APM Sprint Planning & Estimation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During planning poker, two team members give estimates of 3 and 13 for the same story. What is the BEST next step?
- Average the two estimates and move on
- Use the lower estimate to maintain velocity
- Have both members explain their reasoning to align understanding (Correct answer)
- Ask the Product Owner to decide the correct estimate
Correct answer: Have both members explain their reasoning to align understanding
Large estimation discrepancies reveal different assumptions or knowledge gaps; discussion surfaces hidden complexity and builds shared understanding.
Question 2: What is the key difference between story points and ideal hours?
- Story points measure calendar time; ideal hours measure effort
- Story points are relative size measures; ideal hours estimate actual work time (Correct answer)
- Story points are used in Kanban; ideal hours are used in Scrum
- There is no meaningful difference between the two
Correct answer: Story points are relative size measures; ideal hours estimate actual work time
Story points measure relative complexity and effort without specifying time, while ideal hours estimate actual work duration assuming no interruptions.
Question 3: A team's sprint planning session frequently runs over its 8-hour timebox. What is the MOST likely root cause?
- The sprint is too long and should be shortened
- The product backlog items are not sufficiently refined before planning (Correct answer)
- The team is too large and should be split
- The Scrum Master is not facilitating effectively
Correct answer: The product backlog items are not sufficiently refined before planning
When backlog items lack clear acceptance criteria and refinement, teams spend planning time doing refinement work, causing sessions to overrun.
Question 4: What does 'velocity' measure in agile sprint planning?
- The speed at which code is deployed to production
- The average amount of work a team completes per sprint, measured in story points (Correct answer)
- The number of bugs resolved per sprint
- The percentage of sprint goals met over the last quarter
Correct answer: The average amount of work a team completes per sprint, measured in story points
Velocity tracks completed story points per sprint and serves as a planning benchmark for how much work the team can realistically commit to.
Question 5: A new team member joins mid-project. How does this affect sprint planning?
- Velocity immediately increases proportional to the new headcount
- Capacity may increase but velocity may temporarily decrease due to onboarding overhead (Correct answer)
- Sprint length should be extended to allow the new member to ramp up
- The new member should be excluded from estimation until they are fully productive
Correct answer: Capacity may increase but velocity may temporarily decrease due to onboarding overhead
New team members add capacity but their onboarding reduces existing members' productivity, so velocity may dip before improving.
Question 6: Which technique involves breaking down user stories until they can be completed within a sprint?
- Story mapping
- INVEST criteria decomposition
- Vertical slicing (Correct answer)
- Timeboxing
Correct answer: Vertical slicing
Vertical slicing cuts stories to deliver thin end-to-end functionality, keeping stories small enough for a single sprint while preserving user value.
Question 7: During sprint planning, who is responsible for deciding HOW the selected work will be done?
- The Product Owner, since they own the backlog
- The Scrum Master, as the process facilitator
- The development team, as they are the experts in execution (Correct answer)
- Senior management, who sets technical standards
Correct answer: The development team, as they are the experts in execution
The development team has the authority and expertise to determine the technical approach and task breakdown for achieving the sprint goal.
APM Sprint Planning & Estimation 3
During planning poker, two team members give estimates of 3 and 13 for the same story.
What is the BEST next step?