CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse improving flow (by adjusting WIP limits) with improving predictability (which requires reducing variability in item size), leading them to choose Option B instead of C.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Make the work items smaller.
Making work items smaller directly reduces variability in cycle time and throughput, which improves predictability in Kanban. Smaller items are easier to estimate, flow more consistently through the system, and reduce the risk of large items blocking the workflow, leading to more reliable delivery forecasts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add more team members.
Why it's wrong here
Adding team members changes capacity but not the flow measurement discipline that produces predictable forecasts; cycle time and throughput data remain the basis. It tempts because extra staff appear to accelerate delivery, and would be correct if the constraint were genuinely insufficient people rather than process variability.
- ✗
Decrease the WIP limits.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering WIP limits reduces work in progress, but predictability here comes from measuring flow metrics and variability, not from throttling intake. It tempts because reduced WIP shortens cycle time, which would be the right lever if the goal were faster delivery rather than forecast reliability.
- ✓
Make the work items smaller.
Why this is correct
Smaller work items reduce variance in cycle time, since each item spends less time queued and in progress, making completion dates more predictable. This directly addresses the team's predictability goal without altering throughput or capacity, and aligns with Kanban's core guidance on sizing cards to smooth flow.
- ✗
Increase the WIP limits.
Why it's wrong here
Raising WIP limits increases work in progress, lengthening cycle time and worsening flow variability, which undermines predictability. It tempts because higher limits appear to boost throughput, and would be chosen when a team is starved of work and needs to absorb more items.
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