Mixed Deck — All CAD Topics Flashcards

When should a pair programming session be considered 'done' for a given task?

Answer: When the task passes its acceptance criteria and automated tests, regardless of who typed the code

The goal of pairing is working, tested code that meets acceptance criteria — the role rotation is a means, not the end.

An agile development team has adopted the practice of collective code ownership. A junior developer discovers a minor bug in a module that was originally written by a senior developer who is currently on vacation. What is the most appropriate action for the junior developer to take?

Answer: Attempt to fix the bug, write or update relevant tests, and submit the change through the team's standard review process.

Collective code ownership means the entire team is responsible for the quality of all code, not just the original author. The appropriate action is to take initiative, fix the bug, ensure it's properly tested, and follow the team's established process for code integration, which encourages shared responsibility and prevents bottlenecks.

The 'Definition of Done' (DoD) affects agile metrics because:

Answer: It sets a consistent quality threshold that defines when work can be counted as complete

The DoD provides a shared, objective standard so that velocity and acceptance metrics reflect truly finished, shippable work rather than partial efforts.

Which Agile practice helps teams continuously improve after each sprint?

Answer: Sprint Retrospective

Sprint Retrospective allows teams to reflect on what went well, what can be improved, and how to enhance processes for future sprints.

In a project following Lean Software Development principles, the team holds a workshop to identify and categorize all activities that do not add value for the customer. This includes partially done work, unnecessary features, and delays. What is the primary goal of this activity?

Answer: To eliminate waste

A core principle of Lean Software Development is the elimination of waste ('muda'). Waste is anything that does not add value to the customer. Identifying and systematically removing sources of waste, such as partially done work, extra features, or waiting time, is central to the Lean methodology.

What is the primary benefit of co-locating agile team members?

Answer: It enables richer, faster communication through osmotic information sharing

Co-location enables osmotic communication where team members absorb context passively, accelerating decision-making and reducing misunderstandings.

Why do Agile teams prefer face-to-face communication over written documentation?

Answer: It is the most efficient method of conveying information within a team

The Agile Manifesto states that face-to-face conversation is the most efficient and effective method of conveying information.

What does the concept of 'psychological safety' contribute to agile team collaboration?

Answer: It allows team members to speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear of punishment

Psychological safety enables honest communication and experimentation, which are foundational to continuous improvement in agile.

Why is it important for CI builds to provide fast feedback to developers?

Answer: Quick feedback allows developers to fix issues while the context is still fresh in their minds

Fast CI feedback lets developers address problems immediately rather than context-switching back to code written hours or days earlier.

What is the primary purpose of a 'working agreement' (team charter) in agile teams?

Answer: To establish shared norms and expectations for how the team collaborates

Working agreements define shared behavioral norms that help teams collaborate effectively and resolve conflicts.

Which of the following BEST describes 'social coding' in an Agile context?

Answer: Treating the codebase as a shared, transparent asset the whole team contributes to and learns from

Social coding means the codebase is open, readable, and improvable by all team members, fostering transparency and shared learning.

What is the primary risk of having a CI pipeline with a test suite that takes over 60 minutes to complete?

Answer: Developers avoid integrating frequently, defeating the purpose of CI

Slow test suites discourage frequent commits and delay feedback, which undermines the core benefit of Continuous Integration.

What is 'continuous testing' in an Agile/DevOps pipeline?

Answer: Automatically executing tests at every stage of the delivery pipeline to provide immediate feedback

Continuous testing is the practice of automatically running tests at each pipeline stage — commit, build, integration, staging — so issues are caught as early as possible.

A team's retrospective consistently produces action items that are never implemented. What is the most likely root cause?

Answer: The team lacks ownership and accountability for following through on improvement commitments

Retrospective action items fail when no one owns them; assigning a responsible person and tracking them in the next sprint backlog improves follow-through.

What is the key difference between a product backlog and a sprint backlog?

Answer: The product backlog holds all desired work; the sprint backlog holds items committed for the current sprint

The product backlog is the comprehensive ordered list of all desired work, while the sprint backlog is the subset the team commits to completing within the current sprint.

Which Agile principle emphasizes delivering working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months?

Answer: Frequent delivery

The Agile Manifesto principle states that working software should be delivered frequently, with a preference for shorter timescales.

A team discovers mid-sprint that customer needs have shifted significantly. What does the Agile mindset recommend?

Answer: Embrace the change as an opportunity to deliver greater value

Agile principles emphasize welcoming changing requirements even late in development, viewing change as a competitive advantage for the customer.

When a team member is struggling with their tasks mid-sprint, what should the team do according to agile principles?

Answer: Self-organize to swarm on the problem and offer support

Agile teams self-organize to help struggling members, treating obstacles as shared team problems.

During an iteration planning meeting, the team is discussing a large, complex feature. They are struggling to assign a single story point value due to the high degree of uncertainty and multiple components involved. What is the BEST immediate course of action?

Answer: Break the feature down into smaller, more manageable user stories that can be estimated individually.

Large, complex features, often called Epics, are difficult to estimate accurately. The best agile practice is to disaggregate or split the epic into smaller, independent user stories. These smaller stories are easier for the team to understand, discuss, and assign a more reliable relative estimate, reducing uncertainty and improving the accuracy of the plan.

Which scenario best demonstrates the Agile principle of face-to-face conversation as the most efficient method of conveying information?

Answer: Scheduling a 15-minute whiteboard session to resolve a design disagreement

A brief whiteboard session enables real-time dialogue, immediate clarification, and rapid consensus on complex technical decisions.