Agile Metrics & Reporting Flashcards
7 cards from real CAE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Agile Metrics & Reporting flashcards as text
Which agile metric would MOST directly help a team identify recurring process inefficiencies across multiple sprints?
Answer: Retrospective action item completion rate
Tracking whether retrospective action items are actually completed shows if the team is systematically addressing and resolving recurring process issues.
In a Kanban system, what does a high 'cycle time standard deviation' tell you about the team's process?
Answer: Work item delivery is unpredictable and inconsistent
A high standard deviation in cycle time means delivery times vary widely, indicating an unpredictable process that is difficult to forecast.
A team wants to use metrics to forecast when a set of backlog items will be complete. Which technique is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Monte Carlo simulation using historical throughput data
Monte Carlo simulation uses historical throughput data to generate probabilistic delivery forecasts, accounting for natural variability in team performance.
Which metric is considered a 'vanity metric' in agile contexts because it rarely correlates with actual business outcomes?
Answer: Number of features shipped per quarter
Feature count is a vanity metric because shipping many features doesn't mean customers find value in them or that business goals are achieved.
During a sprint review, a stakeholder asks why the sprint burndown chart showed completed work dropping suddenly on the last day. What is the MOST likely cause?
Answer: Stories were only marked 'done' at the end of the sprint rather than continuously
A 'cliff' pattern on a burndown chart typically indicates that the team batched their 'done' updates instead of closing stories incrementally.
What does an agile team's 'escaped defect rate' measure?
Answer: The percentage of defects that reach production despite team testing
Escaped defect rate tracks how many defects slip past the team's testing and are discovered by users in production, indicating testing effectiveness.
A product owner is preparing an agile metrics dashboard for senior leadership. Which combination of metrics provides the MOST balanced view of team health and delivery?
Answer: Velocity, customer satisfaction, and defect escape rate
Combining velocity (output), customer satisfaction (value), and defect escape rate (quality) gives a balanced view of productivity, effectiveness, and product quality.