Agile Estimation and Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real Certified Agile Service Manager 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 Estimation and Planning flashcards as text
What is relative estimation in Agile?
Answer: Sizing work items by comparing their complexity to one another rather than assigning absolute values
Relative estimation compares stories to each other (e.g., 'this story is twice as complex as that one') rather than predicting exact hours.
Why is the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…) commonly used for story point estimation?
Answer: The increasing gaps between numbers reflect growing uncertainty as complexity increases
The widening intervals in the Fibonacci sequence represent the reality that larger items carry more uncertainty and are harder to estimate precisely.
What is a release plan in Agile service management?
Answer: A high-level plan mapping which backlog items will be delivered across multiple sprints or iterations
A release plan provides a roadmap across multiple sprints, showing how the team will progressively deliver value toward a release goal.
In Agile, what is affinity estimation?
Answer: A rapid technique where stories are silently grouped into size buckets by the team and then discussed
Affinity estimation is a fast, collaborative technique where team members silently sort stories by relative size and then openly discuss disagreements.
What is the purpose of Product Backlog Refinement (grooming)?
Answer: To progressively elaborate, estimate, and prioritize backlog items before sprint planning
Backlog refinement ensures that upcoming stories are well-understood, correctly sized, and prioritized so sprint planning runs efficiently.
What is time-boxing in Agile?
Answer: Setting a maximum fixed duration for an event or activity that ends when time expires, regardless of completion
Time-boxing enforces a strict end time for Agile events like sprints and ceremonies to maintain cadence and prevent scope creep.
What does a Sprint Backlog contain?
Answer: The set of Product Backlog items selected for the sprint plus the plan for delivering them
The Sprint Backlog is owned by the Development Team and includes selected PBIs plus the tasks and plan needed to achieve the Sprint Goal.