PMI-ACP PMI-ACP Agile Planning & Estimation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A burndown chart in agile tracks which of the following?
- The number of new features added to the backlog over time
- The remaining work versus time remaining in an iteration or release (Correct answer)
- The cumulative flow of work items through workflow stages
- The team's velocity trend over multiple sprints
Correct answer: The remaining work versus time remaining in an iteration or release
A burndown chart visualizes the amount of remaining work against the time remaining, helping teams track progress toward the sprint or release goal.
Question 2: What does the term 'backlog refinement' (also called grooming) refer to in agile?
- Removing completed items from the sprint board
- The ongoing process of reviewing, estimating, and prioritizing backlog items (Correct answer)
- Closing out a release and archiving completed stories
- Re-estimating velocity after a team member leaves
Correct answer: The ongoing process of reviewing, estimating, and prioritizing backlog items
Backlog refinement is the activity of adding detail, estimates, and order to product backlog items to keep it ready for upcoming sprints.
Question 3: Which agile estimation technique groups user stories into broad size categories such as small, medium, large, and extra-large?
- Planning Poker
- Wideband Delphi
- T-shirt Sizing (Correct answer)
- Three-Point Estimation
Correct answer: T-shirt Sizing
T-shirt sizing uses clothing size categories to quickly and relatively group user stories by effort without assigning numeric values.
Question 4: In agile planning, what is the purpose of the 'cone of uncertainty'?
- To illustrate how team velocity changes over time
- To show how estimates become more accurate as a project progresses (Correct answer)
- To represent the range of possible sprint velocities
- To track the number of risks identified in each iteration
Correct answer: To show how estimates become more accurate as a project progresses
The cone of uncertainty shows that early in a project, estimates have wide variance; as more is learned, the range of uncertainty narrows.
Question 5: Which metric measures the total amount of value delivered to customers over the life of an agile project?
- Cycle Time
- Lead Time
- Cumulative Story Points
- Net Present Value (NPV) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Net Present Value (NPV)
Net Present Value (NPV) is a financial metric used in agile portfolio management to measure the overall value delivered by a project relative to its cost.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'Definition of Ready' (DoR) in agile planning?
- To define when a sprint has been successfully completed
- To establish criteria that a user story must meet before it can be taken into a sprint (Correct answer)
- To list all tasks that must be done before a release can go live
- To outline the acceptance criteria for the final product
Correct answer: To establish criteria that a user story must meet before it can be taken into a sprint
The Definition of Ready specifies the minimum criteria a user story must meet (e.g., estimated, clearly defined, testable) before the team can pull it into a sprint.
PMI-ACP PMI-ACP Agile Planning & Estimation 2
A burndown chart in agile tracks which of the following?