Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK I) practice assessment

#1. Little’s Law should be used to decide what to set WIP limits to.

True

False

Little’s Law only shows us that there is a relation between WIP, Cycle Time and Throughput. You should not use it to calculate your WIP limits.

#2. Which key metrics should a Scrum Team use to take a flow-based perspective in the Sprint Review?

Select all that apply:

Cycle Time

Work Item Aging

Throughput

Work in Progress

Throughput is a key metric to use in the Sprint Review to inspect the progress and forecast. Teams can also decide to take Cycle Time and Work in Progress into the Sprint Review, however they are not key for this event.

#3. When is the recommended time for the Scrum Team to make changes to their Definition of Workflow?

When they are blocked and starting more work would violate a WIP limit

During the Daily Scrum

In the Sprint Retrospective

Anytime during the Sprint

Though Scrum Teams can decide to make changes to their Definition of Workflow at any time, the recommendation is to do it as part of the Sprint Retrospective. The Definition of Workflow will have a material impact on how the Scrum Team performs. Restricting changes to the regular cadence provided by the Sprint Retrospective event will reduce complexity and improve focus, commitment and transparency.

#4. Which key metrics should a Scrum Team use to take a flow-based perspective in the Sprint Retrospective?

Select all that apply:

Cycle Time

Work Item Aging

Throughput

Work in Progress

Cycle Time, Throughput and Work in Progress are key metrics for the Sprint Retrospective. Teams can also decide to take Work Item Age into a Retrospective, though this is not a key metric for this event.

#5. Who monitors the progress of work during a Sprint?

The Scrum Master

The Product Owner

The Project Manager

The Lead Developer

None of the above

The Developers are accountable for managing, executing and monitoring the plan for the Sprint. This plan is made transparent in the Sprint Backlog.

#6. What is Monte Carlo forecasting?

A probabilistic forecast based on historic data

A forecast of when all Product Backlog items will be complete if the Scrum Team has no distractions

A way of assigning an estimate to all Product Backlog items without having to trouble Developers with the act of estimating

It is a set of highly complicated mathematical algorithms to predict project completion dates that is totally unsuitable to be applied for predicting complex work

#7. What changes about the Sprint Goal when implementing Kanban practices into Scrum?

Select all that apply:

Because items can be pulled in during the Sprint according to the WIP limits and Increments can be released during the Sprint, the Sprint Goal becomes mandatory so that Scrum Teams stay aligned

The Sprint Goal must be captured and visualized on the board so that it is transparent to all

The Sprint Goal can change during the Sprint as Product Backlog items are completed and other Product Backlog Items are pulled into the Sprint

None of the above

The Sprint Goal is a mandatory element of Scrum. Whether adding Kanban practices or not, there are no prescribed rules that prohibit Scrum Teams from pulling items into the Sprint or releasing Increments during the Sprint. The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint.

#8. Mature Scrum Teams can drop certain elements of Scrum such as the Daily Scrum and Sprint Retrospective when they feel they no longer add value

True

False

The Scrum Framework is immutable, while implementing parts of Scrum is possible, the result is not Scrum. Dropping Scrum events results in lost opportunities for inspection and adaptation and reduces transparency.

#9. Once a Scrum Team has established a continuous flow of delivery, which of the following statements are true?

Select all that apply:

They will be able to eliminate the Sprint Planning event

It is possible for their Sprint Planning event to be more lightweight

All Scrum events become unnecessary

Multiple Increments can be released during the Sprint so the Sprint Review can be eliminated

With Professional Scrum with Kanban, Sprint Planning has more inputs and historical measures may make it easier to create a forecast.

#10. A Scrum Team’s Definition of Workflow describes only the activities that take place during a Sprint.

True

False

The Definition of Workflow may span beyond the Sprint. This could include what happens to Product Backlog items during refinement before they are pulled into a Sprint, and validation of value after they are Done for example.

#11. Who can make changes to the Sprint Backlog?

Select all that apply:

The Developers

The Scrum Master

The Product Owner

Stakeholders

As described in the Scrum Guide, “The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers.”

#12. Which of the following is most likely to reduce Cycle Time?

Hiring more developers

Hiring a project manager to coordinate activities

Reducing the number of columns on the Scrum team’s visual board

Reducing the time that work is left in an idle state

#13. Which of the following are leading indicators?

Select all that apply:

Cycle Time

Work In Progress

Work Item Age

Throughput

Work in Progress and Work Item Age are the leading indicators.

#14. The Scrum Team can change the WIP limits at any time.

True

False

The Scrum team can decide to change their WIP limits at any time, however because changes to the Definition of Workflow will have a material impact on how the Scrum Team performs, changes made during the regular cadence provided by the Sprint Retrospective event will reduce complexity and improve focus, commitment and transparency.

#15. Which of the following are basic metrics of flow that Scrum teams using Kanban need to track?

Select all that apply:

Flow Efficiency

Work Item Age

Work in Progress

Number of blocked items

Work Item Age and Work in Progress are two of the four basic metrics that Scrum Teams with Kanban need to track. The other 2 that are missing from this list are Throughput and Cycle Time.

#16. When is the Increment released?

After it has been reviewed and signed off as “Done” in the Sprint Review

Following the user acceptance testing phase that follows the Sprint after the Increment was Done

As soon as a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born and the decision to release it can be made

The decision to release an Increment is at the sole discretion of the Product Owner, regardless of the state of the Increment

Multiple Increments may be created and released during a Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered as a gate to releasing value. For an Increment to be releasable it must meet the Definition of Done.

#17. Which key metric can help the Scrum Team in Sprint Planning?

Select all that apply:

Cycle Time

Work Item Aging

Work in Progress

None of the above

None of the above, though metrics such as Work Item Age can be helpful in Sprint Planning, the key metric to help the Scrum Team plan for the Sprint is Throughput.

#18. A Service Level Expectation (SLE) consists of which of the following?

A range of elapsed days and a probability associated with that period

A range of working days and a probability associated with that period

A range of working days and the number of items finished in that period

A range of elapsed days and the number of items finished in that period

As explained in the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, the SLE consists of a range of elapsed days and a probability associated with that period.

#19. Visualisation of the Workflow should include which of the following?

Select all that apply:

Explicit policies about how work flows through each state

A definition of the work items – the individual units of value

A definition of the workflow states that the work items flow through from start to finish

Policies for limiting Work in Progress (WIP)

Defined points at which the Scrum Team considers work to have started and to have finished

As explained in the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, the minimum requirements for the visualisation of the workflow are; explicit policies about how work flows through each state, a definition of the work items, a definition of the workflow states that work items flow through from start to finish, policies for limiting Work in Progress, and defined points at which the Scrum Team considers work to have started and to have finished.

#20. The last of the coding tasks has been completed for the Sprint and the Developers are discussing pulling an additional item from the Product Backlog into the Sprint. What should the Developers consider?

Select all that apply:

If pulling in the item would impact the Sprint Goal

If pulling in the item would put the Increment for the Sprint at risk

They should see how they could contribute to achieving the Sprint Goal and getting Product Backlog items forecasted for the Sprint "Done"

They could first see if any of their spare capacity could be used to pay off technical debt, perform some exploratory testing or be used for learning

They should first check that the item meets the Definition of Ready

The most important things to consider when discussing pulling in additional Product Backlog items into the Sprint is if doing so risks the Sprint Goal and the Increment. The Developers may also consider using the capacity in other useful ways, such as paying off some technical debt or using the time for self-learning, instead of always looking to pull the next item from the Product Backlog.

#1. Little’s Law should be used to decide what to set WIP limits to.

#2. Which key metrics should a Scrum Team use to take a flow-based perspective in the Sprint Review?

#3. When is the recommended time for the Scrum Team to make changes to their Definition of Workflow?

#4. Which key metrics should a Scrum Team use to take a flow-based perspective in the Sprint Retrospective?

#5. Who monitors the progress of work during a Sprint?

#6. What is Monte Carlo forecasting?

#7. What changes about the Sprint Goal when implementing Kanban practices into Scrum?

#8. Mature Scrum Teams can drop certain elements of Scrum such as the Daily Scrum and Sprint Retrospective when they feel they no longer add value

#9. Once a Scrum Team has established a continuous flow of delivery, which of the following statements are true?

#10. A Scrum Team’s Definition of Workflow describes only the activities that take place during a Sprint.

#11. Who can make changes to the Sprint Backlog?

#12. Which of the following is most likely to reduce Cycle Time?

#13. Which of the following are leading indicators?

#14. The Scrum Team can change the WIP limits at any time.

#15. Which of the following are basic metrics of flow that Scrum teams using Kanban need to track?

#16. When is the Increment released?

#17. Which key metric can help the Scrum Team in Sprint Planning?

#18. A Service Level Expectation (SLE) consists of which of the following?

#19. Visualisation of the Workflow should include which of the following?

#20. The last of the coding tasks has been completed for the Sprint and the Developers are discussing pulling an additional item from the Product Backlog into the Sprint. What should the Developers consider?

Results