DAF Practice Test 4 — 10 Questions

Question 1

You notice your team's velocity is inconsistent. How should you apply the 'Optimize Flow' principle?

Accepted Answer

Identify and remove bottlenecks. The 'Optimize Flow' principle in Disciplined Agile is about making value move smoothly through the system by finding and eliminating constraints. When velocity is inconsistent, the correct response is to identify bottlenecks — the constraint that limits throughput — and remove or relieve them, which stabilizes flow. This aligns with Lean's theory of constraints and the DA guidance to optimize the whole system rather than local efficiencies.

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Add more team members

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Increase WIP limits

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Stop all meetings

Question 2

What does a cumulative flow diagram (CFD) help a team visualize?

Accepted Answer

The stability and distribution of work in progress.. A cumulative flow diagram plots the count of work items in each workflow state over time, so the vertical thickness of each band shows work in progress (WIP) in that state. This lets a team see whether WIP is stable or ballooning, where bottlenecks form, and how evenly work is distributed across the flow. It is a core Lean/Agile flow metric, not a people or budget tool.

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The specific team member assigned to each ticket.

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The total budget remaining for the project.

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Individual team member performance.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

Choose Your WoW.. 'Choose Your WoW' (Way of Working) is a core Disciplined Agile principle stating that every team is unique and should tailor its process, practices, and lifecycle to its own context rather than being forced into a single mandated method. DA explicitly rejects one-size-fits-all frameworks and instead offers a toolkit from which teams select and evolve their approach. This is why the concept is named 'Choose Your WoW' — it captures team-level autonomy within enterprise guardrails.

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Standardized Agile.

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Command and Control.

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Managed Delivery.

Question 4

What is the primary benefit of 'Small Batch Sizes' in software development?

Accepted Answer

Faster feedback loops and reduced risk.. Small batch sizes reduce the amount of work in progress between steps, which shortens the time to get feedback and limits the blast radius of any single change. Faster feedback lets teams detect defects, misalignments, and market shifts earlier, while smaller changes are easier to test, review, and roll back — directly reducing delivery risk. This is a foundational lean/DA principle (Little's Law and flow efficiency).

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More time to attend meetings.

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Lower total cost of labor.

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Less documentation required.

Question 5

When applying 'Enterprise Awareness', what is the most important consideration for a team?

Accepted Answer

Alignment with broader enterprise objectives. Enterprise Awareness in Disciplined Agile emphasizes that teams should consider the broader organizational context when making decisions. The most important consideration is alignment with enterprise objectives, ensuring that team goals and activities contribute to the overall strategic direction of the organization. This alignment helps avoid sub-optimization and ensures that teams deliver value that matters to the enterprise.

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Their own speed

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The latest software tools

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Their internal team dynamics

Question 6

Which TWO of the following are 'Lean' concepts applied in DA?

Accepted Answer

Elimination of waste. Option C, elimination of waste, is a core Lean concept: Lean defines value from the customer's perspective and systematically removes non-value-adding activities (muda) such as waiting, handoffs, rework, and partially done work, which in DA (Disciplined Agile) translates into streamlining ceremonies, artifacts, and governance. Option E, optimizing the flow of value, is likewise central to Lean thinking: it emphasizes making value flow smoothly through the delivery pipeline by limiting work in progress, reducing batch sizes, and pulling work rather than pushing it, which DA applies through its value stream and continuous improvement guidance. The unmarked options do not belong: A (mandating a fixed-price contract) is a contractual/commercial constraint, not a Lean principle, and Lean favors adaptive, value-driven agreements; B (forcing long hours) contradicts Lean's respect for people and sustainable pace, and overwork increases defects and waste; D (maximizing the number of features in a release) is output-focused rather than value-focused and conflicts with Lean's aim of delivering only what the customer values while minimizing waste.

Answer

Mandating a fixed-price contract

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Forcing team members to work long hours

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Maximizing the number of features in a release

Question 7

A project is currently in the 'Construction' phase of the Disciplined Agile lifecycle. What is the main focus?

Accepted Answer

Building, testing, and verifying the solution. The Construction phase is where the team builds the solution in a series of iterations.

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Establishing the initial team vision

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Identifying stakeholders and their needs

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Closing out the project and archiving documentation

Question 8

You are working in a regulated environment. Which aspect of DA allows you to maintain compliance while staying agile?

Accepted Answer

Disciplined Agile Governance. Disciplined Agile Governance is the aspect of DA that enables teams to satisfy regulatory and compliance obligations while remaining agile. It embeds lightweight, scalable governance practices directly into the way of working rather than bolting them on as separate control gates. This lets regulated teams demonstrate fitness-for-purpose and auditability without sacrificing the ability to inspect and adapt.

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External Audits

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Standardized Documentation

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Stop Agile Adoption

Question 9

Which TWO of the following are potential side effects of failing to address bottlenecks in a process?

Accepted Answer

Increased lead time for all items in the system.. Option B is correct because a bottleneck caps the throughput of the entire process, so work-in-progress queues up in front of the constrained step and every item—regardless of priority—spends longer waiting, which directly increases lead time (Little's Law: WIP = throughput × lead time). Option D is correct because unaddressed bottlenecks force people to constantly expedite, context-switch, and absorb schedule pressure at the constrained resource, which raises stress levels and is a well-documented driver of burnout. Option A is wrong because bottlenecks typically create friction and blame between teams rather than improving collaboration. Option C is wrong because a bottleneck delays all items, including high-priority ones, unless explicit prioritization mechanisms are introduced. Option E is wrong because bottlenecks usually increase costs through overtime, expediting, and delayed delivery, not reduce them.

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Improved team collaboration.

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Faster delivery of high-priority items.

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A natural reduction in project costs.

Question 10

What is a 'Pull' system in Lean?

Accepted Answer

Work is initiated only when there is available capacity.. A Pull system in Lean means work is initiated only when there is available capacity — downstream processes 'pull' work from upstream only when they are ready to process it. This contrasts with a Push system where work is forced onto the team regardless of capacity. Pull systems prevent overproduction, reduce WIP, and expose bottlenecks, making them foundational to Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery.

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Work is pushed by management to the team.

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Work is completed as fast as possible regardless of quality.

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Work is assigned based on seniority.