Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) Exam — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What is the primary focus of the Agile Framework?

Fixed scope and timeline
Highly detailed project plans
Large, infrequent releases
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

The Agile Framework, as outlined in the Agile Manifesto, primarily focuses on valuing "Customer collaboration over contract negotiation." This principle emphasizes continuous engagement with the customer throughout the development process to ensure the product truly meets their evolving needs. Prioritizing collaboration leads to more relevant and valuable outcomes than rigid adherence to initial contractual terms.

Question 2: What is the role of the Scrum Master in a Disciplined Agile (DA) team?

Managing the product backlog
Facilitating communication between stakeholders
Designing the product features
Ensuring the team follows Scrum practices and removing obstacles (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Ensuring the team follows Scrum practices and removing obstacles

In a Disciplined Agile team, the Scrum Master primarily serves as a servant leader and facilitator. Their key responsibilities include coaching the team on Scrum principles and practices, ensuring adherence to the chosen Way of Working, and actively working to identify and remove any impediments that hinder the team's progress. This role helps the team remain focused and productive.

Question 3: Which quality improvement method is most applicable to cloud infrastructure & deployment in Certified Disciplined Agile?

Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement cycle (Correct answer)
Making changes only when mandated by regulators
Implementing changes without measuring outcomes
Ignoring feedback and maintaining status quo

Correct answer: Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) continuous improvement cycle

The PDCA cycle is widely recognized as the most effective quality improvement method, allowing DA professionals to systematically improve cloud infrastructure & deployment practices.

Question 4: When a DA team identifies a compliance gap during a sprint, what is the RECOMMENDED course of action?

Escalate to legal without informing the team's product owner
Immediately halt all sprint work until compliance is fully resolved
Add a compliance remediation item to the backlog and prioritize it based on risk (Correct answer)
Ignore it until the next formal audit cycle

Correct answer: Add a compliance remediation item to the backlog and prioritize it based on risk

DA recommends treating compliance gaps as backlog items to be prioritized based on risk, ensuring they are addressed within the delivery flow.

Question 5: The Scrumban approach is best described as:

A hybrid combining Scrum's iterations with Kanban's flow and WIP limits (Correct answer)
An XP variant focused on engineering practices
A replacement for both Scrum and Kanban
A SAFe-specific framework for large teams

Correct answer: A hybrid combining Scrum's iterations with Kanban's flow and WIP limits

Scrumban blends Scrum's cadence-based ceremonies with Kanban's visual flow management and WIP limits for teams transitioning between the two.

Question 6: In LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum), how many Product Owners exist across all teams?

One per team
One per feature area
Two — one strategic, one tactical
One overall Product Owner for all teams (Correct answer)

Correct answer: One overall Product Owner for all teams

LeSS maintains a single Product Owner who owns one Product Backlog shared across all teams to preserve product cohesion.

Question 7: In the DA toolkit, what role does Lean thinking play across all life cycles?

It defines sprint lengths
It provides the philosophical foundation for reducing waste and optimizing flow (Correct answer)
It replaces Agile ceremonies
It mandates fixed team sizes

Correct answer: It provides the philosophical foundation for reducing waste and optimizing flow

Lean thinking underpins DA's approach by focusing on eliminating waste, delivering value, and optimizing the whole system.

Question 8: According to DA, who is primarily responsible for choosing and evolving the team's WoW?

Senior management
The team itself (Correct answer)
The DA certification body
The Scrum Master or Agile coach

Correct answer: The team itself

DA empowers teams to own and evolve their own WoW, making them responsible for selecting the practices that best fit their context.

Question 9: In DA, which practice helps distributed teams compensate for the lack of face-to-face communication?

Assigning a dedicated scribe to document all informal discussions
Using video calls, virtual collaboration tools, and intentional overlap hours (Correct answer)
Increasing formal documentation to replace verbal communication
Reducing the frequency of meetings to avoid time zone issues

Correct answer: Using video calls, virtual collaboration tools, and intentional overlap hours

DA recommends distributed teams use video conferencing, digital collaboration boards, and planned working hour overlaps to replicate as much of the richness of in-person communication as possible.

Question 10: Which technology trend is most likely to impact security architecture & network defense in the DA field in coming years?

Return to exclusively paper-based systems
Reduction in the need for professional certification
Complete elimination of human professionals
Digital tools for enhanced data collection, analysis, and reporting (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Digital tools for enhanced data collection, analysis, and reporting

Digital tools for enhanced data collection, analysis, and reporting represent the most significant and practical technology trend impacting security architecture & network defense, augmenting rather than replacing professional expertise.

Question 11: How does governance affect the execution of Agile processes in DA?

It provides a rigid structure that limits team flexibility
It removes all compliance requirements to allow full flexibility
It provides a flexible framework while ensuring alignment with organizational goals (Correct answer)
It completely controls the decision-making process

Correct answer: It provides a flexible framework while ensuring alignment with organizational goals

Governance in Disciplined Agile is designed to be enabling rather than restrictive. It offers a flexible framework that guides agile processes, ensuring they remain aligned with broader organizational goals, policies, and regulatory requirements. This balance allows teams the autonomy to choose their Way of Working while still operating within necessary enterprise guardrails.

Question 12: A DA team wants to experiment with a new business model before committing to full development. Which lifecycle MOST directly supports this?

Exploratory (Lean Startup) lifecycle (Correct answer)
Lean lifecycle
Continuous Delivery: Lean lifecycle
Agile lifecycle

Correct answer: Exploratory (Lean Startup) lifecycle

The Exploratory lifecycle uses Lean Startup principles—build-measure-learn—to validate business hypotheses with minimum viable experiments.

Question 13: What is the significance of governance in decision-making within the DA framework?

It limits the decision-making to the Project Manager only
It provides flexibility and speed in decision-making
It ensures that decisions are aligned with business goals and regulations (Correct answer)
It encourages quick decisions without proper evaluation

Correct answer: It ensures that decisions are aligned with business goals and regulations

Governance in Disciplined Agile is vital for effective decision-making because it provides a framework that ensures all project decisions are aligned with the organization's strategic business goals and any applicable regulations. This prevents teams from making choices that might be locally optimal but globally detrimental, ensuring overall coherence and compliance.

Question 14: Which metric is MOST aligned with DA's lean governance approach to measuring team performance?

Number of hours worked per developer per sprint
Volume of documents produced
Outcomes delivered relative to stakeholder value (Correct answer)
Adherence to a prescribed process template

Correct answer: Outcomes delivered relative to stakeholder value

DA lean governance focuses on outcomes and value delivery rather than activity-based or output-based metrics.

Question 15: Which documentation practice is most important for cloud infrastructure & deployment in the DA field?

Documenting only when legally required
Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records (Correct answer)
Recording only successful outcomes
Using informal notes instead of official records

Correct answer: Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records

Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records is crucial for accountability, quality assurance, and legal compliance in cloud infrastructure & deployment.

Question 16: Which of the following best describes a key competency required for cloud infrastructure & deployment in DA certification?

Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making (Correct answer)
Memorization of all relevant regulations verbatim
Delegation of all complex tasks to supervisors
Ability to work independently without any oversight

Correct answer: Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making

Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making is essential for cloud infrastructure & deployment, as professionals must analyze situations and apply knowledge appropriately.

Question 17: Which documentation practice is most important for automation & scripting fundamentals in the DA field?

Using informal notes instead of official records
Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records (Correct answer)
Documenting only when legally required
Recording only successful outcomes

Correct answer: Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records

Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records is crucial for accountability, quality assurance, and legal compliance in automation & scripting fundamentals.

Question 18: Which documentation practice is most important for security architecture & network defense in the DA field?

Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records (Correct answer)
Using informal notes instead of official records
Documenting only when legally required
Recording only successful outcomes

Correct answer: Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records

Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records is crucial for accountability, quality assurance, and legal compliance in security architecture & network defense.

Question 19: In DA's process goal diagram for 'Develop on Cadence; Release on Demand,' what does 'release on demand' primarily mean?

Releases happen whenever the business needs them, decoupled from development cadence (Correct answer)
Releases require full regression testing before each deployment
Releases are scheduled quarterly by the portfolio team
Releases are triggered by sprint end dates

Correct answer: Releases happen whenever the business needs them, decoupled from development cadence

Release on demand means the team can deploy to production independently of their development cadence, driven by business need.

Question 20: How should a DA professional handle a situation where automation & scripting fundamentals protocols conflict with practical constraints?

Make a unilateral decision without consultation
Document the conflict and seek guidance from appropriate authorities (Correct answer)
Avoid addressing the conflict entirely
Always ignore the protocols in favor of practicality

Correct answer: Document the conflict and seek guidance from appropriate authorities

When protocols conflict with practical constraints, the professional approach is to document the conflict and seek guidance, ensuring transparency and compliance while working toward a resolution.

Question 21: A DA Team Lead notices two team members consistently performing tasks outside their primary expertise. This BEST represents:

Scope creep that the Product Owner must address
A violation of role boundaries that should be corrected
T-shaped skill development that DA actively encourages (Correct answer)
A resourcing problem that must be escalated immediately

Correct answer: T-shaped skill development that DA actively encourages

DA actively promotes T-shaped professionals who develop breadth beyond their core specialization to improve team agility.

Question 22: What is a common challenge professionals face when applying automation & scripting fundamentals principles in Certified Disciplined Agile?

Excessive simplicity of industry regulations
Having too much support from colleagues
Lack of any professional development opportunities
Balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application

Balancing theoretical knowledge with practical application is a well-recognized challenge, as real-world scenarios often present complexities not covered in standard training.

Question 23: According to Disciplined Agile, what is the primary benefit of co-located teams compared to distributed teams?

Co-located teams are required for DA certification compliance
Co-located teams cost less due to reduced tooling requirements
Co-located teams always deliver higher quality code
Co-located teams benefit from richer informal communication, faster feedback, and easier collaboration (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Co-located teams benefit from richer informal communication, faster feedback, and easier collaboration

DA acknowledges that co-located teams gain richer communication through spontaneous conversation, body language, and instant feedback that distributed teams must actively compensate for.

Question 24: When a DA team scales to a program level, which role is added to coordinate shared services, resolve cross-team dependencies, and govern program-level risks?

Program Manager (Correct answer)
Lead Architecture Owner
Agile Coach
Senior Product Owner

Correct answer: Program Manager

A Program Manager takes on coordination, dependency resolution, and risk governance responsibilities across teams in a scaled DA program.

Question 25: Which DA lifecycle is best suited for a team facing complex, uncertain scope and high levels of technical risk?

Exploratory (Lean Startup) (Correct answer)
Agile (Scrum-based)
Program (SAFe-based)
Continuous Delivery: Agile

Correct answer: Exploratory (Lean Startup)

The Exploratory (Lean Startup) lifecycle in DA is designed for situations with high uncertainty where experimentation, learning, and pivoting are needed.

Question 26: Which Agile methodology focuses on continuous delivery and testing?

Scrum
Waterfall
Lean
Extreme Programming (XP) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Extreme Programming (XP)

Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile methodology specifically known for its focus on continuous delivery and testing. XP practices like test-driven development (TDD), continuous integration, and frequent releases ensure that software is constantly tested and delivered in small, functional increments. This emphasis on quality and rapid feedback loops makes it highly effective for complex projects.

Question 27: In the DA framework, 'Delivery Risk' is BEST managed by which practice?

Applying risk-reduction milestones and iterative delivery to expose and address risks early (Correct answer)
Fixing all scope at project start to eliminate uncertainty
Delaying delivery until all risks are fully analyzed
Outsourcing risky components to specialized vendors

Correct answer: Applying risk-reduction milestones and iterative delivery to expose and address risks early

DA manages delivery risk through progressive milestones and incremental delivery, surfacing unknowns early when they are cheaper to address.

Question 28: In DA, what is the 'improvement kata' most closely associated with?

A daily standup format for tracking impediments
A structured approach to iterative process improvement using target conditions and experiments (Correct answer)
A retrospective technique for identifying waste
A metrics dashboard template for agile teams

Correct answer: A structured approach to iterative process improvement using target conditions and experiments

The improvement kata is a four-step scientific thinking pattern used in DA to move from the current state toward a target condition through planned experiments.

Question 29: How does the Agile Manifesto prioritize customer collaboration?

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation (Correct answer)
Reducing customer involvement in decision-making
Customer satisfaction through warranty agreements
Detailed contracts over customer feedback

Correct answer: Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

The Agile Manifesto explicitly states "Customer collaboration over contract negotiation" as one of its four core values. This principle highlights the importance of continuous, direct engagement with customers to understand their evolving needs and incorporate their feedback throughout the project lifecycle. It prioritizes building strong relationships and delivering value over strict adherence to initial, potentially outdated, contractual terms.

Question 30: SAFe's Agile Release Train (ART) typically consists of how many teams?

3-4 teams
20-30 teams
5-12 teams (Correct answer)
1-2 teams

Correct answer: 5-12 teams

A SAFe ART typically consists of 5-12 Agile teams (50-125 people) who synchronize on a common Program Increment cadence.

Question 31: In Disciplined Agile, which governance model best supports teams that choose their own way of working (WoW)?

Waterfall-stage-gate governance with formal phase reviews
Regulatory-first governance that mandates compliance checklists
Lean governance that provides guardrails and enables team autonomy (Correct answer)
Command-and-control governance with mandatory process templates

Correct answer: Lean governance that provides guardrails and enables team autonomy

DA's lean governance model establishes guardrails and guidance while empowering teams to choose their own WoW rather than imposing uniform processes.

Question 32: A DA team uses a Kanban board and measures cycle time as their primary flow metric. This practice MOST aligns with which DA lifecycle?

Program lifecycle
Agile lifecycle
Lean lifecycle (Correct answer)
Exploratory lifecycle

Correct answer: Lean lifecycle

The Lean lifecycle emphasizes flow metrics like cycle time and throughput rather than velocity, aligning with Kanban-style work management.

Question 33: According to Disciplined Agile, what is the recommended approach when two team members have a persistent interpersonal conflict that is slowing the team's progress?

Ignore it and let the conflict resolve naturally over time
Reassign one team member to a different project immediately
Escalate directly to the PMO for arbitration
Address it transparently using a structured retrospective or mediation process (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Address it transparently using a structured retrospective or mediation process

DA encourages teams to address conflicts directly and transparently through facilitated discussion or retrospectives, supporting a psychologically safe and self-organizing environment.

Question 34: According to Disciplined Agile, what is 'osmotic communication' and why is it valuable for teams?

A structured daily standup format for dispersed teams
An email communication standard for stakeholder updates
The passive absorption of information by team members overhearing nearby conversations in a shared space (Correct answer)
A formal communication protocol using shared dashboards and reports

Correct answer: The passive absorption of information by team members overhearing nearby conversations in a shared space

Osmotic communication is the organic spread of context and knowledge through casual overheard conversations in a co-located environment, reducing the need for formal information-sharing ceremonies.

Question 35: Which DA-supported approach reflects Lean's 'pull' system by having teams take work only when they have capacity?

Sprint backlog
Daily standup
Release train
Kanban flow (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Kanban flow

Kanban's pull-based system aligns with Lean's pull principle, where work is pulled through the system only when there is capacity.

Question 36: Which documentation practice is most important for incident response & disaster recovery in the DA field?

Using informal notes instead of official records
Documenting only when legally required
Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records (Correct answer)
Recording only successful outcomes

Correct answer: Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records

Maintaining complete, accurate, and timely records is crucial for accountability, quality assurance, and legal compliance in incident response & disaster recovery.

Question 37: Which statement BEST describes the DA concept of 'team member' versus 'specialist'?

Team members can be generalists or T-shaped professionals who contribute broadly (Correct answer)
Only specialists are allowed to own backlog items
Specialists never collaborate with other roles in DA
Team members are junior resources while specialists are senior

Correct answer: Team members can be generalists or T-shaped professionals who contribute broadly

DA encourages T-shaped professionals who have deep expertise in one area but can contribute across multiple disciplines.

Question 38: Which DA governance layer is primarily responsible for setting strategic direction, funding, and portfolio-level oversight?

Enterprise layer (Correct answer)
Program layer
Team layer
Delivery layer

Correct answer: Enterprise layer

The Enterprise layer in DA handles strategic governance including funding decisions, enterprise architecture, and portfolio prioritization.

Question 39: What does 'WoW' stand for in the context of Disciplined Agile?

Work Output Workflow
Workflow over Waste
Way of Working (Correct answer)
Work over Waterfall

Correct answer: Way of Working

WoW stands for 'Way of Working,' the unique set of practices and processes that each team selects and evolves to fit their context.

Question 40: In DA's Disciplined DevOps layer, operations team members are considered:

Managed exclusively by the Architecture Owner
Separate from the delivery team and never part of the agile process
Stakeholders and sometimes team members who help ensure solutions are properly deployed and operated (Correct answer)
Responsible only for infrastructure, with no role in delivery decisions

Correct answer: Stakeholders and sometimes team members who help ensure solutions are properly deployed and operated

DA's Disciplined DevOps perspective includes operations as stakeholders or team members to bridge the dev-ops gap.

Question 41: According to DA, what distinguishes a 'self-organizing' team from a traditionally managed team?

Self-organizing teams are only used in startup environments
Self-organizing teams have no manager or product owner
Self-organizing teams never need retrospectives because they naturally adapt
Self-organizing teams determine how to best accomplish their work rather than being assigned specific tasks by a manager (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Self-organizing teams determine how to best accomplish their work rather than being assigned specific tasks by a manager

In DA, self-organizing teams have the authority to decide how to approach their work, assign tasks internally, and adapt their process — the manager sets direction but doesn't dictate execution.

Question 42: Which of the following is a key activity for continuous improvement in the DA lifecycle?

Defining processes only at the start of the project
Regularly reviewing and adjusting processes for efficiency (Correct answer)
Maintaining the same processes throughout the project
Sticking to the original plan with no changes

Correct answer: Regularly reviewing and adjusting processes for efficiency

A key activity for continuous improvement in the DA lifecycle is the regular review and adjustment of processes. Teams are encouraged to hold retrospectives and other feedback sessions to identify what's working well and what needs improvement. This iterative refinement of their Way of Working helps them become more efficient and effective over time.

Question 43: In Disciplined Agile, what is the significance of a team's 'working agreement' in relation to team dynamics?

It replaces the need for retrospectives by pre-defining all team processes
It is a set of self-defined norms that guide how the team interacts and makes decisions (Correct answer)
It is a document submitted to the PMO to justify the team's agile approach
It is a formal contract signed by all team members and their managers

Correct answer: It is a set of self-defined norms that guide how the team interacts and makes decisions

A working agreement is a collaboratively created set of behavioral norms that helps teams maintain consistent, respectful collaboration and resolve disputes constructively.

Question 44: What is the purpose of a Product Backlog in Scrum?

A document outlining team roles
A prioritized list of features or tasks (Correct answer)
A detailed schedule for the project
A list of all deliverables for the project

Correct answer: A prioritized list of features or tasks

The Product Backlog in Scrum is a dynamic, prioritized list of all the features, functions, requirements, enhancements, and fixes that constitute the work to be done on the product. It is maintained by the Product Owner and serves as the single source of truth for all work. This backlog guides the Development Team on what to build next, ensuring alignment with product vision.

Question 45: In DA, what is 'process tailoring' in the context of governance?

Outsourcing governance responsibilities to consultants
Standardizing a single process across all teams in an organization
Selecting and adapting practices to fit the team's context while respecting guardrails (Correct answer)
Removing all governance oversight from agile teams

Correct answer: Selecting and adapting practices to fit the team's context while respecting guardrails

Process tailoring means teams choose and adapt practices from DA's toolbox to suit their unique situation within enterprise guardrails.

Question 46: In Disciplined Agile, what role is responsible for identifying and managing project risks?

Development Team
Product Owner
Stakeholders
Scrum Master and Project Manager (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Scrum Master and Project Manager

Risk management in Disciplined Agile is a shared responsibility, particularly between the Scrum Master and the Project Manager. The Scrum Master helps the team identify and address internal impediments and risks, while the Project Manager focuses on broader project-level risks, external dependencies, and organizational impediments. Together, they ensure a comprehensive approach to identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks.

Question 47: In Disciplined Agile, what does 'enterprise awareness' require of individual agile teams?

Teams must understand how their work connects to and impacts the broader organization and other teams (Correct answer)
Teams must follow enterprise architecture patterns without any local adaptation
Teams must adopt the same process as every other team in the organization
Teams must report their metrics weekly to enterprise program managers

Correct answer: Teams must understand how their work connects to and impacts the broader organization and other teams

Enterprise awareness means teams recognize they don't operate in isolation — their decisions, dependencies, and deliverables affect other teams, shared systems, and organizational goals.

Question 48: In Disciplined Agile, which category of metrics focuses on measuring the outcomes delivered to customers rather than internal team activities?

Output metrics
Outcome metrics (Correct answer)
Process metrics
Activity metrics

Correct answer: Outcome metrics

Outcome metrics focus on the value and results delivered to customers, which DA prioritizes over tracking internal outputs or activities.

Question 49: What is the PRIMARY purpose of a DA team retrospective from a continuous improvement perspective?

To produce formal audit reports for management
To assign blame for sprint failures
To update the project schedule and budget estimates
To inspect the team's WoW and identify actionable improvements (Correct answer)

Correct answer: To inspect the team's WoW and identify actionable improvements

Retrospectives in DA are improvement events where teams reflect on their WoW and commit to specific, actionable changes.

Question 50: In Disciplined Agile, which collaboration pattern best describes two developers working together at a single workstation on the same code simultaneously?

Peer review
Mob programming
Swarming
Pair programming (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Pair programming

Pair programming involves two developers working together at one workstation, with one typing (driver) and one reviewing and thinking ahead (navigator).

Question 51: Which of the following best describes a key competency required for security architecture & network defense in DA certification?

Delegation of all complex tasks to supervisors
Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making (Correct answer)
Ability to work independently without any oversight
Memorization of all relevant regulations verbatim

Correct answer: Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making

Critical thinking and evidence-based decision making is essential for security architecture & network defense, as professionals must analyze situations and apply knowledge appropriately.

Question 52: According to Disciplined Agile, what is a 'T-shaped' team member and why does DA value this profile?

Someone who works across two teams simultaneously
Someone who specializes deeply in one skill and has broad knowledge across other areas, enabling flexible collaboration (Correct answer)
Someone who has two deep specializations and no general skills
Someone who manages both technical and business requirements

Correct answer: Someone who specializes deeply in one skill and has broad knowledge across other areas, enabling flexible collaboration

T-shaped professionals have deep expertise in one area (the vertical bar) and broad familiarity with adjacent disciplines (the horizontal bar), enabling greater team flexibility and collaboration.

Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) Exam

The DASM certification validates an individual's understanding of the Disciplined Agile toolkit and how to apply it to optimize team processes and outcomes.

Questions

90 min

Time Limit

70%

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