Free Agile Business Analysis Strategy and Initiative Horizons Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Agile Business Analyst is working with senior leaders to determine which new products the company should invest in over the next two years to achieve its goal of market expansion. At which planning horizon is this work being performed?
- The Initiative Horizon
- The Delivery Horizon
- The Strategy Horizon (Correct answer)
- The Value Horizon
Correct answer: The Strategy Horizon
The Strategy Horizon focuses on informing decisions about an organization's business goals and the best allocation of resources to support the selected strategy. This includes deciding which initiatives, products, or services to invest in over a longer-term period, which can be from three months to multiple years.
Question 2: A business analyst is facilitating a meeting to break down a large, approved project into potential solution options and high-level features. The goal is to create a product roadmap and prioritize the work for the development teams. This activity is characteristic of which horizon?
- Delivery Horizon
- Initiative Horizon (Correct answer)
- Strategy Horizon
- Implementation Horizon
Correct answer: Initiative Horizon
The Initiative Horizon acts as the bridge between strategy and delivery. Key activities include shaping individual initiatives, identifying potential solution options, defining features, and creating a roadmap to guide the delivery teams.
Question 3: Which of the following statements BEST describes the purpose of analysis at the Initiative Horizon?
- To inform decisions regarding the day-to-day delivery of the solution, including breaking down work and testing.
- To inform decisions regarding the organization's overall business goals and resource allocation.
- To inform decisions regarding solution options, features, priorities, and the lifespan of a specific product or project. (Correct answer)
- To ensure the organization's vision and mission are aligned with current market trends and competitor actions.
Correct answer: To inform decisions regarding solution options, features, priorities, and the lifespan of a specific product or project.
According to the IIBA's Agile Extension to the BABOK® Guide, the purpose of the Initiative Horizon is to inform decisions regarding solution options, features, priorities, and lifespan for a particular goal or initiative. It translates the high-level goals from the Strategy Horizon into an actionable plan.
Question 4: A product manager and business analyst are reviewing the company's portfolio of projects. They are using criteria such as expected ROI, alignment with strategic goals, and resource capacity to decide which projects to fund, postpone, or cancel for the upcoming fiscal year. This decision-making process is a key activity within the:
- Strategy Horizon (Correct answer)
- Delivery Horizon
- Operations Horizon
- Initiative Horizon
Correct answer: Strategy Horizon
The Strategy Horizon involves looking at all the work being undertaken by an organization to make high-level decisions about where to allocate resources. This includes portfolio management and selecting initiatives that best align with the overall business strategy.
Question 5: As an Agile Business Analyst moves from the Strategy Horizon to the Initiative Horizon, and then to the Delivery Horizon, what happens to the level of detail and the time frame of the work?
- The level of detail decreases, and the time frame becomes longer.
- The level of detail remains the same, but the time frame becomes shorter.
- The level of detail and the time frame both increase.
- The level of detail increases, and the time frame becomes shorter. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The level of detail increases, and the time frame becomes shorter.
As work moves from Strategy to Initiative to Delivery, the planning horizon becomes shorter and the level of granularity increases. The Strategy Horizon looks at a long-term view with low detail, while the Delivery Horizon focuses on the immediate, short-term work with very high detail, such as user stories for the current sprint.
Question 6: In the context of the three planning horizons, which horizon is PRIMARILY concerned with translating strategic goals into a coherent plan for a single product or team?
- The Delivery Horizon, by building discrete pieces of the product.
- The Strategy Horizon, by identifying which initiatives to allocate resources to.
- The Initiative Horizon, by defining solution options and features for a specific goal. (Correct answer)
- The Feedback Horizon, by gathering customer input to adjust the overall strategy.
Correct answer: The Initiative Horizon, by defining solution options and features for a specific goal.
The Initiative Horizon's main purpose is to take a high-level strategic goal and translate it into a feasible plan for a specific initiative. This involves defining the scope, exploring solution options, and creating a roadmap of features that directs the work of one or more delivery teams.
Free Agile Business Analysis Strategy and Initiative Horizons Questions and Answers
An Agile Business Analyst is working with senior leaders to determine which new products the company should invest in over the next two years to achieve its goal of market expansion.
At which planning horizon is this work being performed?