| What is the role of the Agile principle of delivering value early? |
To provide stakeholders with usable increments as soon as possible Early delivery ensures faster feedback and reduces risk. |
| What is the purpose of Agile contracts? |
To create flexible agreements that accommodate change Agile contracts focus on collaboration and adaptability rather than fixed deliverables. |
| What is the role of the Scrum Master in scaling Scrum? |
To coordinate multiple teams and ensure alignment The Scrum Master helps teams collaborate effectively in scaled environments. |
| What is the purpose of Agile roadmaps? |
To provide a high-level plan for delivering value over time Roadmaps align teams and stakeholders on long-term goals while remaining flexible. |
| What is the difference between Agile and Lean? |
Agile focuses on iterative delivery, while Lean emphasizes eliminating waste Lean principles complement Agile by improving efficiency and reducing delays. |
| What does the Cynefin framework help Agile leaders determine? |
The nature of the problem domain (e.g., complex, complicated, chaotic, clear) to guide decision-making It helps select the right management approach based on contextual complexity. |
| In SAFe, what is the difference between Enablers and Features? |
Enablers support infrastructure, architecture, or exploration; Features deliver end-user value Enablers often address technical needs that unlock future capabilities. |
| How does a Scrum Team incorporate emergent architecture without upfront design? |
Through continuous refactoring and technical spikes Agile discourages Big Design Up Front (BDUF) and instead favors evolutionary architecture. |
| What is Conway's Law and how can it impact Agile team structure? |
'Systems mirror the communication structures of the organizations that build them' Agile favors cross-functional teams to encourage decoupled, modular design. |
| What's the impact of Little's Law on Agile throughput? |
It shows the relationship between Work In Progress (WIP), cycle time, and throughput Used to balance flow and reduce bottlenecks in Kanban systems. |
| What metric measures predictability across Agile release trains in SAFe? |
Program Predictability Measure (PPM) It quantifies how closely the team met its PI Objectives. |
| What is the purpose of WSJF in SAFe? |
To prioritize work based on economic value Weighted Shortest Job First helps teams deliver the most value in the least time. |
| How does the Spotify Model organize teams around autonomy and alignment? |
Through Squads (teams), Chapters (discipline), Tribes (groups of squads), and Guilds (interests) Designed to promote innovation while maintaining cohesion. |
| In which scenarios might Agile budgeting conflict with traditional finance models? |
When funding is tied to fixed scope instead of value streams or capacity-based models Agile promotes funding long-lived teams, not temporary projects. |
| Why might using velocity as a performance metric be problematic? |
It encourages gaming, discourages collaboration, and creates unhealthy competition Velocity should be used only for forecasting within a stable team. |
| What is the purpose of Test Pyramid in Agile QA strategy? |
To emphasize faster, lower-level automated tests (unit tests) and reduce reliance on slow UI tests Promotes stability and faster feedback loops during development. |
| How does Scrum handle non-functional requirements? |
By incorporating them into the Definition of Done or as backlog items with acceptance criteria Ensures they're not overlooked and are continuously validated. |
| In Agile portfolio management, what is guardrail budgeting? |
A practice to set investment limits aligned with strategic themes Enables decentralized decision-making within predefined financial boundaries. |
| What's the difference between definition of ready and backlog grooming? |
DoR ensures items meet criteria to enter a Sprint; grooming is the collaborative process of evolving items DoR is an output of backlog refinement, not the process itself. |
| How does DevOps support Agile delivery at scale? |
By automating integration, testing, and deployment to enable continuous delivery It removes handoffs and silos between development and operations teams. |