DAF Practice Questions 1 — 50 Questions

Question 1

A team is experiencing 'analysis paralysis' during the initial phase of their project. Which Disciplined Agile strategy is best to move forward?

Accepted Answer

Implement 'Just-in-Time' planning to reduce upfront analysis. Disciplined Agile suggests 'Evolutionary' approaches, where the team performs just enough planning to start, then adapts.

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Extend the sprint duration to allow more time for analysis

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Switch to a full Kanban system without any planning

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Mandate a strict waterfall phase gate review

Question 2

When considering 'Continuous Feedback', what is the most effective approach?

Accepted Answer

Solicit feedback throughout the lifecycle from users and stakeholders. Feedback is most effective when it is frequent, actionable, and involves the right stakeholders.

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Use automated dashboards as the only source of feedback

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Collect feedback only at the end of the project

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Limit feedback to the internal team members only

Question 3

What is 'Velocity' in an agile project?

Accepted Answer

A measure of the volume of work a team completes per iteration. Velocity is a measure of the amount of work a team completes in a given iteration.

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The total number of bugs found in the product

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The number of hours worked by the team

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The speed at which the project manager moves tasks

Question 4

A team is transitioning from a traditional project management approach to Disciplined Agile. Which mindset shift is most critical for the team to embrace during their first iteration?

Accepted Answer

Focusing on delivering high-value, working software early and often. The core of Disciplined Agile is the pragmatic shift towards value delivery over rigid adherence to process, emphasizing a 'choose your way of working' approach.

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Eliminating all documentation throughout the lifecycle

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Strict adherence to the project charter

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Reducing the team size to improve velocity

Question 5

How does DA handle technical debt?

Accepted Answer

Make it visible and plan for remediation. DA encourages managing technical debt through explicit visibility and planned remediation within the process goals.

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Assign it to a separate team

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Ignore it until the project is over

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Ban all technical debt

Question 6

Which TWO of the following are ways to 'Improve Process' in DA?

Accepted Answer

Experimenting with new techniques. Retrospectives and experimenting with new techniques are standard ways to improve.

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Increasing management oversight

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Ignoring all feedback

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Reducing team size

Question 7

When planning, what is the difference between 'Predictive' and 'Adaptive' planning?

Accepted Answer

Adaptive planning evolves as the project progresses based on feedback. Predictive planning is upfront and detailed, while adaptive is rolling-wave and iterative.

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Predictive planning is not allowed in Disciplined Agile

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Predictive planning is better for high-uncertainty projects

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Adaptive planning is always faster than predictive

Question 8

What is the primary role of an 'Agile Coach' in a DA team?

Accepted Answer

To help the team learn and improve their WoW. An Agile Coach helps the team improve their way of working, not just manage the work.

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To enforce the rules of the company

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To act as the project manager

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To perform the technical coding tasks

Question 9

What is the role of the 'Definition of Done' (DoD) in an agile project?

Accepted Answer

To create a clear, shared understanding of what constitutes a completed work item. The DoD provides a shared understanding of quality and completeness for an increment.

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To replace the need for project manager oversight

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To tell the team how long a task should take

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To act as a contract for external vendors

Question 10

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 11

During a project, the team realizes the initial plan is no longer viable due to market changes. What should they do?

Accepted Answer

Update the plan and pivot the strategy accordingly. Agile teams embrace change and pivot based on empirical evidence and feedback.

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Wait for the end of the year to reassess

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Ask the stakeholders to force the team to continue

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Stick to the original plan to show commitment

Question 12

Your organization is transitioning to a more agile governance model. Which approach should you adopt to ensure effective decision-making?

Accepted Answer

Lean Governance. Lean Governance focuses on risk-based oversight rather than bureaucratic checklists.

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Command and Control

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Ad-hoc Decision Making

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Full Documentation

Question 13

What is the primary objective of 'Iterative' development in a project?

Accepted Answer

To deliver working, tested functionality frequently. The primary objective is to deliver value in small, manageable increments.

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To avoid all documentation

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To ensure the project manager has total control

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To allow the team to work on different projects simultaneously

Question 14

What is the purpose of a 'Retrospective'?

Accepted Answer

To improve the team's way of working. Retrospectives are for team reflection and process improvement.

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To critique individual performance

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To report progress to the stakeholders

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To plan the next set of features

Question 15

In Agile, what is a 'User Story'?

Accepted Answer

A description of a feature from the perspective of the user. A user story is a small, concise statement of a requirement from the user's perspective.

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A detailed 50-page requirement document

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A technical specification of the database schema

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A formal contract signed by the customer

Question 16

What is the primary benefit of the 'Iterative' approach over a 'Big Bang' delivery approach?

Accepted Answer

It allows for early detection and correction of errors. The iterative approach focuses on risk reduction and feedback through smaller, frequent releases.

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It eliminates the need for project managers

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It requires less documentation than waterfall

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It ensures that all team members are always busy

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It guarantees that no changes will be made to requirements

Question 17

A team has been asked to implement a new feature. They don't know the technology stack well. What is the most 'disciplined' approach?

Accepted Answer

Perform a 'Spike' to explore the technology. Conducting a 'Spike' allows the team to research the technology before committing to a delivery plan.

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Commit to the feature immediately and learn as they build

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Reject the feature request until they are experts

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Ask management to assign an expert to do the work for them

Question 18

Which TWO of the following are common signs of 'Technical Debt'?

Accepted Answer

High defect rates in the code base. Technical debt is often manifested through poor code quality and slow development speeds due to the need for workarounds.

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The code is fully documented

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The team delivers features faster than ever before

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The team uses a new IDE for coding

Question 19

You are leading a project where the team needs to adopt a lean lifecycle. Which aspect of the DA toolkit helps you choose the right lifecycle for this specific context?

Accepted Answer

Process Goals. The Choose Your WoW process goal allows teams to select appropriate life cycles based on their unique situation.

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Portfolio Management

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Governance Framework

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Team Roles

Question 20

Which THREE criteria are important to consider when selecting a delivery lifecycle in DA?

Accepted Answer

Project team size. Lifecycle selection is based on the nature of the project and team, focusing on risk, team size, and complexity.

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The preferred color of the workspace

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The office location of the stakeholders