Certified Agile Service Manager Agile Estimation and Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is relative estimation in Agile?
- Estimating tasks in actual clock hours compared to a baseline activity
- Sizing work items by comparing their complexity to one another rather than assigning absolute values (Correct answer)
- Using past sprint data to predict exact completion dates
- Estimating cost relative to the project budget
Correct 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.
Question 2: Why is the Fibonacci sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21…) commonly used for story point estimation?
- It ensures that estimates always result in even numbers for easy calculation
- The increasing gaps between numbers reflect growing uncertainty as complexity increases (Correct answer)
- It was mandated by the Agile Manifesto as the official estimation scale
- It limits the maximum story size to 21 points to prevent large stories
Correct 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.
Question 3: What is a release plan in Agile service management?
- A document listing all bugs fixed in a software version
- A high-level plan mapping which backlog items will be delivered across multiple sprints or iterations (Correct answer)
- The sprint backlog for the final sprint of a project
- A technical deployment checklist for pushing code to production
Correct 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.
Question 4: In Agile, what is affinity estimation?
- A method where team members rank stories based on personal preference
- A rapid technique where stories are silently grouped into size buckets by the team and then discussed (Correct answer)
- An estimation approach using customer satisfaction scores as the primary input
- A process where the Product Owner assigns sizes based on business value
Correct 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.
Question 5: What is the purpose of Product Backlog Refinement (grooming)?
- To formally approve user stories for inclusion in the next sprint
- To review and demo completed stories for stakeholders
- To progressively elaborate, estimate, and prioritize backlog items before sprint planning (Correct answer)
- To archive completed backlog items after each sprint
Correct 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.
Question 6: What is time-boxing in Agile?
- Assigning a fixed budget to each user story
- Setting a maximum fixed duration for an event or activity that ends when time expires, regardless of completion (Correct answer)
- Scheduling work items in sequential order by priority
- Measuring the elapsed time between sprint planning and sprint review
Correct 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.
Question 7: What does a Sprint Backlog contain?
- The entire product vision and long-term roadmap
- All unfinished items carried over from previous sprints
- The set of Product Backlog items selected for the sprint plus the plan for delivering them (Correct answer)
- A list of defects and technical debt items only
Correct 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.
Certified Agile Service Manager Agile Estimation and Planning 2
What is relative estimation in Agile?