CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
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?
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
✓
Plan the first Sprint in detail and forecast the rest using velocity.
It aligns with agile principles of iterative planning and empirical data: plan the first Sprint in detail based on the team's capacity and use velocity to forecast the remaining Sprints, acknowledging that estimates may change. Option B is incorrect because detailed schedules with buffers are a traditional, plan-driven approach. Option C is incorrect because committing to a fixed number of Sprints ignores variability and violates agile's embrace of change. Option D is incorrect because detailed planning for all Sprints upfront is wasteful and contradicts agile's just-in-time planning.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Plan the first Sprint in detail and forecast the rest using velocity.
Why this is correct
Velocity of 30 against 150 points implies roughly five Sprints, but agile release planning forecasts rather than commits distant work. Detailing only the imminent Sprint and using velocity to project the remainder satisfies the stem's stable-team constraint while preserving empiricism.
- ✗
Create a detailed schedule with buffers.
Why it's wrong here
A detailed schedule with buffers imposes predictive, plan-driven control that contradicts Scrum's empirical, inspect-and-adapt release planning. It tempts because buffering absorbs uncertainty in critical-chain scheduling, which would be correct for a fixed-scope, well-understood project using traditional predictive methods rather than a stable Scrum team.
- ✗
Commit to delivering all 150 points in exactly 5 Sprints.
Why it's wrong here
Committing to exactly 150 points in five Sprints converts a velocity-based forecast into a fixed guarantee, ignoring that velocity is an observed average, not a contractual capacity. It tempts because 150 divided by 30 equals five, which would be valid arithmetic for a deterministic schedule, not an agile release forecast.
- ✗
Plan work in detail for all 5 Sprints now.
Why it's wrong here
Detailing all five Sprints now fixes scope and design far ahead of the Sprint Reviews where backlog refinement and re-prioritisation occur, contradicting agile's just-in-time planning. It tempts because upfront elaboration feels thorough, and would suit a predictive project with frozen requirements, not an empirical Scrum release forecast.
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