CAE Risk Management & Impediment Resolution Flashcards

How does Agile manage risk differently from traditional project management?

Answer: Agile manages risk through continuous delivery of small increments that reveal risks early

Agile reduces risk by delivering in small increments, surfacing assumptions early, and getting frequent feedback rather than front-loading a risk register.

What is an 'impediment' in Agile terminology?

Answer: Any obstacle that slows or blocks the team's progress toward their sprint goal

An impediment is anything that prevents the team from working at full capacity toward their sprint goal, and removing it is a key Scrum Master responsibility.

Who is primarily responsible for removing impediments that are outside the team's control in Scrum?

Answer: The Scrum Master

The Scrum Master is responsible for removing impediments that the team cannot resolve themselves, escalating to the organization as needed.

What is 'risk-adjusted backlog prioritization' in Agile?

Answer: Factoring in both the value and the risk of backlog items to determine priority

Risk-adjusted prioritization considers both business value and risk exposure, so high-value, high-risk items can be addressed early to reduce uncertainty.

What Agile practice best helps identify technical risks early in a project?

Answer: Building a spike or proof-of-concept to explore uncertain technical areas

A spike is a time-boxed research or prototyping effort specifically designed to reduce technical uncertainty and surface risks before they become problems.

How should a team handle a recurring impediment that reappears every sprint?

Answer: Escalate it to the Scrum Master and discuss root causes in the retrospective to find a systemic fix

Recurring impediments signal systemic issues that should be analyzed in retrospectives and escalated for a permanent solution rather than tolerated.