ICP Communication & Stakeholder Engagement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A product owner notices that a key stakeholder never attends sprint reviews. What is the BEST first step?
- Cancel sprint reviews until attendance improves
- Have a one-on-one conversation to understand the stakeholder's barriers and preferences (Correct answer)
- Send detailed written summaries instead and stop inviting them
- Escalate the issue to senior management immediately
Correct answer: Have a one-on-one conversation to understand the stakeholder's barriers and preferences
Understanding why a stakeholder is disengaged allows the team to address barriers and find communication formats that work for them.
Question 2: Which communication approach best supports the agile principle of 'face-to-face conversation'?
- Sending detailed email updates after every standup
- Holding in-person or video conversations rather than relying solely on written status reports (Correct answer)
- Publishing a weekly wiki page with project status
- Using a ticketing system to track all decisions
Correct answer: Holding in-person or video conversations rather than relying solely on written status reports
The Agile Manifesto specifically values face-to-face conversation as the most effective method of conveying information.
Question 3: What does a stakeholder communication plan typically include?
- A list of all team members and their salaries
- Identified stakeholders, their information needs, preferred channels, and frequency of updates (Correct answer)
- The project budget and resource allocation
- A log of all defects found during testing
Correct answer: Identified stakeholders, their information needs, preferred channels, and frequency of updates
A communication plan maps stakeholders to their needs, preferred channels, and how often they should receive information.
Question 4: During a sprint, a stakeholder requests a significant scope change. What should the team do?
- Immediately implement the change to satisfy the stakeholder
- Ignore the request until the next planning event
- Log the request in the product backlog for the product owner to prioritize (Correct answer)
- Stop the sprint and restart planning from scratch
Correct answer: Log the request in the product backlog for the product owner to prioritize
New scope requests are captured in the product backlog and prioritized by the product owner, not added mid-sprint without review.
Question 5: Which technique helps teams visualize and manage the flow of information to stakeholders?
- Burn-down chart
- Information radiator (Correct answer)
- Velocity chart
- Risk register
Correct answer: Information radiator
Information radiators are highly visible displays (physical or digital) that make project status and progress transparent to all stakeholders.
Question 6: A scrum master observes that team members only talk to each other during the daily standup. What should the scrum master encourage?
- Limiting all communication to formal standup meetings
- Organic collaboration and communication throughout the day (Correct answer)
- Sending end-of-day email summaries instead
- Assigning a dedicated communication officer
Correct answer: Organic collaboration and communication throughout the day
The daily standup is a synchronization event, not the only time for team communication; ongoing collaboration is essential in agile.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a 'Definition of Done' in the context of stakeholder communication?
- To define when a stakeholder is considered fully engaged
- To create a shared understanding of what 'complete' means so stakeholders have clear expectations (Correct answer)
- To document the final project closure process
- To specify who signs off on the project charter
Correct answer: To create a shared understanding of what 'complete' means so stakeholders have clear expectations
A shared Definition of Done aligns team and stakeholder expectations about what constitutes a completed, releasable increment.
ICP Communication & Stakeholder Engagement 2
A product owner notices that a key stakeholder never attends sprint reviews.
What is the BEST first step?