CSM Agile Metrics and Continuous Improvement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a recommended outcome of the Sprint Retrospective?
- A finalized Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint
- At least one actionable improvement added to the next Sprint Backlog (Correct answer)
- A new release plan approved by stakeholders
- A performance review for each Developer
Correct answer: At least one actionable improvement added to the next Sprint Backlog
The Scrum Team should identify at least one high-priority improvement to act upon in the next Sprint, turning retrospective insights into real change.
Question 2: What does the Definition of Done primarily ensure?
- Tasks are assigned to the correct Developers
- Every Increment meets a shared quality standard before being considered complete (Correct answer)
- The Product Backlog is always fully estimated
- Sprint Goals are achievable within the time-box
Correct answer: Every Increment meets a shared quality standard before being considered complete
The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required by the Scrum Team, ensuring consistency.
Question 3: What is velocity trend analysis used for?
- Evaluating individual Developer performance
- Forecasting how many Product Backlog items can be completed in future Sprints (Correct answer)
- Determining the number of bugs per release
- Setting the Definition of Done quality threshold
Correct answer: Forecasting how many Product Backlog items can be completed in future Sprints
Tracking velocity trends over multiple Sprints helps teams and Product Owners make realistic forecasts about when features or releases can be expected.
Question 4: Which metric helps a team understand how much work is simultaneously in progress?
- Velocity
- WIP (Work in Progress) limit (Correct answer)
- Burndown rate
- Throughput
Correct answer: WIP (Work in Progress) limit
WIP (Work in Progress) limits highlight how many items are being worked on at once, helping teams identify bottlenecks and improve flow.
Question 5: What is the purpose of tracking technical debt in a Scrum context?
- To assign blame for past poor coding decisions
- To make technical debt visible so it can be prioritized alongside new features (Correct answer)
- To calculate the team's overall velocity adjustment factor
- To determine when a Sprint should be cancelled
Correct answer: To make technical debt visible so it can be prioritized alongside new features
Making technical debt visible allows the Product Owner and Developers to prioritize paying it down alongside new feature work, maintaining long-term product health.
Question 6: A cumulative flow diagram (CFD) is most useful for:
- Tracking individual Developer story point contributions
- Visualizing workflow stability and identifying bottlenecks across Scrum stages (Correct answer)
- Comparing velocity between multiple Scrum Teams
- Planning the Sprint Review agenda
Correct answer: Visualizing workflow stability and identifying bottlenecks across Scrum stages
A CFD shows the quantity of work in each stage over time, revealing bottlenecks, scope changes, and flow issues across the development process.
CSM Agile Metrics and Continuous Improvement 2
What is a recommended outcome of the Sprint Retrospective?