DAF Practice Test 9 — 10 Questions

Question 1

In a Lean environment, how do you handle a 'non-value-add but necessary' activity?

Accepted Answer

Streamline and minimize it as much as possible.. In Lean, activities are classified as value-add, non-value-add but necessary (sometimes called 'necessary non-value-add' or Type 1 muda), and pure waste. Necessary non-value-add work — like regulatory compliance checks or safety inspections — cannot be eliminated, so the correct Lean response is to streamline and minimize it (reduce time, effort, and variability) while preserving its necessity.

Answer

Ignore it completely.

Answer

Automate it without optimization.

Answer

Assign it to a low-level employee.

Question 2

Which of the following best describes the 'Disciplined Agile Mindset' regarding process?

Accepted Answer

Be pragmatic and choose your way of working (WoW). The Disciplined Agile Mindset is built on principles such as 'Be Pragmatic', 'Choose Your WoW', and 'Deliver Consumable Solutions'. Regarding process, the mindset explicitly states that teams should be pragmatic and choose their way of working (WoW) — tailoring practices to their context rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all method. This is the core of DA's philosophy.

Answer

Copy the processes of the most successful competitors

Answer

Follow the Scrum guide verbatim

Answer

Focus exclusively on speed of delivery

Question 3

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 4

You are a coach in an organization trying to move to DA. What is the most effective way to help teams adopt the 'Choose Your WoW' mindset?

Accepted Answer

Provide teams with the DA toolkit and coach them on making context-sensitive choices.. 'Choose Your WoW' (Way of Working) is a foundational DA principle meaning teams should tailor their process to their specific context rather than following a one-size-fits-all mandate. The most effective coaching approach is to equip teams with the DA toolkit (process goals, practices, lifecycle options) and guide them in making context-sensitive decisions themselves. This builds ownership and sustainable adoption, which is the essence of the DA mindset.

Answer

Create a standard process and enforce it.

Answer

Mandate that all teams use the 'Agile' lifecycle.

Answer

Take over their process decisions.

Question 5

When a team is using a 'Kanban' system, what is the best way to determine if WIP limits are too high?

Accepted Answer

The cycle time is increasing while throughput remains stable.. If the cycle time is consistently increasing despite the throughput remaining the same, the WIP is likely too high.

Answer

The board looks too crowded.

Answer

The team is having too many meetings.

Answer

The team members are complaining about stress.

Question 6

Your organization uses a large 'Project Management Office' to approve every change. How does this affect flow according to Lean principles?

Accepted Answer

It introduces a queue, increasing cycle time.. According to Lean principles, any approval step that work must wait for creates a queue, and queues are the primary driver of increased cycle time. A centralized PMO that approves every change forces work items to sit idle while awaiting a decision, directly lengthening the time from request to delivery. This is a classic form of waste (waiting) and violates the Lean goal of continuous flow. The correct answer identifies that the PMO introduces a queue, which increases cycle time.

Answer

It has no impact on total cycle time.

Answer

It improves flow by ensuring high-quality decisions.

Answer

It increases technical debt.

Question 7

A team is struggling with the 'Inception' phase. What is the goal of this phase in DAD?

Accepted Answer

Gain stakeholder alignment and establish a viable strategy. In Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD), the Inception phase is a short, collaborative start-up effort whose primary goal is to gain stakeholder alignment and establish a viable strategy for the initiative. It is not about producing code or completing design, but about ensuring the team and stakeholders share a common vision and direction before committing to delivery.

Answer

Write all the code for the MVP

Answer

Complete 100% of the project design

Answer

Finalize the budget and vendor contracts

Question 8

A team needs to improve their quality. Which process blade would provide the best guidance?

Accepted Answer

Quality Management. The Quality Management process blade in Disciplined Agile provides guidance on quality strategies, practices, and techniques across the lifecycle, including test-driven development, continuous integration, code reviews, and defect prevention. When a team's goal is to improve quality, this is the blade explicitly designed to address that concern.

Answer

Coordinate Activities

Answer

Team Development

Answer

Financial Management

Question 9

What is the primary Lean motivation for 'deferring commitment' until the last responsible moment?

Accepted Answer

To make decisions based on better, more current information.. Deferring commitment is a Lean principle that delays irreversible decisions until the last responsible moment, when the most information is available. This reduces the cost of change and the risk of deciding on outdated assumptions. The primary motivation is better decision quality through more current, complete information.

Answer

To allow stakeholders to change their minds frequently.

Answer

To keep the team busy with administrative work.

Answer

To save money on project overhead.

Question 10

What is the core philosophy of 'Disciplined' in Disciplined Agile?

Accepted Answer

Working intentionally and making informed choices about your process.. In Disciplined Agile (DA), 'Disciplined' means making conscious, context-driven choices about your way of working rather than blindly following a prescribed method. It emphasises intentionality — teams choose their process based on their context, and they do so with full awareness of the trade-offs. This is the core philosophy that distinguishes DA from prescriptive frameworks.

Answer

Following rules without question.

Answer

Working as hard as possible at all times.

Answer

Using only one specific tool.