DAC Lean Portfolio Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In DA Lean Portfolio Management, what is an 'epic' at the portfolio level?
- A very long user story that spans multiple sprints
- A large initiative or investment theme that may span multiple teams and quarters (Correct answer)
- A collection of all stories for a single release
- A regulatory compliance requirement tracked separately
Correct answer: A large initiative or investment theme that may span multiple teams and quarters
Portfolio-level epics represent large, strategic initiatives that are too big for a single team or sprint and require portfolio-level oversight.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes a 'Lean Business Case' in DA's portfolio management approach?
- A 50-page document required before any work can begin
- A concise summary of the hypothesis, expected benefits, and guardrails for a portfolio initiative (Correct answer)
- A detailed project plan with fixed scope and schedule
- A financial model created exclusively by the CFO
Correct answer: A concise summary of the hypothesis, expected benefits, and guardrails for a portfolio initiative
A Lean Business Case is a lightweight artifact that captures just enough information to make an informed investment decision without excessive documentation.
Question 3: How does DA's approach to portfolio governance differ from traditional Stage-Gate processes?
- DA eliminates all governance checkpoints
- DA uses continuous flow with lightweight touch-points rather than fixed sequential gates (Correct answer)
- DA requires more gates than traditional approaches for compliance
- DA replaces governance with team self-organization exclusively
Correct answer: DA uses continuous flow with lightweight touch-points rather than fixed sequential gates
DA favors continuous portfolio flow with rolling reviews rather than sequential stage gates that create batch delays and inventory buildup.
Question 4: A portfolio team is debating whether to proceed with a large digital transformation initiative. Using DA principles, what should be their first step?
- Hire a team of 50 developers to start immediately
- Create a lightweight hypothesis and identify the smallest investment that would test the idea (Correct answer)
- Commission a 6-month feasibility study before spending any money
- Assign the initiative to a legacy waterfall team for detailed planning
Correct answer: Create a lightweight hypothesis and identify the smallest investment that would test the idea
DA promotes an experimental, hypothesis-driven approach where you test assumptions with the smallest viable investment before committing fully.
Question 5: In DA Lean Portfolio Management, what role does the 'Portfolio Sync' meeting serve?
- A daily standup for all portfolio team members
- A regular cadence meeting to review portfolio status, adjust priorities, and remove impediments (Correct answer)
- A monthly finance review with the CFO only
- An annual strategic planning session replacing all other meetings
Correct answer: A regular cadence meeting to review portfolio status, adjust priorities, and remove impediments
Portfolio Sync is a regular (often bi-weekly or monthly) meeting that maintains alignment, surfaces blockers, and enables adaptive planning across the portfolio.
Question 6: Which concept from Lean thinking is most important when deciding how many portfolio initiatives to fund simultaneously?
- Just-in-time delivery
- Little's Law and the relationship between WIP, throughput, and cycle time (Correct answer)
- The Theory of Constraints applied to individual developers
- 5S workplace organization principles
Correct answer: Little's Law and the relationship between WIP, throughput, and cycle time
Little's Law explains that cycle time increases proportionally with WIP, so limiting concurrent portfolio initiatives directly reduces time-to-delivery.
Question 7: When a DA Coach facilitates a portfolio retrospective, which outcome is most critical for Lean Portfolio Management improvement?
- Identifying which team had the highest velocity
- Identifying systemic impediments that slow the flow of value through the portfolio (Correct answer)
- Recognizing individual contributors for exceptional performance
- Updating the portfolio Gantt chart with revised dates
Correct answer: Identifying systemic impediments that slow the flow of value through the portfolio
Portfolio retrospectives should focus on systemic flow impediments rather than team-level metrics to drive genuine portfolio-level improvement.
DAC Lean Portfolio Management 3
In DA Lean Portfolio Management, what is an 'epic' at the portfolio level?