DAF Practice Test 2 — 25 Questions

Question 1

A team has high 'wait time' between code completion and code review. How should they address this using Lean principles?

Accepted Answer

Incorporate code review into the 'In Progress' workflow state.. The team should pull the review into their workflow, making it a collaborative, immediate step rather than an external dependency.

Answer

Hire more senior developers to review code.

Answer

Eliminate code reviews.

Answer

Schedule all reviews for the end of the week.

Question 2

When applying the principle of 'Optimize the Whole', how should you view a 'specialized' sub-team?

Accepted Answer

As a potential silo that should be integrated into cross-functional flow.. Specialized teams often act as silos. The goal is to integrate them into a cross-functional unit to improve end-to-end flow.

Answer

As the most important part of the organization.

Answer

As a group that should work at their own pace.

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As a highly efficient unit that should be kept separate.

Question 3

Which THREE of the following are considered 'Waste' in the context of Lean software development?

Accepted Answer

Waiting for external dependencies to clear.. Waste includes anything that does not add direct value to the end customer (e.g., waiting, rework, unused features).

Answer

Automated regression testing.

Answer

Pair programming sessions.

Question 4

You are identifying 'non-value-add' work in your process. What is the most important first step?

Accepted Answer

Create a current-state Value Stream Map.. Before you can eliminate waste, you must visualize the current state to know what is actually happening.

Answer

Hire an outside consultant to audit the process.

Answer

Immediately delete all documentation.

Answer

Interview every team member about their tasks.

Question 5

Which THREE of the following are foundational Lean thinking principles?

Accepted Answer

Elimination of waste.. Core principles include respect for people, continuous improvement, and the elimination of waste.

Answer

Mandatory 12-hour work days.

Answer

Centralized, hierarchical decision-making.

Question 6

Which TWO of the following are common types of 'Waste' (Muda) that teams should look for?

Accepted Answer

Waiting for information or approvals.. Lean defines several categories of waste, including waiting and motion.

Answer

Collaborative code reviews.

Answer

The use of automated build tools.

Answer

Regular team retrospectives.

Question 7

If you have a 'bottleneck', how does increasing local efficiency at a non-bottleneck step affect the system?

Accepted Answer

It increases the pile-up at the bottleneck.. Increasing speed at a non-bottleneck simply pushes more work to the bottleneck, increasing the pile-up without increasing system throughput.

Answer

It reduces the cycle time of the entire system.

Answer

It has no effect on the system.

Answer

It improves the total throughput of the system.

Question 8

What is the primary benefit of 'Standardized Work' in a Lean environment?

Accepted Answer

It creates a baseline for improvement.. Standardized work provides a consistent baseline, which is necessary for measuring the impact of improvements (Kaizen).

Answer

It reduces the need for skilled workers.

Answer

It eliminates the need for team collaboration.

Answer

It makes the work boring and repetitive.

Question 9

Which of the following best describes the 'Respect for People' principle?

Accepted Answer

Empowering individuals to improve their own work processes.. Respect for people involves empowering them, providing them with the tools they need, and involving them in the improvement process.

Answer

Removing all performance management.

Answer

Allowing everyone to work from home.

Answer

Paying the highest salaries in the industry.

Question 10

You are working in an environment where documentation is mandatory for compliance. Using the DA toolkit, how should you approach this?

Accepted Answer

Consult the 'Produce Potentially Consumable Solution' goal and evaluate documentation options that fit your compliance needs.. The 'Produce Potentially Consumable Solution' goal provides options for documentation levels, allowing you to satisfy compliance while keeping the process as lean as possible.

Answer

Avoid all documentation.

Answer

Use the same documentation as the Waterfall team.

Answer

Create a new documentation process from scratch.

Question 11

Which DA process goal is specifically concerned with the early stages of a project to ensure the team is aligned?

Accepted Answer

Inception.. The 'Inception' phase (or 'Initiate' goal) is where the team sets the foundation, aligns on scope, and agrees on the initial WoW.

Answer

Ensure Continuity.

Answer

Produce Potentially Consumable Solution.

Answer

Improve Team Velocity.

Question 12

Which DA concept describes the idea that teams should be able to choose their own way of working?

Accepted Answer

Choose Your WoW.. The 'Choose Your WoW' mindset is a foundational pillar of DA, empowering teams to self-organize and adapt.

Answer

Standardized Agile.

Answer

Command and Control.

Answer

Managed Delivery.

Question 13

Which THREE of the following are examples of organizational-level process goals in Disciplined Agile?

Accepted Answer

Improve Team Velocity.. DA includes goals for the enterprise, not just the team level, such as 'Coordinate Activities', 'Improve Team Velocity', and 'Grow Team Members'.

Answer

Daily Stand-up Frequency.

Answer

Select the Project Lifecycle.

Question 14

Which TWO of the following are considered key factors when tailoring your Way of Working within the Disciplined Agile framework?

Accepted Answer

The size of the team.. DA explicitly calls out team size and technical complexity as primary drivers for process selection.

Answer

The personal preference of the executive sponsor.

Answer

The specific software vendor of your project management tool.

Answer

The time of year the project starts.

Question 15

What is the primary benefit of the 'Guided Continuous Improvement' (GCI) approach in Disciplined Agile?

Accepted Answer

It allows teams to improve their way of working based on their unique context.. GCI provides a structured yet flexible way to improve, avoiding the pitfalls of 'one size fits all' by using a context-sensitive approach.

Answer

It forces every team to use the exact same metrics.

Answer

It eliminates the need for retrospectives.

Answer

It mandates the use of only one specific lifecycle.

Question 16

In the DA toolkit, what does 'WoW' stand for?

Accepted Answer

Way of Working. WoW stands for Way of Working.

Answer

World of Work

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Work of Wisdom

Answer

Winning over Work

Question 17

Why does DA avoid prescriptive workflows?

Accepted Answer

Because teams need to tailor their WoW to their context. DA believes that context is unique, and prescriptive workflows are rarely optimal for all situations.

Answer

To allow team leads to manage projects

Answer

Because documentation is unnecessary

Answer

To reduce the cost of training

Question 18

What is the role of 'Governance' in DA?

Accepted Answer

To provide light, risk-based guidance. Governance in DA provides the guardrails and oversight to help teams succeed while remaining agile.

Answer

To replace all leadership roles

Answer

To impose strict, heavy rules

Answer

To stop teams from working

Question 19

Which TWO of the following are benefits of 'Small Releases'?

Accepted Answer

Faster feedback from users. Small releases reduce risk, provide early value, and facilitate feedback.

Answer

The team works longer hours

Answer

Increased complexity of the release process

Answer

Increased documentation requirements

Question 20

A team is using a 'Disciplined Agile' lifecycle but is struggling with high levels of 'technical debt' that prevent them from delivering new features. What should the team do next?

Accepted Answer

Incorporate 'Refactoring' and 'Debt Reduction' tasks into the regular iterative planning cycle.. DA recommends managing technical debt explicitly. The team must allocate capacity to pay down debt as part of their regular workflow.

Answer

Create a separate, long-term project to fix the debt.

Answer

Ignore the debt until a 'system overhaul' phase is authorized.

Answer

Ask the product owner to prioritize only new features.