Agile Planning & Delivery Flashcards

A Scrum Master notices the team's velocity has dropped significantly for two Sprints. What should the Scrum Master do FIRST?

Answer: Facilitate a retrospective to identify and remove impediments

A velocity drop signals systemic issues; the Scrum Master should help the team inspect and adapt by facilitating a structured problem-solving conversation.

In Agile, what is the purpose of 'timeboxing'?

Answer: To fix a maximum duration for an activity, forcing prioritization and focus

Timeboxing sets a fixed maximum duration for activities like Sprints or meetings, creating urgency and forcing the team to prioritize what matters most.

Which technique helps teams manage dependencies between user stories during Sprint planning?

Answer: Story mapping and dependency mapping

Story mapping visualizes the user journey and helps teams identify stories that depend on each other, enabling better Sprint planning decisions.

What does a Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) help an Agile team visualize?

Answer: The flow of work through different stages and identification of bottlenecks

A CFD shows the quantity of work in each stage over time, allowing teams to identify bottlenecks where work accumulates and flow breaks down.

A team consistently completes work early in the Sprint. According to Agile principles, what is the BEST response?

Answer: Pull in additional backlog items from the prioritized product backlog

When a team finishes early, they should pull in the next highest-priority item from the backlog to maximize value delivery within the Sprint timebox.

What is the primary risk of having very large user stories (epics) in a Sprint backlog?

Answer: They are difficult to complete within a Sprint, reducing transparency and predictability

Large stories rarely fit within a single Sprint, making it hard to demonstrate progress and causing carryover work that reduces predictability.

In Agile release planning, what does 'time-to-market' primarily influence?

Answer: The prioritization of features that deliver business value earliest

Time-to-market pressure drives Agile teams to prioritize features with the highest business value so early releases capture competitive advantage sooner.