CST Agile Estimation Techniques & User Stories 2

Question 1

What best describes 'relative estimation' in the context of Agile?

Accepted Answer

Comparing items to each other to determine relative effort, complexity, or size

Answer

Estimating items based on calendar time relative to the current date

Answer

Using historical data from similar past projects to size current work

Answer

Estimating effort relative to the team's highest-skilled member's capability

Question 2

What is a 'spike' in Agile, and what is its primary purpose?

Accepted Answer

A time-boxed research or exploration task designed to reduce uncertainty before estimation

Answer

A very high-priority User Story that must be completed before any other work in a Sprint

Answer

An estimation unit equivalent to one story point used in smaller teams

Answer

A technique for rapidly prototyping new user-facing features

Question 3

What does a 'Definition of Ready' (DoR) ensure about User Stories before Sprint Planning?

Accepted Answer

That User Stories meet agreed lightweight criteria making them clear and small enough to plan

Answer

That all User Stories have been fully designed and documented before development begins

Answer

That the Product Owner has signed off on all stories before they can be worked on

Answer

That automated acceptance tests have been written before development begins

Question 4

T-shirt sizing (XS, S, M, L, XL) is best used for which estimation scenario?

Accepted Answer

Initial high-level estimation of many backlog items, especially when details are still uncertain

Answer

Technical architecture decisions that require precise effort estimates during Sprint Planning

Answer

Tracking team velocity across multiple Sprints for stakeholder reporting

Answer

Assigning specific work items to individual team members based on skill level

Question 5

According to the INVEST criteria, what does 'Negotiable' mean for a User Story?

Accepted Answer

The story's scope and details can be discussed and adapted through team collaboration

Answer

The business value of the story can be changed by the development team if needed

Answer

The story's acceptance criteria are open to reinterpretation by developers during the Sprint

Answer

The story can be moved between Sprints without notifying the Product Owner

Question 6

Why should the Developers, not the Product Owner, be responsible for estimating User Stories?

Accepted Answer

The Developers do the actual work and therefore have the most accurate understanding of effort

Answer

The Scrum Guide explicitly and exclusively assigns estimation authority to Developers

Answer

Product Owners are not permitted to attend Sprint Planning under the Scrum framework

Answer

Estimation is a core Scrum Master competency required for CST certification

Question 7

What is 'affinity estimation' and when is it most effectively used?

Accepted Answer

A fast, silent group technique for sizing many backlog items by grouping similarly-sized items

Answer

Estimating based on team members' affinity for certain technologies or frameworks

Answer

An estimation method that requires unanimous team agreement before assigning points

Answer

A technique borrowed from SAFe for Program Increment-level capacity planning