CCNA Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Questions — Page 2 of 2

Multi-Selectmedium

Which TWO statements correctly describe characteristics of the Kanban method?

Select 2 answers

A.The team must be dedicated to a single project

B.Roles are strictly defined as product owner, Scrum Master, and development team

C.Work in progress limits are used to improve flow

D.Iterations are timeboxed to two weeks

E.The process is visualized on a Kanban board

AnswersC, E

WIP limits are a core Kanban practice to prevent overloading the team.

Why this answer

Kanban focuses on visualizing workflow, limiting work in progress (WIP), and managing flow. It does not prescribe fixed-length iterations (that's Scrum) nor require a dedicated team (teams can be shared).

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Multi-Selectmedium

Which TWO of the following are responsibilities of the Product Owner in Scrum?

Select 2 answers

A.Facilitating the Daily Scrum.

B.Prioritizing the Product Backlog items.

C.Managing the Product Backlog.

D.Removing impediments for the team.

E.Enforcing timeboxes for Sprint events.

AnswersB, C

The PO orders backlog items to maximize value.

Why this answer

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. This includes clearly expressing Product Backlog items and ordering them to best achieve goals and missions, which is prioritizing the Product Backlog. Managing the Product Backlog, which encompasses ensuring its visibility, transparency, and understanding, is also a core responsibility of the Product Owner as defined in the Scrum Guide.

Exam trap

PMI often tests the distinction between the Scrum Master's role (process facilitation, impediment removal, timebox enforcement) and the Product Owner's role (value maximization, backlog management, stakeholder alignment), leading candidates to confuse servant-leader duties with product-value responsibilities.

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MCQeasy

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

A.Order by story points.

B.Order by the number of tasks in each story.

C.Order by the date they were created.

D.Order by business value, risk, and dependencies.

AnswerD

These factors ensure the most valuable items are delivered first.

Why this answer

Prioritizing user stories by business value, risk, and dependencies ensures that the most valuable and impactful features are delivered first. Option A (story points) indicates effort or size, not value. Option B (number of tasks) is irrelevant to priority.

Option C (creation date) is chronological and does not reflect importance.

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MCQeasy

What is the primary purpose of the daily stand-up in Scrum?

A.Provide a status report to management.

B.Identify impediments to progress.

C.Review completed work from the previous day.

D.Plan work for the next 24 hours.

AnswerB

Identification of impediments is a key outcome of the daily stand-up.

Why this answer

The daily stand-up in Scrum is primarily designed for the team to synchronize their work and identify any impediments that may be blocking progress. It is not a status report to management (option A), as it is a team-internal event. Option C is incorrect because the review of completed work occurs in the sprint review, not the daily stand-up.

Option D is incorrect because while the team may discuss plans for the next 24 hours, the primary purpose is to inspect progress toward the sprint goal and identify impediments, not to create a detailed plan.

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MCQmedium

Which practice is a key component of Extreme Programming (XP)?

A.Pair programming.

B.Velocity tracking.

C.Backlog grooming.

D.Sprint Review.

AnswerA

Pair programming is an XP practice that improves code quality and knowledge sharing.

Why this answer

Pair programming is a core XP practice where two developers work together at one workstation. Sprint Review (option D) is a Scrum ceremony, Backlog Grooming (option C) is a Scrum practice, and Velocity Tracking (option B) is a metric used in various agile methodologies.

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MCQmedium

An Agile team consistently completes only about 70% of the planned work each sprint. Which action is most likely to improve the team's ability to meet commitments?

A.Break down user stories into smaller, more granular items.

B.Increase the team size to add more capacity.

C.Add a buffer to the sprint backlog for unexpected work.

D.Reduce the sprint length to one week.

AnswerA

Smaller stories are easier to estimate and complete within a sprint.

Why this answer

Breaking down user stories into smaller pieces improves estimation accuracy and reduces the risk of large unfinished items. Increasing team size (B) can cause communication overhead, adding a buffer (C) does not address estimation quality, and reducing sprint length (D) may increase overhead.

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MCQhard

A software development team is transitioning from a plan-driven approach to Scrum. The Product Owner is enthusiastic but struggles to break down the product backlog into small, independent items. The team frequently encounters dependencies between user stories, causing delays in sprints. What is the best course of action for the Scrum Master to address this issue?

A.Coach the Product Owner on how to split user stories to minimize dependencies.

B.Have the team self-organize to handle dependencies by assigning a dependency owner.

C.Increase the sprint duration to allow more time to resolve dependencies.

D.Ask developers to manage dependencies during the sprint by coordinating with other teams.

AnswerA

Proper story splitting reduces dependencies and improves sprint flow.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master's primary responsibility is to coach the Product Owner and the team on Scrum practices. In this scenario, the root cause is the Product Owner's inability to decompose user stories into small, independent items, which creates dependencies. By coaching the Product Owner on effective story splitting techniques (e.g., using vertical slicing, splitting by workflow steps, or by acceptance criteria), the Scrum Master directly addresses the source of the problem, enabling the team to deliver value incrementally without cross-story delays.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often choose a reactive, team-level solution (like assigning a dependency owner or increasing sprint duration) instead of recognizing that the Scrum Master must coach the Product Owner to prevent dependencies from being created in the first place.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option B is wrong because assigning a dependency owner is a workaround that does not eliminate the underlying issue of poorly decomposed stories; it adds a role that may create bottlenecks and violates the Scrum principle of self-organization without addressing the root cause. Option C is wrong because increasing sprint duration only masks the problem, reduces feedback frequency, and contradicts the Scrum timebox of one month or less; it does not teach the Product Owner how to create independent backlog items. Option D is wrong because asking developers to manage dependencies during the sprint shifts responsibility away from the Product Owner and the Scrum Master, and it ignores the need for proactive backlog refinement to prevent dependencies from entering the sprint.

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MCQmedium

A team is using Scrum and notices that the Product Owner frequently changes priorities during the Sprint, causing the team to rework tasks. What should the Scrum Master do first?

A.Coach the Product Owner on the Sprint Backlog rule and the impact of changes.

B.Shorten the Sprint duration to minimize rework.

C.Ask the team to be flexible and accept the changes.

D.Escalate to the project sponsor for resolution.

AnswerA

The Scrum Master coaches the Product Owner to respect the Sprint scope.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master's primary responsibility is to ensure Scrum is understood and enacted. The Product Owner is violating the Sprint Backlog rule, which states that once a Sprint starts, the Product Owner cannot change the Sprint Backlog items; only the team can modify the Sprint Backlog to meet the Sprint Goal. By coaching the Product Owner on this rule and the impact of changes (e.g., rework, loss of focus, and potential Sprint Goal failure), the Scrum Master addresses the root cause without disrupting the team's workflow.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates may confuse the Product Owner's authority over the Product Backlog with the Sprint Backlog, assuming the Product Owner can change priorities at any time, when in fact the Sprint Backlog is frozen during the Sprint to protect the team's focus and the Sprint Goal.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option B is wrong because shortening the Sprint duration does not solve the underlying issue of the Product Owner changing priorities; it only reduces the window for changes but still allows the same disruptive behavior within each shorter Sprint. Option C is wrong because asking the team to be flexible and accept changes violates the Scrum principle of a stable Sprint Backlog and undermines the team's ability to deliver a potentially releasable Increment; it normalizes a dysfunctional practice. Option D is wrong because escalating to the project sponsor bypasses the Scrum Master's role as a servant-leader and coach; the issue should be resolved within the Scrum framework first, not escalated externally.

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MCQeasy

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

A.Collaborate with the Product Owner to remove or defer some Product Backlog items.

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

C.Inform management about the issue and ask for more resources.

D.Extend the Sprint duration to complete all the work.

AnswerA

Scrum encourages the team to negotiate with the Product Owner to adjust scope while protecting the Sprint Goal.

Why this answer

In Scrum, the development team is self-managing and responsible for committing to a Sprint Goal. If they realize they have taken on too much work, the correct action is to collaborate with the Product Owner to remove or defer Product Backlog items, as this preserves the Sprint's timebox and focus on the highest-value work. This aligns with the Scrum principle of transparency and inspection, allowing the team to adjust the Sprint Backlog without changing the Sprint duration.

Exam trap

PMI-CAPM often tests the misconception that Scrum teams should simply 'do their best' and deliver partial work (Option B) or escalate to management (Option C), but the correct Scrum behavior is proactive scope negotiation with the Product Owner within the fixed Sprint timebox.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option B is wrong because delivering whatever is done at the end of the Sprint, regardless of missing items, violates the Scrum principle of a potentially releasable Increment and undermines the Sprint Goal; the team should actively manage scope rather than passively accept failure. Option C is wrong because asking management for more resources contradicts the self-managing nature of Scrum teams and the fixed timebox of a Sprint; Scrum does not allow adding resources mid-Sprint. Option D is wrong because extending the Sprint duration breaks the timebox rule; Sprints are fixed-length events (typically 2-4 weeks) and cannot be extended to accommodate overcommitment.

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MCQhard

During Sprint Planning, the team realizes the password reset story involves a third-party email service that has not been integrated yet. The team has no experience with that service. What is the best action?

A.Accept the story and figure it out during the Sprint.

B.Create a time-boxed spike to research the integration.

C.Add more developers to the team for this Sprint.

D.Remove the story from the Product Backlog.

AnswerB

A spike reduces uncertainty and informs estimation.

Why this answer

The team has no experience with the third-party email service, and integrating it involves unknown technical risks. A time-boxed spike (Option B) is the best action because it allows the team to research the integration within a defined timebox, reducing uncertainty before committing to the story in a Sprint. This aligns with the Scrum principle of managing risk through validated learning, not through guesswork or scope changes.

Exam trap

PMI often tests the misconception that 'just figure it out during the Sprint' (Option A) is acceptable, but the CAPM expects you to recognize that unknown technical risks require a spike to protect the Sprint Goal and avoid waste.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because accepting the story without understanding the third-party service's API, authentication (e.g., OAuth 2.0), or rate limits risks incomplete work and Sprint failure. Option C is wrong because adding more developers does not resolve the lack of knowledge about the email service's integration specifics; it may even increase coordination overhead without addressing the root cause. Option D is wrong because removing the story from the Product Backlog is premature; the story has business value, and a spike can provide the necessary research to proceed.

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MCQhard

A financial services company is adopting Scrum for a critical compliance project. The team has six developers, one product owner, and one Scrum Master. After three sprints, the product owner is frustrated because the team has only delivered 40% of the planned features. The team says they are working full capacity but keep getting interrupted by urgent production support requests from the operations team. The Scrum Master notices that the team’s velocity is dropping each sprint. The product owner insists on increasing the sprint length from two weeks to four weeks to allow more time for delivery. However, the compliance deadline is fixed. The Scrum Master must recommend a course of action. What should the Scrum Master do?

A.Ask the product owner to prioritize production support requests as part of the sprint backlog and limit work in progress

B.Instruct the team to work overtime to meet the original sprint commitments

C.Increase the sprint length to four weeks to give the team more time to complete work

D.Remove the Scrum Master position to save costs and let the team self-manage

AnswerA

This acknowledges support work as legitimate and helps the team focus by limiting multitasking.

Why this answer

It addresses the root cause of the team's velocity drop: unplanned production support requests. By asking the Product Owner to prioritize these requests into the sprint backlog, the team can formally account for the work, limit work in progress (WIP), and maintain a sustainable pace. This aligns with Scrum's principle of transparency and allows the team to make realistic commitments while still protecting the fixed compliance deadline.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates may think extending the sprint length (Option C) will give the team more time to complete work, but they fail to recognize that it does not address the root cause of interruptions and actually reduces the frequency of feedback and adaptation, which is critical for meeting a fixed deadline.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option B is wrong because instructing the team to work overtime is unsustainable, violates the Agile principle of a sustainable pace, and will likely lead to burnout and further velocity drops. Option C is wrong because increasing the sprint length to four weeks does not eliminate the interruptions; it only delays the feedback loop and reduces the team's ability to inspect and adapt, which is critical for a fixed compliance deadline. Option D is wrong because removing the Scrum Master position removes the servant-leader who facilitates the Scrum process, removes impediments (like the production support interruptions), and helps the team self-manage; it would not solve the problem and would likely worsen the situation.

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MCQeasy

In Kanban, the team is experiencing frequent bottlenecks at the testing stage. Which practice should they adopt to improve flow?

A.Increase the batch size of work items.

B.Conduct daily stand-up meetings.

C.Add more testers to the testing phase.

D.Limit the WIP at each stage, especially testing.

AnswerD

WIP limits expose bottlenecks and encourage flow.

Why this answer

In Kanban, limiting Work in Progress (WIP) at each stage is a core practice to expose bottlenecks and improve flow. By capping the number of items allowed in testing, the team prevents work from piling up, forcing them to finish existing tasks before pulling new ones. This directly addresses the frequent bottlenecks by making the constraint visible and actionable, enabling the team to focus on completing testing rather than starting more work.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often confuse adding more testers (Option C) as a quick fix for a bottleneck, but the CAPM exam emphasizes that Kanban focuses on limiting WIP to expose and address constraints rather than simply adding resources.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because increasing batch size of work items typically increases cycle time and variability, worsening bottlenecks rather than improving flow. Option B is wrong because daily stand-up meetings are a Scrum event for coordination and impediment identification, but they do not directly control or limit the amount of work in progress to alleviate a specific bottleneck. Option C is wrong because adding more testers to the testing phase may provide temporary relief but does not address the systemic flow issue; it often leads to increased coordination overhead and can mask the root cause of the bottleneck, violating the Kanban principle of making policies explicit and improving the system rather than adding resources.

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MCQhard

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?

A.Plan the first Sprint in detail and forecast the rest using velocity.

B.Create a detailed schedule with buffers.

C.Commit to delivering all 150 points in exactly 5 Sprints.

D.Plan work in detail for all 5 Sprints now.

AnswerA

This approach uses empirical data for forecasting while keeping detailed planning short-term.

Why this answer

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.

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MCQeasy

In a Kanban system, what is the primary purpose of limiting Work in Progress (WIP)?

A.To identify bottlenecks and improve flow by preventing overloading.

B.To assign work to the most available team member.

C.To measure the team's velocity accurately.

D.To ensure each work item has high quality before moving to the next stage.

AnswerA

WIP limits reveal bottlenecks when a column hits its limit, prompting the team to address the constraint and improve flow.

Why this answer

In Kanban, limiting Work in Progress (WIP) is primarily to identify bottlenecks and improve flow by preventing overloading of the system. Option A correctly states this purpose. Option B is incorrect because WIP limits do not assign work to team members; work is pulled based on capacity.

Option C is incorrect because velocity is a Scrum metric, not directly measured by WIP limits in Kanban. Option D is incorrect because while quality may improve indirectly, the primary purpose is flow management, not ensuring individual work item quality.

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MCQmedium

In a Kanban system, the team notices that work items are spending too much time in the 'In Progress' column. Which practice should the team adopt to improve flow?

A.Use longer development cycles.

B.Increase the number of items allowed in the 'In Progress' column.

C.Remove the 'In Progress' column to simplify the board.

D.Set a strict WIP limit for the 'In Progress' column.

AnswerD

WIP limits prevent overloading and help identify bottlenecks.

Why this answer

Setting a strict Work In Progress (WIP) limit for the 'In Progress' column directly addresses the bottleneck by capping the number of items the team can work on simultaneously. This forces the team to finish existing work before pulling new items, reducing multitasking and cycle time. In Kanban, WIP limits are the primary mechanism to expose flow inefficiencies and improve throughput.

Exam trap

PMI often tests the misconception that increasing WIP limits or removing columns will 'simplify' the process, when in fact the correct Kanban response to a bottleneck is to enforce stricter limits to expose and resolve the constraint.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because longer development cycles increase batch size and delay feedback, worsening flow rather than improving it. Option B is wrong because increasing the WIP limit would allow more items to accumulate in the column, exacerbating the bottleneck and increasing lead time. Option C is wrong because removing the 'In Progress' column hides the bottleneck and eliminates the ability to visualize and manage work in that state, violating a core Kanban principle of making work visible.

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MCQmedium

A Product Owner frequently misses backlog refinement sessions, leaving user stories vague. The Development Team is struggling to estimate and plan Sprints. What fundamental Scrum role is being neglected?

A.Product Owner

B.Project Manager

C.Scrum Master

D.Development Team

AnswerA

The Product Owner is accountable for the Product Backlog, including its content, availability, and prioritization. Frequent absence from refinement neglects this duty.

Why this answer

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the Product Backlog, including its refinement. By frequently missing backlog refinement sessions, the Product Owner is neglecting this fundamental Scrum role. Option A is correct.

Option B is incorrect because the Project Manager role does not exist in pure Scrum. Option C is incorrect because the Scrum Master facilitates the Scrum process but does not own the backlog. Option D is incorrect because the Development Team is responsible for delivering the product, not for refining the backlog.

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MCQmedium

Based on the exhibit, what is the most significant risk for the upcoming iteration?

A.The team is overcommitting based on historical velocity data.

B.The product backlog may have scope creep from new requirements.

C.The team's velocity is dropping, indicating a need to add more team members.

D.The team's velocity is trending upward, so the plan is realistic.

AnswerA

The planned 30 points exceed the average velocity of 21, indicating overcommitment.

Why this answer

The exhibit shows a planned velocity of 30 story points per iteration, but historical velocity averages 21 story points. This mismatch means the team is overcommitting, which will likely lead to unfinished work and reduced quality. In Agile, using historical velocity as a baseline is critical for realistic iteration planning.

Exam trap

PMI often tests the misconception that a team can simply increase velocity by working harder or adding resources, rather than respecting historical data as a reliable predictor of capacity.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option B is wrong because scope creep from new requirements is a product backlog management issue, not the most significant risk shown in the exhibit; the exhibit focuses on velocity data, not backlog changes. Option C is wrong because the team's velocity is not dropping—it is stable at 30 story points—and adding more team members often disrupts team dynamics and does not guarantee increased velocity. Option D is wrong because the velocity is not trending upward; it is flat at 30, making the plan to deliver 40 unrealistic.

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MCQeasy

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

A.Continuous integration

B.Test-driven development

C.Refactoring

D.Pair programming

AnswerA

CI ensures that code is integrated and tested frequently, reducing integration issues.

Why this answer

Continuous integration (CI) is the practice of integrating code changes frequently, often multiple times per day, followed by automated testing. Option B (test-driven development) focuses on writing tests before code. Option C (refactoring) is about improving code structure without changing behavior.

Option D (pair programming) involves two developers working together on the same code. Only CI involves integrating and testing the entire system multiple times per day.

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