuable
Every user story should deliver clear value to a user or customer.
Question 2: What is the recommended response when a single user story is too large to complete in one sprint?
- Split it into smaller vertical slices (Correct answer)
- Increase the sprint length
- Assign more developers to it
- Estimate it in hours instead of points
Correct answer: Split it into smaller vertical slices
Large stories (epics) should be split into smaller, independently valuable slices.
Question 3: In the standard user story template, what is the typical format?
- As a [role], I want [goal], so that [benefit] (Correct answer)
- Given [context], when [action], then [result]
- If [condition] then [outcome]
- The system shall [requirement]
Correct answer: As a [role], I want [goal], so that [benefit]
The 'As a... I want... so that...' format captures role, goal, and benefit.
Question 4: What is the main role of acceptance criteria attached to a user story?
- Define the conditions that make the story complete and testable (Correct answer)
- Estimate the story's point value
- Assign the story to a developer
- Set the sprint deadline
Correct answer: Define the conditions that make the story complete and testable
Acceptance criteria specify the boundaries and pass/fail conditions for the story.
Question 5: A team's velocity has been 30, 32, and 28 points over three sprints. What is the most reasonable forecast for the next sprint?
- Around 30 points based on the average (Correct answer)
- Exactly 90 points combined
- At least 50 to be ambitious
- Velocity cannot be used for forecasting
Correct answer: Around 30 points based on the average
Average historical velocity gives a reasonable, sustainable forecast.
Question 6: What does the 'so that' clause in a user story primarily communicate?
- The benefit or reason behind the request (Correct answer)
- The technical implementation
- The estimated effort
- The assigned team member
Correct answer: The benefit or reason behind the request
The 'so that' clause expresses the value or motivation for the story.
Question 7: Which approach helps a new team estimate when they have no velocity history yet?
- Pick a reference story as a baseline and estimate others relative to it (Correct answer)
- Guess hours and convert to points
- Use the previous team's velocity
- Skip estimation for the first three sprints
Correct answer: Pick a reference story as a baseline and estimate others relative to it
Anchoring to a known reference story enables consistent relative estimation from the start.
Agile Project Management User Stories and Estimation 3
A user story has acceptance criteria but no clear value to the user.
Which INVEST trait is most violated?