TOPIC: PMI-ACP Question/Topic of the week : Season-2

Hello PMI-ACP Achievers and Aspirants!! Hope you all are doing good. This thread is a continuation of our old initiative where one question/topic from PMI-ACP syllabus will be posted every week. The main purpose of this activity is to generate a healthy discussion and get your doubts clarified in order to be better prepared for the exam.

Good luck with your prep!!

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 23: When implementing Agile Project Management, risk management that occurs simply by following Agile best practices such as iterative planning and review activities is called?

A) Inherent risk management
B ) Organic risk management
C) Overt risk management
D) Intrinsic risk management

Correct Answer to Q#23: B

"On Agile projects, risk management concepts that are employed can be classified as either as ""Organic"" or ""Overt"". Organic risk management is risk management that occurs simply by following Agile best practices such as iterative planning and review activities

Overt risk management refers to implementing specific strategies in order to identify, assess and mitigate the risks on your Agile project by using specific Agile Risk Management tools and techniques. Some examples of Overt Risk Management concepts are the use of Risk-Based Spikes, Risk-Adjusted Backlogs and Risk Burndown Charts."

Reference: The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility, Michele Sliger and Stacia Broderick, 2011.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 24: Which of the following Agile meetings is process-oriented?

A) Iteration Planning
B ) Iteration Review
C) Iteration Demonstration
D) Iteration Retrospective

Correct Answer to Q#24: D

The Iteration Retrospective is a process-oriented Agile project team meeting that is held at the end of each iteration. Its purpose is to explicitly reflect on the most significant events that have occurred during the current iteration in order to make decisions on how to improve processes during the next iteration.

Reference: Iteration Retrospective Activity: Turn the Tables, Marc Nazarian, 2013, www.scrumalliance.org .

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 25: Agile team members reported that they were unable to complete all user stories that they had committed to deliver in the last sprint since they had worked overtime and eventually got burned out. What is wrong with the team approach?

A. Nothing is wrong. Maintaining a constant pace indefinitely is more important than missing a sprint goal.
B. The team approach is wrong. The team should fulfill and be held accountable for their commitment.
C. Nothing is wrong. To maintain good working relationships with the team, the product owner should not hold the team accountable.
D. The team approach is wrong. Maintaining a constant pace indefinitely has a different meaning that is not applicable in this scenario.

Correct Answer to Q#25: B

The Agile Manifesto should not be used as an excuse for not completing the committed sprint goal. The team should be held accountable for their work.

Reference: Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for Scrum Masters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition, Lyssa Adkins, 2010, Coaching Product Owners on Getting Good at the Role

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 26: Emotional Intelligence is an extremely important interpersonal skill that each Agile team member should possess. In terms of the social awareness aspects of Emotional Intelligence, which of the following statements is true?

A ) Social Awareness is characterized by the use of self-confidence
B ) Social Awareness is characterized by the use of influence
C ) Social Awareness is characterized by the use of self-control
D ) Social Awareness is characterized by the use of empathy

Correct Answer to Q#26: D

When utilizing the interpersonal skill of Emotional Intelligence on an Agile project, Social Awareness is characterized by the use of empathy in order to understand the perspective of the person with whom you are interacting and communicating.

Reference: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman, 2005.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 27: In general, metrics can be defined as quantitative parameters or measures that can be used to track performance or production. As “metrics” relate specifically to Agile project management, they can only be considered “valuable” to the Agile team if they are used to “measure” the progress of the delivered product, the efficiency of the project as a whole, and the efficiency of the Agile project team. All of the following are metrics used in Agile except:

A ) Real Time
B ) Velocity
C ) Escaped defects
D ) Cycle time

Correct Answer to Q#27: A

Velocity, Escaped Defects and Cycle Time are all metrics that are used in Agile Project Management. Real Time is an Agile estimation "sizing unit" that refers to the actual time during each day that the team members are available and are productively working on specific Agile project tasks.

Reference: The Art of Agile Development, James Shore, 2007.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 28: Agile project teams often use a collection of values, principles and practices to aid in the Agile software development process. What is the term used to describe this collection?

A ) Agile Prototyping
B ) Agile Analytics
C ) Agile Modeling
D ) Agile Diagnostics

Correct Answer to Q#28: C

Agile Modeling is a tool that Agile project teams often use to create models for Agile software development, and is a collection of values, principles and practices.

Reference: Agile Modeling: Effective Practices for eXtreme Programming and the Unified Process, Scott Ambler, 2002.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 29: Which of the following Agile meetings is used to synchronize an Agile project team's activities to ensure they are all working toward a common iteration goal?

A ) Daily Standup Meeting
B ) Iteration Review Meeting
C ) Iteration Planning Meeting
D ) Iteration Retrospective Meeting

Correct Answer to Q#29: A

When you think about the Agile Daily Standup Meeting, remember the term 'synchronize'. This Agile meeting is used to synchronize an Agile project team's activities to ensure they are all working toward a common iteration goal.

Reference: The Scrum Field Guide: Practical Advice for Your First Year, Mitch Lacey, 2012.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 30: Often when implementing an Agile project for the first time in an organization, there is no historical data to determine the velocity of the first project iteration, so this velocity is really more of a 'guestimate' than an 'estimate'. Which term describes this type of velocity?

A ) Forecasted Velocity
B ) Estimated Velocity
C ) Terminal Velocity
D ) Cycle Velocity

Correct Answer to Q#30: A

Forecasted Velocity is an estimate of Agile project team velocity and is used when it is impossible or impractical to determine how many story points they will need to complete an iteration. This is commonly used on a new Agile project's first iteration since there is no historical data available to help estimate this velocity.

Reference: Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process, Kenneth S. Rubin, 2012.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 31: In terms of the decomposition of requirements on an Agile project the artifact that contains release plans as its first level of decomposition is referred to as a?

A ) Product Roadmap
B ) Release Backlog
C ) Product Backlog
D ) Sprint Backlog

Correct Answer to Q#31: A

The Product Roadmap is the second Agile Artifact that that is created during the Initial Strategy Meeting on an Agile Project. It is a visual timeline of major product features that support the Product Vision Statement, broken down into releases. This will enable the Initial Strategy Meeting attendees to see the ‘big picture’ of when these major product features will be developed and released over the life of the entire project.

Reference: The Scrum Field Guide: Practical Advice for Your First Year, Mitch Lacey, 2012

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 32: An agile team has worked together before. In their last project, the greatest negative criticism against them was the inaccuracy of their estimates. What should the team members do differently when preparing estimates for their new project?

A ) Deliberate extensively in order to eliminate uncertainty from the estimate
B ) Fine tune approach but do not put too much effort to gain the maximum benefit from estimating
C ) Lock down the budget, schedule, and scope to improve the accuracy
D ) One team member should take primary responsibility of tracking the estimate

Correct Answer to Q#32: B

With estimating, there is a point of diminishing returns, where additional effort put into estimation yields very little in terms of additional accuracy. The team therefore can fine tune, but should not put in "too much" time or effort in estimating.

Reference: Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn, 2005, Diminishing returns on estimating

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 33: Which of the following behaviors should an agile coach avoid?

A. Coordinating individual contributions
B. Emphasizing business value delivery
C. Taking the problem to the team
D. Being invested in the team's overall performance

Correct Answer to Q#33: A

An agile coach should move away from coordinating individual contributions, and instead coach the team to collaborate.

Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 35; see also Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition, Lyssa Adkins, 2010, Role of an Agile Coach

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 34: An agile team lead has many years of experience and is a subject matter expert on the product that the team is building. How can the team lead best engage the team in solving a problem?

A. Steer the team towards what the team lead knows is the best option
B. Consult the team on every decision
C. Encourage the team to experiment with different potential solutions
D. Engage the team in documenting the pros and cons of different solutions

Correct Answer to Q#34: C

To engage the team in solving problems, the team lead should create an open and safe environment, where the team members can experiment with different options without fear of being punished for mistakes they may make during this experimentation.

Exam Reference: PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®, Examination Content Outline, Problem Detection and Resolution

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 35: What is the term used to indicate the number of story points that an agile team completes in an iteration?

A ) Affinity
B ) Cadence
C ) Relativity
D ) Velocity

Correct Answer to Q#35: D

Velocity refers to the number of story points an Agile team completes in an iteration. Cadence is also a term sometimes used in Agile to describe when a team gets into a 'rhythm' of average work performed during a sprint but is not specifically measured in story points.

Reference: The Scrum Field Guide: Practical Advice for Your First Year, Mitch Lacey, 2012

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 36: Which of the following statements is not true with regard to user stories?

A ) They are stored in the Product, Release and Sprint Backlogs.
B ) They are the primary vehicles used in Agile to create project and product requirements.
C ) They should be written by the customer or customer proxy.
D ) They represent the smallest unit of work performed on an Agile project.

Correct Answer to Q#36: D

User stories are broken down into tasks, which represent the lowest form of work decomposition on an Agile project. Tasks can be assigned specific resources for their execution and can also have discreet hourly estimates assigned for their completion.

Reference: Scrum for Dummies, Mark Layton, 2015

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 37: During a sprint review, the product owner rejects one of the product features that the development team demonstrated. What happens next to the user story according to which the rejected feature was developed?

A. The user story is automatically placed into the sprint backlog of the next sprint
B. The user story is deleted from the product backlog and dropped from the project
C. The user story is rewritten to address the reasons why they were not accepted
D. The user story is placed in the product backlog to be reprioritized

Correct Answer to Q#37: C

Answer and Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. There is a reason that the feature was rejected, and this must be addressed first. Also, priorities may have changed during the iteration, so no user story is automatically placed into the next sprint backlog.

Answer B: Incorrect. This action is a rather drastic step that should not be taken. The feature has already been developed implying the user story was prioritized and deemed of high value to the customer, so dropping it from the project is not a rational choice. The correct next step is determining why the work was rejected and making the necessary corrections.

Answer C: Correct. If a feature is rejected, it is most often due to a gap in the team's understanding of the expectations of the business or customer. This misunderstanding can arise due to missed acceptance criteria or a poorly written user story which served as a basis for the feature. The first step is to correct or rewrite the user story. Then it can be placed into the backlog and reprioritized.

Answer D: Incorrect. Simply placing the user story back in the backlog to be reprioritized without addressing the reason why the feature was rejected will not resolve the issue. Once the user story is fixed (rewritten), it can be placed back in the backlog and then reprioritized.

Exam Reference: Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products, Jim Highsmith, 2004

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 38: An agile practitioner needs to track the team's performance over time. How might the agile practitioner accomplish this task?

A. Report the team's performance using real time
B. Calculate the team's velocity
C. Capture the number of escaped defects
D. Create an estimate of the project's CPI

Correct Answer to Q#38: B

Answer and Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. Real time (e.g. hours or days) is sometimes used in estimating tasks required to complete a user story. However, it is not used as a measure or indication of the team's performance.

Answer B: Correct. Velocity is perhaps the most common metric and is used to determine the team's performance over time. It is often used to compare actual performance to estimated performance.

Answer C: Incorrect. The number of escaped defects is a metric that indicates the team's performance as it pertains to the quality of work completed rather than performance over time.

Answer D: Incorrect. Cost performance index (CPI) is a measure of the cost efficiency of budgeted resources expressed as the ratio of earned value to actual cost. CPI does not provide information about performance over time.

Exam Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 61, 64; see also PMI-ACP Exam Prep, 2nd Edition: A Course in a Book for Passing the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)® Exam, Mike Griffiths, 2015, Page(s) 232-234

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 39: A development team is using an eXtreme Programming (XP) development practice that frequently incorporates new and updated code into the project code repository. What technique is the development team using?

A. Refactoring
B. Pair programming
C. Collective code ownership
D. Continuous integration

Correct Answer to Q#39: D

Answer and Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. Refactoring is the process of improving the design of the existing code without altering its external behavior or adding new functionality. One of the main goals of refactoring is to improve the efficiency of the code so that changes and new functionality required to implement future user stories can be easily applied to the existing codebase.

Answer B: Incorrect. In XP, the production code is written by pairs of programmers. One writes the code while the other reviews and catches issues that exist and improves the code. The pair changes roles often to detect issues early and to spread the knowledge about the system through the team effectively.

Answer C: Incorrect. Collective code ownership means that any programmer can amend or improve any part of the code at any time. This strategy leads to a higher level of quality and a greater amount of knowledge of the entire system across the team.

Answer D: Correct. Continuous integration is a development practice that requires developers to integrate code into a shared repository several times a day. When the new or altered code is checked into the code repository, automatic routines are run to ensure that all the code will work together and that it will all compile successfully.

Exam Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 56, 102, 151; Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products - 2nd Edition, Jim Highsmith, 2009, Continuous Integration

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 40: Which of the following refers to the start-to-finish time required to develop a potentially shippable product increment?

A ) Actual Time
B ) Cycle Time
C ) Ideal Time
D ) Real Time

Correct Answer to Q#40: B

Cycle Time refers to the time it takes (from beginning to end) to complete the creation of a potentially shippable product increment. Actual Time and Real Time are used synonymously and refer to the actual time during each day that the team members are available and are productively working on specific Agile project tasks. Ideal Time or Ideal Days refers to when you make the assumption that your Agile project team members will have no interruptions in their work, such as checking email or attending meetings, and will be 100% productive every hour of every day.

Reference: Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process, Kenneth S. Rubin, 2012

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 41: An agile team needs to demonstrate a product increment at the end of every iteration. What should an agile practitioner recommend that the team do to make sure that they have adequate time to get prepared for the demonstration?

A. Create a user story for conducting the demonstration
B. Hire an external expert to handle the demonstration
C. Track the task with a project management plan
D. Delay the demonstration to the next iteration

Correct Answer to Q#41: A

The creation of a user story to demonstrate the product increment developed in the iteration allows the team to allocate dedicated time to get prepared for the demonstration.

Exam Reference: User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development, Mike Cohn, 2004, User story

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 42: All of the following are considered methods of receiving feedback from Agile project team members except?

A ) Team Evaluation
B ) Prototyping
C ) Individual Evaluation
D ) Process Tailoring

Correct Answer to Q#42: B

Team Evaluation, Individual Evaluation and Process Tailoring are all methods of soliciting feedback from your Agile project team members. Prototyping is a form of "Product" feedback, not a form of "Project Team" feedback.

Reference: Disciplined Agile Delivery: A Practitioner's Guide to Agile Software Delivery in the Enterprise, Scott W. Ambler, Mark Lines, 2012.

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 43: An agile team is demonstrating a recently developed product. Who determines when a product is complete?

A. The development team
B. The product owner
C. The sponsor
D. The agile coach

Correct Answer to Q#43: B

Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. The team and the relevant project stakeholders define the definition of done, which applies to every item in the backlog. The team, however, does not determine when a product or a product increment is complete.

Answer B: Correct. The product owner accepts the completed product increment in the iteration review meeting after reviewing the acceptance criteria and verifying the functionality.

Answer C: Incorrect. The sponsor can recommend product backlog items to the product owner, but a sponsor typically does not have the authority to accept or reject a product.

Answer D: Incorrect. The agile coach may facilitate the meeting where the product increment is reviewed. Accepting or rejecting the product, however, is not among the agile coach's responsibilities.


Exam Reference: Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn, 2005, Agile Team Roles - Product Owner

Here is our free PMI-ACP Exam sample question of the week. This question is taken from The PM Exam Simulator at www.pm-exam-simulator.com/pmi-acp

Question 44: In an effort to increase agile knowledge, traditional project managers of a company have been paired with scrum masters to observe them lead their teams. One observation is that many project decisions are the responsibility of the project team and the scrum master is more facilitative than authoritative. In fact, the scrum masters seem more focused on ensuring that the team can focus on the work, have a shared vision, and determine how they will accomplish their work. What leadership approach have the scrum masters adopted?

A. Participative leadership
B. Autocratic leadership
C. Transformational leadership
D. Servant leadership

Correct Answer to Q#44: D

Answer and Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. Participative leadership is often called democratic leadership and involves soliciting the input of team members and peers. However, the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the participative leader.

Answer B: Incorrect. Autocratic leadership involves allowing leaders to make decisions alone without the input of others. Autocratic leaders possess total authority and impose their will on the team.

Answer C: Incorrect. Transformational leadership depends on high levels of communication from management to meet goals. Leaders motivate employees and enhance productivity and efficiency through communication and high visibility.

Answer D: Correct. Servant leadership is the practice of leading through service to the team, by focusing on understanding and addressing the needs and development of the team members in order to enable the highest possible team performance.

Exam Reference: Agile Practice Guide, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 33-38,154; see also Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition, Lyssa Adkins, 2010