CAPM Practice Test 13 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A business analyst is working on a project to develop a mobile banking application. During the requirements analysis phase, the BA creates a set of user stories and acceptance criteria. The BA then conducts a peer review with the development team. The team points out that the stories are too large and vague to estimate. The BA needs to refine the requirements to make them actionable. The project is using an agile methodology with two-week sprints. What should the BA do?

Accepted Answer

Split the large user stories into smaller, more specific stories with acceptance criteria.. In agile methodologies, user stories must be small enough to fit within a single sprint and provide clear, testable acceptance criteria for estimation and development. Splitting large, vague stories into smaller, specific stories with acceptance criteria directly addresses the team's inability to estimate, enabling accurate sprint planning and incremental delivery. This aligns with the INVEST principle (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) for effective user stories.

Answer

Add more detail to the existing user stories and acceptance criteria.

Answer

Create a prototype to clarify requirements and then rewrite stories.

Answer

Ask the development team to re-estimate the stories as they are.

Question 2

In a predictive project management approach, which TWO artifacts are components of the project management plan?

Accepted Answer

Schedule baseline. The schedule baseline is a component of the project management plan because it is the approved version of the schedule model that serves as a standard against which actual performance is measured. In predictive (waterfall) project management, the schedule baseline is formally integrated into the project management plan after approval, and any changes must go through formal change control.

Answer

Lessons learned register

Answer

Requirements traceability matrix

Answer

Project charter

Question 3

A project manager is leading a software development project using a predictive plan-based methodology. The project is at 70% completion and the team has discovered a significant defect in a module that was completed two months ago. The defect was not identified during testing because the test cases were incomplete. The project schedule has a buffer of 5 days, and the defect is expected to take 10 days to fix. The project manager needs to determine the best course of action. Which of the following should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Follow the project's change control process to evaluate the impact on scope, schedule, and cost before deciding on corrective actions.. In a predictive project, changes should be managed through the formal change control process. This ensures that the impact on scope, schedule, and cost is evaluated before taking action. Simply assigning the fix without a change request bypasses controls, removing the module changes scope without analysis, and requesting additional resources without a plan is premature.

Answer

Update the project schedule with the 10-day fix and request additional resources to compress the schedule.

Answer

Immediately assign the team to fix the defect without any formal change request to save time.

Answer

Inform the customer and request a change to the scope to remove the defective module.

Question 4

A company uses Scrum with two-week sprints. The team's velocity is 30 story points per sprint, and they have a well-refined product backlog. However, stakeholders frequently introduce urgent, high-priority requests mid-sprint, which the Product Owner accepts because of stakeholder pressure. As a result, the team is overcommitted each sprint, often leaving 40% of planned work incomplete. The Product Owner is frustrated because promised features are delayed, and the team feels demotivated due to constant interruptions. The Scrum Master has been asked to intervene. What is the best course of action for the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate stakeholder negotiation to limit mid-sprint changes and reinforce the importance of the sprint goal.. The best action is to facilitate negotiation with stakeholders to limit mid-sprint changes and reinforce the sprint goal. This respects the Scrum principle of protecting the sprint backlog while addressing stakeholder needs. Option A (implementing a change control board) is a waterfall practice that adds bureaucracy. Option B (deferring all changes to the next sprint) is too rigid and may not address truly urgent needs. Option D (adding buffer) reduces transparency and does not solve the root cause of overscoping.

Answer

Instruct the Product Owner to defer all mid-sprint changes to the next sprint.

Answer

Add a capacity buffer to each sprint to accommodate unexpected requests.

Answer

Implement a change control board to approve all mid-sprint changes.

Question 5

A startup is using Scrum to develop a mobile app. The product owner has a clear vision and has written detailed user stories for the first release. During sprint planning, the development team estimates that they can complete 40 story points per sprint. However, after two sprints, the team has only completed 30 points per sprint. The product owner is concerned and wants to hold the team accountable. The team says that the estimates were optimistic and that they are still learning the technology. The Scrum Master notices that the team is not using pair programming or test-driven development (TDD) as originally planned. The product owner suggests reducing scope for the next sprint to match the team’s actual velocity. The Scrum Master must decide the best way to proceed. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the product owner to use the actual velocity of 30 as the basis for future sprint planning. The team's actual velocity is 30, so planning 40 is unrealistic. The Scrum Master should help the team adjust their estimates based on historical data. Pair programming and TDD could improve quality but may initially slow velocity, so not a quick fix. Asking the team to work faster without changes won't work. A blame culture is counterproductive.

Answer

Replace the team lead to send a message about accountability

Answer

Set a goal of 40 story points and ask the team to be more productive

Answer

Insist that the team adopt pair programming and TDD immediately to improve productivity

Question 6

A newly formed agile team is about to start their first sprint. The product owner has a well-groomed backlog and the team has done relative sizing using planning poker. The team is excited but unsure about the process. They ask the Scrum Master what the primary goal of the first iteration should be. The Scrum Master should explain that the most important goal of the first sprint is to deliver a potentially releasable increment of the product. However, some team members are worried they may not be able to deliver enough due to team formation and learning the codebase. The product owner wants to see a visible outcome. What should the Scrum Master recommend as the primary focus for the first sprint?

Accepted Answer

Deliver a small but complete user story that adds value to the product. In Scrum, each sprint should produce a potentially releasable increment. The team should aim to deliver a small, complete piece of functionality to build confidence and show progress. Focusing on infrastructure only delays value. Setting no goal contradicts Scrum. A detailed design document is not a working increment.

Answer

Create a detailed design document for the entire release

Answer

Focus exclusively on setting up the development environment and CI/CD pipeline

Answer

Skip the sprint goal to allow the team to learn without pressure

Question 7

A business analyst is eliciting requirements for a new order processing system. The team needs to document the sequence of steps in the current business process. Which TWO techniques are most appropriate for this purpose?

Accepted Answer

Flowcharts. Use case diagrams and flowcharts are both suitable for documenting process flows. Use case diagrams show interactions between actors and the system, while flowcharts depict the sequence of steps. Entity-relationship diagrams are for data modeling, Gantt charts for scheduling, and decision trees for decision logic, not process sequences.

Answer

Gantt charts

Answer

Entity-relationship diagrams

Answer

Decision trees

Question 8

Refer to the exhibit. A business analyst is reviewing the requirements specification for a web application. Which requirement has a missing acceptance criterion and is therefore incomplete?

Accepted Answer

REQ-003. REQ-003 has an empty array for acceptance_criteria, making it incomplete. All other requirements have at least one criterion defined.

Answer

REQ-001

Answer

REQ-004

Answer

REQ-002

Question 9

During a Sprint, the development team realizes they have taken on more work than they can complete. According to Scrum, what should they do?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the Product Owner to remove or defer some Product Backlog items.. Option B is correct because in Scrum, the team collaborates with the Product Owner to adjust the Sprint scope while preserving the Sprint Goal. Option A is wrong because management is not involved in day-to-day adjustments. Option C violates the timeboxed Sprint. Option D is not transparent; the team should negotiate scope changes proactively.

Answer

Continue working and deliver whatever is done at the end of the Sprint, regardless of missing items.

Answer

Inform management about the issue and ask for more resources.

Answer

Extend the Sprint duration to complete all the work.

Question 10

A project team is adopting Kanban. They currently have a cycle time of 10 days and a throughput of 5 items per week. The team wants to improve predictability. Which action would most directly help?

Accepted Answer

Make the work items smaller.. Option D is correct because smaller work items reduce variability and make cycle time more predictable. Option A (increase WIP) could reduce flow. Option B (decrease WIP) may improve flow but not as directly as sizing. Option C (add members) does not guarantee predictability.

Answer

Add more team members.

Answer

Decrease the WIP limits.

Answer

Increase the WIP limits.

Question 11

An organization is scaling Scrum across multiple teams. They have dependencies between teams that cause delays. What is the most appropriate framework to address this?

Accepted Answer

Use the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) with program increment planning.. Option A is correct because SAFe provides program increment planning to synchronize teams and manage dependencies. Option B is ideal but often impractical. Option C creates a bottleneck. Option D ignores the need for coordination.

Answer

Keep teams independent by decoupling all dependencies.

Answer

Have all teams work in the same Sprint but with no synchronization.

Answer

Use a separate integration team to handle dependencies.

Question 12

In Extreme Programming (XP), which practice involves integrating and testing the entire system multiple times per day?

Accepted Answer

Continuous integration. Option C is correct. Continuous integration (CI) is the practice of integrating code changes frequently, often multiple times per day, followed by automated testing. Option A (pair programming) involves two developers working together. Option B (TDD) focuses on writing tests before code. Option D (refactoring) is about improving code structure.

Answer

Test-driven development

Answer

Refactoring

Answer

Pair programming

Question 13

A Scrum Master notices that the development team is not self-organizing and often waits for instructions. What is the best coaching approach?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to make decisions collaboratively and support them when they face obstacles.. Option A is correct. The Scrum Master should coach the team to make decisions collaboratively, fostering self-organization. Option B undermines self-organization by assigning a lead. Option C shifts responsibility to PO. Option D is command-and-control, not agile.

Answer

Escalate to the Product Owner to provide more detailed specifications.

Answer

Assign a technical lead to direct the team.

Answer

Hold daily status meetings to assign tasks.

Question 14

A team using Scrum has a velocity of 30 story points per Sprint. The Product Owner wants to plan for the next release with 150 story points of work remaining. The team is stable. Which release planning approach aligns with agile principles?

Accepted Answer

Plan the first Sprint in detail and forecast the rest using velocity.. Option D is correct. Agile planning is iterative and based on empirical data; detailed planning for future Sprints is wasteful. Option A is too rigid. Option B assumes stability. Option C adds unnecessary buffers.

Answer

Create a detailed schedule with buffers.

Answer

Commit to delivering all 150 points in exactly 5 Sprints.

Answer

Plan work in detail for all 5 Sprints now.

Question 15

Which is an effective way to prioritize user stories in a product backlog?

Accepted Answer

Order by business value, risk, and dependencies.. Option B is correct. Business value, risk, and dependencies are key prioritization factors. Option A (story points) indicates size, not value. Option C is chronological. Option D is task count, which is irrelevant.

Answer

Order by story points.

Answer

Order by the number of tasks in each story.

Answer

Order by the date they were created.