AgilePM Foundation Workbook - The Knowledge Academy€¦ · Agile is a project management methodology designed to enable a more versatile and effective way for project managers to

Agile PM Foundation Workbook

© The Knowledge Academy 2020

Instructions to Follow

Please follow the below Instructions before reading this workbook:

1. Open workbook in Adobe Reader or any other pdf reader2.Write your answer and Save the pdf by pressing Ctrl+S

3. Upload this workbook at the time you request for the exam


Contents

Features of Agile ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Agile Product Management Artifacts ............................................................................................................ 4

Agile Lifecycle ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Sprint review and retrospective ................................................................................................................... 7

Multiple Choice Questions ‐ 1 ....................................................................................................................... 7

Principles of Agile Project Management ..................................................................................................... 10

Benefits of Agile .......................................................................................................................................... 13

Communication in an agile project ............................................................................................................. 15

Multiple Choice Questions ‐ 2 ..................................................................................................................... 16

The basics of Agile Project Management .................................................................................................... 20

Multiple Choice Questions ‐3 ...................................................................................................................... 21

Choosing the Right Approach ..................................................................................................................... 23


Roles and Responsibilities ........................................................................................................................... 26


Preparing for an Agile Project ..................................................................................................................... 28


The Factors that Lead to Success ................................................................................................................ 31

Developer versatility .................................................................................................................................. 32


Prioritisation and Timeboxing ..................................................................................................................... 35

Multiple choice questions ‐ 8 ...................................................................................................................... 38

Agile Planning .............................................................................................................................................. 40

Agile Estimation Techniques ....................................................................................................................... 42


Sample Question Paper............................................................................................................................... 48


Features of Agile

• A development process can be defined as agile if it focuses on the four core values.

• Agile is based on collaboration and rich communication between different areas ofdevelopment.

• It builds change and the capacity to adapt into product design and development.

• Agile development provides more feedback loops at every stage of a project’sprogress, making it more useful for complex development environments.

• Agile development follows twelve core principles.

Agile Product Management Artifacts

In agile method, there are six primary artifacts which is used for tracking the progress of the project:

• Product VisionStatement

• Product Backlog

• Product Road map

• Release Plan

• Iteration/Sprint Backlog

• Increment

• Product VisionStatement

Product vision statement is responsible for the product description and also clearly explains the vision and goals for the product

• Product Backlog

This is the list of what the project includes and which is ordered from most to least important. Whenever you will have your very first requirement for the


project, you have a product backlog. The value they provide to the business may be affected by various other factors like risk, complexity, and criticality

but are not the direct basis for calculating the Value. The value of the item is calculated by the Product Owner and he is the one who is liable for ordering

the Product Backlog.

• Product Road map

It is like a timetable for when the product requirements must be completed

• Release Plan

This is the timetable for the release of the newly developed software

• Iteration/SprintBacklog

Sprint Backlog consists of all the information used during the current iteration or sprint

• Increment

The functionality of the product at the end of each iteration or sprint.

Agile Lifecycle

The Agile projects have six stages for product development. The following is a list of the six stages:

Project planning

Before beginning with the project, your team must understand the end goal, the value to the organisation and the way to achieve it. Project scope is introduced at

project planning stage. However, the purpose of using an agile project management is to be able to tackle changes and additions to the project easily, so

that the scope of the project should not be seen as unchangeable


Product roadmap creation

A roadmap is defined as a breakdown of the features which will make up the final product. This is an important component of the planning stage as the team will

build these individual features during each sprint. At this stage, you will also develop a product backlog which is the list of overall features and deliverables

which will makeup the end product. Then later on while planning sprint, the team will put tasks from this backlog.

Release planning

In an agile project process, the project uses the shorter development cycles (known as sprints), with features released at the end of each cycle. Before kicking

off the project, you will make a high‐level plan for feature releases and at the start of each sprint, you will revisit and reassess the release plan for that feature.

Sprint planning

Before the beginning of each sprint, the stakeholders have to plan what will be achieved by each person during that sprint and the way of achieving and

assessing the task load. It is crucial to share the load among the team members evenly, so that they can achieve their assigned tasks during the sprint.

Daily meetings

In order to help your team to achieve their tasks during each sprint and evaluate whether any changes are required, short daily meetings must be conducted.

During these meetings, each team member will talk about their task that they have achieved the day before and what they will working on that day. These daily meetings should be only of 15 minutes duration.


Sprint review and retrospective

After the end of each sprint, the team will hold two meetings. In first meeting, there will be a sprint review with the project stakeholders to show them the finished product. Through video conference meeting both the groups can build a relationship and discuss product issues that arise. In second meeting, there will be a sprint retrospective meeting with your stakeholders to discuss what went well during the sprint, what could have been better, if the task load was too heavy or too light for every member, and what was attained during the sprint.

Multiple Choice Questions ‐ 1

1. Product Backlog should be ordered on the basis of?

• Value of the items being delivered

• The complexity of the items being delivered

• Size of the items being delivered

• The risk associated with the items

2. What is used to summarise a product?

• Product Backlog

• Release Plan

• Product Vision Statement

• Increment

3. The shorter development cycles are also known as

• Products

• Sprints

• Projects

• Backlogs

4. The development of product backlog is at what stage?

• Release planning

• Sprint planning

• Project planning

• Product roadmap creation


5. In Sprint review and retrospective, the team will hold ___ number of meetings.

• 4

• 3

• 5

• 2

6. The Daily meetings should be only ____ minutes long.

• 30

• 10

• 20

• 15

7. Which stage is responsible for developing the scope of the project?

Release planning

Project Planning

Product roadmap creation

Sprint review and retrospective

8. The purpose of using an agile project management is:

to measure how much your team can tackle during each sprint

to be able to tackle changes and additions to the project easily

to share the load among the team members evenly

to make a high‐level plan for feature releases

9. Who should necessarily attend the Daily meetings?

The Development Team

The Scrum Team

The Development Team and the Product Owner

The Development Team and the Scrum Master

10. When a Team takes the opportunity to gather for a meeting and reflect on situationsthey encountered during a project, in an effort to better align their

processes with their changing situations, what agile tool are they said to be using?

A contingency review

Brainstorming

A lessons learned Scrum

A retrospective


Principles of Agile Project Management

Principle 1: Attain customer satisfaction through continuous delivery of software

Software is built to be put to use by an end user for performing tasks better which were previously out of reach, solve a problem, do their job better or more effectively, etc. So, reduce the distance between requirements gathering and customer feedback by planning less change at a time. This gives you more opportunity to direct the software in a satisfactory direction for the customer.

Principle 2: Don't be afraid to make changes

Changes can be implemented now. You don’t need to wait for the next system to be built. Agile processes utilise the change for the competitive advantage of the customer Reduce the distance between creating and implementing an important change. And even if it is late in the development process, still don’t hesitate to make a shift.

Principle 3: Deliver working software, with a preference to the shorter timescale

Previously, the development methods were having a lot of documentation in order to complete all the requirements needed for a particular project. However, towards the end of the project, the usual result was just lots of documentation but nothing to show for it Agile project management focuses on restricting the distance between planning and delivery. Therefore, the agile process focuses more on creating software rather than just planning for it. This gives you the opportunity to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the work.

Principle 4: Developers and management must work together This one is important, especially as it does not come naturally to most people. Co-location between management and developers is generally the best way to handle this is. Also, communication tools can be used for remote workers. It helps the two sides to understand each other better and leads to more productive work.

Principle 5: Build projects around motivated individuals There should be no micromanaging in agile project management. Teams should be self-supporting and self-directed. Make sure you have the proper team in place that you can trust to complete the objectives of the project and provide the support and environment to get the job done.

Principle 6: Face-to-face interactions are the most efficient & effective modes of communicationIn simple words, the need is to reduce the time between a question and its answer. When teams work together under the same roof, it is much simpler to ask questions, make suggestions, and communicate.


Principle 7: Working software is the primary measure of progress

The primary metric an agile development team should be judged by proper working of the software because if it is not working properly, it doesn’t matter how many words have been typed, bugs have been fixed, hours have been spent on working, etc. A good team have to produce quality software and all other aspects will be irrelevant if you cannot get it work correctly.

Principle 8: Agile processes promote sustainable development

Burnout can be a common problem among agile software development teams while working on the same project for a very long time. To prevent this, work should be done in short productive bursts as excessive overtime cannot continue endlessly without affecting the quality. The main focus must be on selecting the right pace for the team members. Normally, the best pace is one that enables members of team to leave the office tired until satisfied.

Principle 9: Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility

Developers should not wait for cleaning up the confusing code. Code must get better with each iteration. With the ongoing agile process, the software development team should use scrum tools and take time to review their solution. Doing this during the project saves you way more time than cleaning up code.

Principle 10: Simplicity is essential Keep things simple and minimise the time between comprehension and completion. Avoid doing things that don’t matter such as the “busy work” that is so prevalent in corporate culture. Keep track of your team, count the hours worked in a fun way by using project management tools.

Principle 11: The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organising teams A good agile management team takes its own direction. Members do not have to be told what needs to be done, they attack problems, clear obstacles, and find solutions. It is considered a warning signal If the project manager has to micromanage.

Principle 12: Inspect & Adapt This is an important principle in agile project management. At regular intervals, the team must focus on how to become more effective, tune and adjust its behaviour accordingly. If there is a better way of moving a project forward, the team should implement adjustments.


Benefits of Agile The following are the benefits of Agile:

Speed to Market

Agile makes you capable to get your concept to your users as soon as possible. During each sprint an agile project delivers something of value. At any point, you might determine you want for launching what has been delivered and start building a user base.

Flexibility

Software projects change consistently. As the market expands, you must be able to react and update the product. Also, Agile realises that great ideas are bound to come mid‐project and being locked into a scope does not let you take benefit of these realisations.

Risk Management

Incremental releases mean that the product can be used early in the process by stakeholders and users. This lets you recognise issues and feature lacks early in the process. Being adaptive means it is not a problem to change the scope midway over the project, something that would be not possible in a waterfall style project.

Cost Control

With regard to scope, agile is flexible. More often than not, our clients realise features they originally requested are no longer important. This enables them for launching sooner and pay less. Agile is not about paying a lot with uncertainty, it is about paying only for your need. Rearrange the product backlog for sticking within a budget so that critical new features are implemented at the expense of less important features, not your budget.

Quality

Agile integrates testing across the process. Consistently delivering tested software means higher overall quality and less time spent on QAing the full application.


Right Product

Incremental releases let you test your product early and often. Even if you don’t release it to the public, it is much simpler for locating flaws and things that can be enhanced when you have an actual product for playing with versus a series of designs.

Transparency

Agile lets you see feel and use a project reliably across the project. You do not see things in compartmentalised silos and you see how things work together.

Iterative Development

Iterative development is the simple process of building feedback into each iterative cycle that makes sure that the solution which is evolving converges on precise solution, as each cycle gets it closer and closer to where it has to be. An important part of iterative development is developing the Mindset, that the change is the simple fact of life and all part of the iterative process. This identifies that it is impossible for describing something up front and expect the description to be fully accurate

PM ensures that

• Solution Development Team members must build business feedback intoeach iteration.

• Solution Development Team members must recognise that most detailshould emerge later, rather than sooner.

• Solution Development Team members should embrace change.


Communication in an agile project The failure of project is caused due to poor or ineffective communication. Making communication efficient requires some thought and effort. Communicating continuously and clearly is the principle of AgilePM development. Many practices of DSDM motivates and support the effective communication via verbal communication, pictures and face‐to‐face conversations. At the same time, documentation is an important aspect but in some situation it should not be the default way of communicating. Also it should be short and to the point and only created where it is needed. Open communication is important to those stakeholders who are sitting outside the Solution Development Team.

PM ensures that Solution Development Team members:

• Make full and proper use of DSDM practices‐ e.g. Workshops, Modelling,Timeboxing with daily Stand‐ups.

• Provide opportunities for those interested to keep themselves informedabout the project through visible activity and outputs.

• Keep documentation lean and timely.

• Only create it where it adds genuine value to solution.

• Manage stakeholder expectations at all levels.

• Ideally through involvement in DSDM process.

• Always aim for honesty and transparency.

• Within team and external to project team.


Multiple Choice Questions - 2

1. The ___________ is an important aspect for the stakeholders sittingoutside the Solution Development team.

a) Documentation

b) Open communication

c) Daily stand ups

d) Timeboxing

2. What can be the reason of failure on agile project

a) Ineffective or Poor Communication

b) Documentation

c) Open communication

d) Timeboxing

3. Which of these is an AgilePM principle?

a) Communicate often

b) Communicate verbally

c) Communicate formally

d) Communicate continuously and clearly

4. Iterative development is NOT a good idea for

Back end development

Front end development

Middleware development

Software development

5. Which of the following is one of the DSDM practice?

a) Daily Meetings

b) Product Backlog

c) Release Planning

d) Documentation


6. Which one of these is appropriate in an agile and iterative development process?

Gather a complete set of requirements before designing/building anything. Implement the backend of the system first—that is, before implementing the frontend

functionality with which users interact. Generate and maintain complete, detailed design documents, which comprehensively

model, all aspects of the design. Implement the system incrementally, building it up bit by bit.

7. Which of the following is one of the benefits of Effective communication?

A. Provide opportunities for those interested to keep themselves updated the projectB. Recognise that most detail should emerge later, rather than sooner

C. Embrace change

A. describes something up front and expect the description to be fully accurate

8. An iterative development is the process which:

A. Always aim for honesty and transparency

B. Manage stakeholder expectations at all levels

C. Build business feedback into each iteration

D. Keep documentation lean and timely

9. Which of the following is an Agile Manifesto value

Individuals and interactions over following a plan Working software over processes and tools Responding to change over comprehensive documentation Customer collaborations over contract negotiation

10. In the agile manifesto, what is valued more than processes and tools?

Customer collaboration

Individuals and interactions

Working software

Responding to change


The basics of Agile Project Management

Agile is a project management methodology designed to enable a more versatile and effective way for project managers to bring products into the market faster. The agile sense is the ability to move quickly and easily. Thus, an agile methodology helps project teams to adapt quicker and faster in comparison to other project methodologies.

In today’s scenario, most of the projects have so many unknown basics which a conventional project management methodology cannot properly manage which makes it difficult to document requirements and adopt changes across the project successfully. Thus agile project management methodology is utilised by educational organisations, software developers, construction companies, and even marketing teams. Many organisations can benefit from agile project management, as it is very easy to use and set up

Those 4 basics are:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

As sophisticated as technology becomes, in any form of project management the human factor will still serve as an essential part. Too much dependency on processes and tools contributes to an inability to adapt to changing conditions.

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation

Running software is more relevant and equally essential a documentation is. This value is about providing developers just what they need, without overloading them, to do the job.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

The customers are one of your most powerful assets for an organisation. Involving them in the process can help to make sure that the end product meets their requirements more efficiently, whether the customers are internal or external.

4. Responding to change over following a plan

This value is one of the biggest steps away from conventional project management. Change has historically been seen as an expense, and one to avoid.


Agile allows for constant change in any given project during its lifespan. Each sprint offers a chance to review and correct the course.

There are different methodologies that can be utilised to run an agile project. Some of the more popular frameworks include:

Scrum

Kanban

Extreme Programming

DSDM


1. Which of the following key basics of agile PM allows for constant change inany given project?

a. Responding to change over following a plan

b. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

c. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

d. Working software over comprehensive documentation

2. Some of the more popular frameworks include ______

Kanban

Extreme Programming

Both a & b

Only a

3. The agile project management methodology is utilised by ______

KanbanSoftware developersBoth a & bManagement


Choosing the Right Approach There are a number of agile methods of software development in use today but they are not equivalent. Each approach has its own strategies and processes. Depends on your intent, choosing the most appropriate agile approach for your project. It's necessary to consider the different options available to make the right decision.

Common Agile Methodologies and their suitability to a given project

I. Scrum

Scrum is the popularly used agile model that gives extensive management and control over increments and iterations for a wide range of projects. With sprints scheduled between 1 and 2 weeks, it enables frequent delivery of working software. It also involves sharing of responsibilities among the different parties involved in the development project as follows:

The client/ product owner is responsible for all matters relating to the business including making prioritisation decisions.

II. Kanban Software Development

Kanban software is developed to provide the efficiency of teamwork and i is closely related to Scrum. It emphasises on continuous delivery of software features without straining the team. It is built on three basic values:

Visualising tasks within the context of others.

• Minimal WIP – Limiting work in progress so that the development team is not

overloaded.

• Improving work flow – Take on the next task as soon as you complete the one in

hand.

It is suitable for development projects that require steady output with

no limitation on the team or project size.


III. Extreme Programming (XP)

XP is an agile software development model which focuses on improving the quality to meet customer requirements. It includes short iterations planned for 1 to 3 weeks and ongoing cooperation between customer and development teams.

As for cor values , the model follows:

• Simplistic design.

• Seamless communication.

• Constant feedback.

• Coding standards.

It is best for large and complex development projects where plan‐based methodologies are not able to work. It is also optimal with small teams, not exceeding 10, of highly qualified and experienced players.

IV. Crystal Clear Method

Crystal clear model emphasises on people over processes. It works on 3 compulsory principles:

• Frequent delivery.

• Reflective increment.

• Gradual communication.

It is ideal for project teams of 6 to 8 members, and a wide range of both small and large intensity. The iteration may be scheduled for up to four months for complex software projects.



1. Scrum is the popularly used agile model that gives_______ and control overincrements and iterations for a wide range of projects

a. Focus on products

b. Tailor to suit the project

c. Extensive management

d. Learn from experience

2. Crystal clear model on which of the following principle?

a. Gradual communication

b. Seamless communication

c. Constant feedback

d. Coding standards

3. As for core values, the Extreme Programming (XP) model follows:


b. Constant feedback

c. Frequent delivery

d. Reflective increment


Roles and Responsibilities

I. QA/TesterDeliver quality product. You have to test every little bit of the projectbefore being approved by the users. Experienced testers and QA staff needto define acceptability requirements before coding or writing any of theapplications. You need to recognise the common problems, errors andissues so that these issues are already solved when the product is written.Provide early feedback. You have to good feedback as usual as you can, onanything and as early as possible. Although, this may seem to interrupt theprocess, it cuts cost drastically.Add value to the business. You essentially contribute to helping solve thebusiness problem by starting early and constantly testing until everything isdone.

II. Team Leader

Clear goals. Whenever issues arise, your first action should be to look atthe team’s goals and the expectations set at the beginning of the project.

Open communications. You have to keep efficient team functioning bykeeping lines of communication open between everyone on the team. Youmust make sure that everyone is fully informed so they can self‐manage.

Form positive relationships. Interpersonal problems will often come up inthe lifecycles of the project. Your task is to immediately fix them andestablish healthy relationships among all the members of your team.Creating trust and commitment. Everyone must be on the same track whichmeans you have to include others in the process of decision‐making.



1. Roles of the team leader include:


b. Clear goals

c. Frequent delivery

d. Reflective increment

2. When do a Tester need to add value to the business

a. While Preparation of project

b. While Planning the initiation stage

c. During an initial investigation as to whether it is necessary to form a

project

d. Until everything is done

3. Responsibility of a Tester include:

a. Form positive relationships

b. Open communications

c. Deliver quality product

d. Frequent delivery


Preparing for an Agile Project

1. Understand Your GoalsBegin with a project charter outlining the project's intent, and the players whowill use and develop the program. Don't plan ahead. Just know enough to getgoing and direct you but don't waste time and money trying to describe thingsyou do not even know right now. Plan to change the plan.

2. Work the network not just the hierarchyAs most of the technologists included in projects are more comfortable withprocesses and hierarchy than networks, the Project Manager requires to showemotional literacy in order to develop a more resilient project based on mutualtrust with the stakeholders. Or, you can end up with a clunky, mechanical projectthat is vulnerable to failure.

3. Unscripted timeNever underestimate the value of unscripted time – this includes the actualdiscussions off the programme board; governance means people workingtogether to decide on how to handle the best risks. Unscripted time hooks intoagile processes; in which you can be frequently surprised by the developmentteam. Handling that requires built time into the process that does not permitsyou to treat it as a threat.

4. Dealing with spanners in the works

All arrives at the project's start‐a time of hopes and dreams‐with the best version

of themselves. But once you join the grind and the detail, life will get in the way

of launching the shiny project.

A Project Manager is a change agent and manages a project as well.

If people are surprised by the solution that comes back to the food chain you can

get questions. So you've got to handle the "delta" between what they got and

what they expected. This needs more time for stakeholder involvement to

consider what the sponsors are going to want, or will not. You need to spend time

with those who are unfamiliar with a new approach of a project, because, at a

first sprint review, you don’t want the sponsor freaking out the first time a sprint

doesn’t go to plan.



1. The Project Manager requires to show emotional literacy in order to develop:

a. Unscripted time

b. Project based on mutual trust with the stakeholders

c. A resilient project

d. Agile principles

2. A Project Manager is:

a. The trigger for a project and project manager

b. A change agent and manages a project

c. All of these

d. None of these

3. Unscripted time include:

a. Design and appointment of the project management team

b. Actual discussions off the programme board

c. Lessons learned from the project

d. the communication requirements of stakeholders are documented


The Factors that Lead to Success

Dedicated team members

Team members need to be dedicated (for example: product owner, development team members, and scrum master) to one project at a time. This is very much critical during initial phase, when the scrum team and the rest of the organisation are still learning what it means to value agility and embody agile principles.

Automated Testing

Development teams cannot evolve at the pace technology and changing market dynamics if they have to check their work manually every time they implement new functionalities in the sprint. The more teams rely on manual testing, the greater the gaps in test coverage get.

Enforced definition of done

Ending sprints with non‐shippable functionality is an anti‐pattern for becoming more agile. Your definition of done should clarify the following:

• The environment in which the functionality should be integrated

• The types of testing

• The types of required documentation

Clear product vision and roadmap

While the product owner owns the product vision and product plan, it is the duty of other people to ensure that these agile artefacts are clear. At the outset of project preparation as well as during the project, product owners need


accessibility to stakeholders as well as consumers to ensure the vision and strategy consistently represent what the consumer and market need.

Developer versatility

You probably won’t start your first agile project with a development team that

has the ideal level of skills required for every requirement on your product backlog. However, the goal should be to achieve skill coverage as soon as possible. Your team will also be challenged to meet its sprint goal if you have single points of failure on any one skill, including testing.

Management support for learning

While executive leaders decide to be agile, their mindset also has to change. Most

often, leadership instructs without any follow‐through for supporting the learning

process to implement the changes. It is unrealistic to get all the benefits of

following agile principles just after the first sprint.

Transition support

Good coaching at leadership and team levels increases your chances to succeed.

Coaching provides support in the following forms:

• Re‐enforcement of training

• One‐on‐one mentoring for specific role‐based challenges

• Executive leadership style and mindset adjustments



Executive and the Project Manager Other team members/people Project managerNone of these

1. The Enforced definition of done include

a. Unscripted time

b. The environment in which the functionality should be integrated

c. Dealing with spanners in the work

d. Executive leadership style and mindset adjustments

2. The role of product owner is to

a. decide to be agile

b. delivering the value customers maximise the value that the productionteam generates

c. trigger for a project and project manager

d. to provide the value consumers expect from the team

3. “The more teams rely on manual testing, the greater the gaps in testcoverage become” is the principle of which success factor:

4. Whose responsibility is to ensure that the agile artefacts are clear while theproduct owner owns the product vision and product plan?

Clear product vision and roadmapAutomated Testing Collocation Developer versatility

5. Coaching provides support in which of the following forms:

The environment in which the functionality should be integrated

The types of testing

The types of required documentation

Re-enforcement training


Prioritisation and Timeboxing

Prioritisation in agile is the action of determining the order in which the agile team will

work on the requirements in a project. Prioritisation process assists the agile team to

consider the basic minimum features essential to create customer value. In order to

process agile prioritisation, it is essential to understand the factors that a product owner

should consider before determining the priorities

Some important agile prioritisation factors are:

o The cost of requirement development is an essential factor to be considered by the

product owner.

o Understanding the risk levels involved in introducing the new features is necessary

in the process of prioritisation.

o A major factor to be considered in prioritising requirements is the financial value of

requirements. The value could be stated in form of operational efficiency or new

revenue, incremental revenue.

oThe next important factor to be considered in prioritisation is the amount

and

importance of knowledge and capabilities that the team will gain while working on

the requirements.

Popular Prioritisation techniques

i. MoSCoW prioritisation

In the DSDM (Dynamic System Development Method) methodology, the

priorities are expressed as per the MoSCoW model:

Must: The topmost priority must be given to requirements.


Should: Next priority is provided to the requirements that are extremely desirable, although not obligatory.

Could– The next priority is provided to the requirement which is nice to have.

Won't– And the final concern is given to the requirements which will not work in the process at that point of time.

ii. Kano model

This prioritisation technique includes three levels including considering customer satisfaction from disappointment to not happy to instant happiness to get pleased. Two significant factors that create an impact on the satisfaction level during this prioritisation are the existence of features and the degree of implementation. The level of satisfaction is attained along with full implementation. Some features lead to a basic level of satisfaction while others create more – the higher the implementation, the greater the level of satisfaction.

iii. The relative weighting method

The relative weighting scheme is a simple prioritisation model. In this technique, if the results come out in numerical value, it becomes easier for the product owner to reach at a prioritising decision faster.

Using all these three techniques, a product owner performs the prioritisation exercise towards achieving customer satisfaction and customer value. The whole process of prioritisation in agile is followed in order to create customer value, which is possible with innovation, focused execution, and lean delivery.

Timebox


A Timebox is defined as a fixed period of time, at the end of which an objective has been met. The Timebox objective is generally completion of one or more deliverables. This make certain the focus for a Timebox is on accomplishing something complete and meaningful, rather than simply “being busy”. At the end of a Timebox, progress and success is measured by completion of products (requirements or other deliverables) rather than completing a series of tasks.

The ideal length for a Timebox is generally between two and four weeks – long enough to achieve something useful, short enough to keep the Solution Development Team focused. Every timebox begins with a kick‐off session and ends with a close‐out session.

Beyond this, DSDM recognises two styles of timebox:

i. A DSDM structuredTimebox

ii. A free format Timebox

A DSDM structured Timebox comprises three main steps:

i. Investigation

ii. Refinement

iii. Consolidation


Multiple choice questions ‐ 8

1. In the popular technique of prioritisation “MoSCoW”, the “W” stands for

a. Will have

b. Willingly

c. Won’t have

d. None of these

2. A Timebox is

a. Defined as the flexible amount time taken to complete a meeting

b. Defined as a fixed period of time, at the end of which an objective hasbeen met

c. A document that contains test cases for the current sprint

d. Defined as the time required to calculate the risk associated with theitems.

3. What is the ideal length for a Timebox?

a. Between two and four weeks

b. Four weeks only

c. Between four and six weeks

d. Six weeks only

4. Choose from the following:A DSDM structured Timebox comprises three main steps:

a. i, iii and iv

b. i, ii and iii

i. Investigationii. Refinementiii. Maintenanceiv. Consolidation

c. i, ii and iv

d. ii, iii and iv


5. Every timebox begins with a ______and ends with a_______.

a. opening meeting, close out

b. kick‐off, close‐out

c. opening meeting, closing meeting

d. kick off, closing meeting


Managing Risk

When agile methodologies are implemented properly, they inherently reduce risk in product development. Developing in sprints assures a short time between project investment and proof that the product works. Sprints also provide the prospective for a project to produce revenue early on. The involvement of sprint review, the sprint retrospective, and the product owner during each sprint provide constant product feedback that helps in preventing deviations between product expectations and the completed product.

Scrum teams make use of existing agile artifacts and meetings to manage risk. Scrum teams also wait till the last responsible minute to address risk, when they know the most about the project and problems that are more likely to rise.

Within work related environments, risks are divided into the following:

i. Financial risk ‐ can we pay for it?

ii. Business risk ‐ will it be used? Does it solve the problem?

iii. Technical risk ‐ can it be made or build?

Agile Planning

Agile planning is concentrated on obtaining the answers to simple questions like ‐ what is to be built, when it will be completed, how much will it cost and who should be involved etc. The project managers also discover hidden dependencies for several activities to minimise the idle time and optimise delivery period.

Agile planning turns around measuring the velocity and effectiveness of an agile team to assess when it can turn the user stories into processes, production‐ready


software, and quality product delivery. The final goal of agile planning is to have a clear picture of project vision, production roadmap with sprint schedule, and business interests.

Agile planning can be agreed to different levels such as product vision; product roadmap; release; iteration; daily commitment.

Level 1: Agile Planning for Product Vision

Agile planning begins with product vision creation confirming that strategies are properly aligned and the development team spends its time on creating the right valuable product. The product vision guides the team members for the shared goal. The product vision statement expresses about ‘how the product supports organisation’s strategies.’ You can simplify the process of Agile product vision development by making it a four‐step exercise – development, drafting, validation, finalising.

Level 2: Agile Product Roadmap Planning

An Agile product roadmap is a plan that defines the way the product is likely to grow; it also assists in learning to change. To succeed in agile management, you are required to have a goal‐oriented roadmap as it provides vital information about everyday work by the team. As an influential agile management tool, it helps to support all the stakeholders and to assess adequate budget for quality product development as per schedule. Creating effective roadmap is frequently a challenge as changes occur unexpectedly in an agile environment.

Level 3: Release Planning

In Agile methodology, the release is a set of product increments released to the customer. The release plan describes how much work your team will deliver by the stated deadline. Release planning is the cooperative task involving Scrum master to facilitate the meeting, Product owner to share product backlog view, agile team to provide insights into technical dependencies & feasibility and Stakeholders that are trusted advisors.


Level 4: Iteration Planning

The iteration planning is performed by holding a meeting, where all the team members define the volume of backlog items they can commit to deliver during the next iteration. The commitment is made as per the team's velocity and iteration schedule.

Level 5: Daily Commitment Planning

Similar to other planning activities for agile management, the daily commitment planning also necessities the synchronised partnership of teams. The daily planning meeting is focused on completing the top‐priority features. The 15‐minute standup meeting facilitates face‐to‐face communication on progress and impediments of individual.

Agile Estimation Techniques In agile projects, estimation of work effort is essentially different from traditional methods of estimation. The traditional approach is to estimate using a “bottom‐up” technique by detailing out all requirements and estimate each task to complete those requirements in hours/days, then use this data to develop the project schedule.

On the contrary, agile projects make use of a “top‐down” approach, using gross‐level estimation techniques on feature sets, then using progressive elaboration and rolling‐wave planning methods to drill down to the task level on a just‐in‐time basis, iteratively uncovering more and more detail each level down

Top‐down vs. Bottom‐up

The traditional method to estimate projects is by spending many weeks or months at the start of a project defining the detailed requirements for the product being built. Once all the known requirements are gathered and documented, a Gantt chart can be produced showing all the tasks needed to complete the requirements, along with each task estimate.

Resources can then be assigned to tasks, and actions like loading and leveling help to determine the final delivery date and budget. The process is known as a bottom-up method, as all detail regarding the product must be defined before project schedule and cost can be estimated.

The use of the bottom-up method in the software industry has many drawbacks due to today's speed of change.


Estimation Techniques

Some estimation techniques that are in use by teams using agile approaches are:

Planning Poker

Planning Poker, or the use of the Fibonacci sequence to assign a point value to a feature

or item is the most popular technique of gross level estimation. The Fibonacci sequence is

a mathematical series of numbers that was used to explain certain formative aspects of

nature, such as the branching of trees. The series is generated by adding the two previous

numbers together to get the next value in the sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so

on.

For agile estimation purposes, some of the numbers have been changed, resulting in the

following series: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100.

These numbers are presented in a set of playing cards. Team members play

“Planning Poker” to provide an estimate in the form of a point value for each item. The

steps are as follows:

i. Each team member gets a set of cards.

ii. The business owner presents the item to be estimated.

iii. The item is discussed.

iv. Each team member privately selects a card representing his/her estimate.

v. When everyone is ready, all selected cards are revealed at the same time.

vi. If all team members selected the same card, then that point value is the estimate.

vii. If the cards are not the same, the team discusses the estimate with emphasisplaced on the outlying values:

o The member who selected the lowest value explains why he/she selectedthe value.

o The member who selected the highest value explains why he/she selectedthe value.

viii. Select again until estimates converge.

ix. Should lengthy or “in‐the‐weeds” conversations result, team members may use atwo‐minute timer to timebox the discussion, selecting again each time the timerruns out, until conversion.

x. Repeat for each item.


Affinity Grouping

This method is a faster way to estimate, and one used when the number of items to

estimate is large. Team members simply group items together that are like‐sized. The

method is simple and fast.

i. The first item is read to the team members and placed on the wall

ii. The second item is read and the team is asked if it is smaller or larger than thefirst item; placement on the wall corresponds to the team's response (larger is tothe right, smaller is to the left)

iii. The third item is read and the team is asked if it is smaller or larger than the firstand/or second items; the item is placed on the wall accordingly

iv. Control is then turned over to the team to finish the affinity grouping for theremainder of the items

Teams may pick to continue in the same fashion, placing one item at a time on the wall after group discussion. However, a faster way is to have each team member select an item and place it based on their own best understanding. This is done with all team members working in parallel until all items have been assessed and placed on the wall. Several hundred items can be estimated in a relatively short time. Once all items are on the wall, the team reviews the groupings. Items that a team member believes to be in the wrong group are discussed and moved if appropriate.

Once affinity grouping is complete, estimation unit values such as points can be assigned.



1. The iteration planning is performed by

a. The customer

b. The developer

c. Holding a meeting, where all the team members define the volume of

backlog items they delivered in the previous iteration

d. Holding a meeting in which all the team members define the volume of

backlog items they can commit to deliver during the next iteration

2. In this Team meeting everyone provides a status update to the other team

members and these meetings lasts up to 15 minutes. These meetings are

referred to as

a. Collaboration meeting

b. Daily standup meeting

c. Retrospective meeting

d. Opening meeting

3. _________method is a faster way to estimate, and one used when the number

of items to estimate is large

a. Planning Poker

b. Affinity group

c. MoSCoW

d. The relative weighting method

4. The end result of an Agile development is

a. A poor quality product but at a quicker speed

b. A product which is of professional quality and fits to the need of the

business

c. A product with as good quality as developed using waterfall model

d. A product which is technically perfect


5. Which of the following about agile product roadmap is true?

i. It acts as a tool that help tester in giving an idea what to explore in the

systems and what kinds of things to look for

ii. It is a plan that defines the way the product is likely to grow;

iii. It assists in learning to change

iv. It is a type of report provides a bird’s‐eye view of the project

a. i and iii

b. ii and iii

c. i and iv

d. All statements are correct


Sample Question Paper

1. Which of the following is NOT stated as a benefit of using DSDM?

a. User training becomes unnecessary

b. The business is more likely to feel ownership of the solution as it evolves

c. Deployment is more likely to go smoothly, due to the co‐operation of all

parties

d. The risk of building the wrong solution is greatly reduced

2. Which statement relates to the DSDM view on formality?

a. The aim is to remove all formality, so that the team can get on with

building the solution

b. Agile must be informal, otherwise it stops being fun

c. It is entirely formal, to enable management and control

d. The DSDM process should be configured with an appropriate level of

formality

3. Which roles form part of the Solution Development Team?

a. Solution Developer, Business Analyst, Technical Coordinator

b. Solution Developer, Business Analyst, Business Ambassador

c. Technical Coordinator, Business Visionary, Business Sponsor

d. Technical Coordinator, Business Visionary, Business Analyst

4. What role is responsible for ensuring that the solution delivered will enable

the benefits described in the Business Case to be achieved?

a. Business Advisor

b. Business Analyst

c. Business Sponsor

d. Business Visionary

5. Which of the following statements about DSDM are true?

a. May be used to supplement an existing in‐house Agile approach

b. Deals with the development and delivery of a product rather than the

full project


6. What in DSDM is designed to shape the attitude and mindset of a DSDM

team?

a. Phases

b. Philosophy

c. Principles

d. Processes

7. When, ideally, is the first instance that a solution should be fully tested and

potentially deployable?

a. At the Review stage of Deployment

b. At the end of a Timebox

c. On Deployment

d. After Deployment

8. When does DSDM state that the Post‐Project phase takes place?

a. After Evolutionary Development

b. Before the project is closed

c. When the solution is assembled

d. After the final Deployment for a project

9. Which responsibility relates to the Solution Development Team roles?

a. Direct the project

b. Shape and build the solution

c. Govern the project

d. Ensure that the technical roles work in a consistent way

10. In DSDM, what role must hold a sufficiently high position in the

organisation to be able to resolve business issues and make financial

decisions?

a. Business Advisor

b. Business Analyst

c. Business Sponsor

c. Works alongside existing standards and approachesd. Suited to the development of new solutions and enhancing existing solutions

d. Business Visionary


11. What is the purpose of the DSDM Pre‐Project phase?

a. Ensures that only the right projects are started and set up correctly

b. Assesses the viability of the project

c. Ensures the project can be carried out by the Solution Development

Team

d. Plans and resources the Foundations phase

12. What is Iterative Development?

a. A practice where features are designed, developed and tested

b. A gated process where development cannot begin until the finished

design is complete

c. An early sample, model or release of a product to test a concept or

process

d. The process and activity of planning, organising, motivating and

controlling resources to achieve a specific goal

13. Which objective relates to the DSDM Deployment phase?

a. Create a functional solution that demonstrably meets the needs of

the business

b. Give the wider organisation an early view of the solution that they

will eventually use

c. Describe how quality will be assured

d. None of the above

14. Which approach correctly reflects the use of MoSCoW prioritisation?

a. Relates to a specific timeframe

b. Applied and fixed during Foundations

c. Only applied at project level

d. Is optional

15. Which statement about late delivery is correct for DSDM?

a. It is acceptable provided sufficient warning is givenb. It can often undermine the very rationale for a project

c. It is a fact of life and should be expected

d. It can be really annoying for the Business


16. What DSDM product describes, at a high level, the requirements that the

project needs to address and indicates their priority with respect to

meeting the objectives of the project and the needs of the business?

a. Terms of Reference

b. Prioritised Requirements List

c. Solution Architecture Definition

d. Development Approach Definition

17. How often should a Timebox Plan be updated?

a. Hourly

b. Daily

c. Weekly

d. Monthly

18. What is a purpose of the Feasibility phase?

a. Converge over time on an accurate solution that meets a business

need

b. Establish whether or not the project should be stopped

c. Establish how development and delivery of the solution will be

managed

d. Bring a baseline of the solution into operational use

19. How long should the Daily Stand‐up take?a. As long as it takes

b. Fifteen minutes per participant

c. No more than half an hour

d. Two minutes per participant, plus two minutes

20. In a free format Timebox, which activity is carried out during the Iterative

Development step?

a. Agree what work will be undertaken, agree priorities and accept the

workload

b. Scheduled reviews of the work in progress

c. Formal acceptance of the Timebox deliverables

d. Workshop to learn from experience and to take action to improve

future Timeboxes


Documents

AgilePM Foundation Workbook - The Knowledge Academy€¦ · Agile is a project management methodology designed to enable a more versatile and effective way for project managers to