Relying solely on the developers' experience with similar systems to define functionality can be limiting and potentially result in misaligned expectations with actual user needs. Effective Agile teams should focus on understanding and addressing the needs of end users, leveraging continuous feedback from customers, and engaging stakeholders directly. This ensures the product is built to meet real user expectations and can evolve as necessary based on user input. Instead of relying on previous experience, the team should be focused on co-creating value with customers through collaboration, feedback, and agile practices like user stories and regular testing.

Gold-plating—adding extra features not requested or prioritized—is ananti-patternin agile. Agile emphasizesdelivering the highest-priority features first, and product changes should always go through theProduct Ownerfor prioritization and validation.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.1: Backlog and Value Delivery)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery), when capacity is available, the team should pull more storiesfrom the prioritized backlog, ensuring that all work aligns with stakeholder-defined value.

Option Dis correct: confirm backlog priority and use time to delivercustomer-prioritized value.

Option Asupports scope creep.

Option Bis partially correct but doesn’t optimize the time to deliver value.

Option Cperpetuates gold-plating and undermines value alignment.

The correct answer is B – Have team members work in pairs to learn from each other and develop new skills. Pairing encourages collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development, which helps reduce dependency on specific individuals and enhances engagement through variety.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Pair programming and other collaborative work methods help reduce repetition, promote learning, and improve motivation. These techniques allow for shared ownership and skill diversity.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Continuous Learning and Team Development)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Cross-training and pairing reduce boredom, eliminate knowledge silos, and increase team flexibility. They are effective responses to reduced motivation from repetitive work.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement)

Incorrect options:

A may temporarily help morale but doesn’t address the root cause.

C is more suitable for analyzing inefficiencies, not directly resolving monotony.

D adds cost and doesn’t solve the underlying engagement problem.

Answer: B

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Thefirst step for a new Scrum Masteris to gaincontext and alignment. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 2.3: Agile Mindset), agile leaders must understand theproduct vision and goalsto provide proper support to the team and align delivery efforts with organizational objectives.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 2: Agile Principles and Mindset)emphasizes that new leaders should start byunderstanding stakeholder expectations, enterprise context, and business driversbefore making operational decisions like backlog setup or sprint planning.

Option Bis correct: understanding the project vision provides critical context.

Option Ais premature without first understanding the broader organizational objectives.

Option C(sprint 0) can be useful but should follow alignment on vision and context.

Option Dskips necessary discovery and planning.

In Agile, continuous integration and regression testing should be part of every iteration to ensure that the product is always in a potentially shippable state. These practices help catch issues early in the development process, preventing defects from accumulating and becoming harder to fix later. By integrating and testing frequently, the team ensures that new code works with existing code and that the product maintains its quality throughout the development lifecycle. This approach aligns with Agile principles of delivering working software regularly and maintaining high-quality standards throughout each iteration.

If a story isnot completed, it isnot counted toward the current sprint velocity. When carrying the story forward to the next sprint, teams shouldre-evaluate the story size, especially if part of the work is already done. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.4: Velocity and Estimation)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), agile teams are encouraged tore-estimatesuch items based on remaining work.

Option Dis correct: incomplete stories should be re-estimated based on new size or effort.

Option Aviolates velocity principles—onlyfully completedstories count.

Option Bundermines the fixed-length timebox principle of sprints.

Option Cis not directly relevant unless the story’s complexity necessitates research, which is not stated here.

The correct answer is C – Encourage all feedback then work with the customer to prioritize work for future sprints. Agile welcomes continuous feedback and values customer collaboration. All feedback should be collected and considered, but the product backlog is reprioritized to align with capacity and business goals.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile promotes constant feedback to refine product direction. Feedback is incorporated into the backlog, prioritized based on value, and delivered incrementally according to capacity.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value-Driven Delivery and Continuous Customer Collaboration)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Stakeholder feedback is essential in agile. Not all feedback can be implemented immediately, but it should be welcomed, evaluated, and prioritized transparently in collaboration with the product owner and stakeholders.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A implies a heavy process not aligned with agile.

B prematurely limits feedback before collaborative prioritization.

D ignores the product owner’s prioritization role.

Answer: C

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The correct answer is D — Discuss the issue with the team at the next project retrospective.

Fatigue and declining productivity are ideal topics for the sprint retrospective. Retrospectives provide a dedicated time for the team to reflect on what's working and what's not, and they promote continuous improvement in a psychologically safe environment.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Retrospectives allow teams to reflect on how they work and to continuously improve their practices, processes, and team dynamics.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.8 – Retrospectives)

Mike Griffiths:

“Retrospectives are opportunities to openly discuss issues such as burnout or fatigue and decide as a team what improvements to implement.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement)

Incorrect options:

A (daily standup) is focused on immediate blockers, not deep reflection.

B might help but creates unnecessary ceremony; the retrospective is the correct venue.

C escalates the issue outside the team prematurely.

Answer: D

—

When considering an increase in scope, it's important to first align with the organization's higher-level objectives. Seeking executive approval on the approach ensures that the change is in line with organizational priorities and gets the necessary buy-in from key stakeholders. Additionally, determining the purpose and value proposition helps clarify the benefits of the new scope, ensuring the team focuses on delivering value that is clear and beneficial to the organization. These actions are critical before making any further decisions or changes.

A psychologically safe environment is essential for aproductive retrospective, especially in the presence of team conflict. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6 Retrospectives)recommends reviewingworking agreements or ground rulesto remind the team of respectful behavior and to promote openness. This helps reset expectations and encourages participation without fear of judgment.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement)emphasizes that retrospectives are abouttrust and transparency, and setting the tone properly enables team learning and resolution.

Option Ais correct: reviewing ground rules reinforces team norms and supports safety.

Option Bmay make individuals feel singled out.

Option Cignores the interpersonal issue and postpones resolution.

Option Descalates unnecessarily and bypasses team ownership.

The correct answer is A — Foster stronger communication by hosting cross-organizational meetings between the two teams.

Integration issues often result from mismatched expectations, lack of alignment, or asynchronous collaboration. A practical solution is to improve communication via cross-functional and cross-team meetings, which support transparency, alignment, and shared understanding.

PMI Agile Practice Guide states:

“Strong communication is essential in hybrid environments. Agile practitioners must foster collaboration between diverse teams to ensure integration points are clear and timely.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 — Communications and Collaboration)

Mike Griffiths notes:

“When agile and non-agile teams must work together, agile leaders facilitate boundary-spanning conversations to ensure mutual understanding and coordinated delivery.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 — Team Performance)

Other options:

B oversimplifies the solution and may create unnecessary disruptions.

C contradicts agile's principle of just-enough documentation.

D is rarely practical in hybrid or large-scale environments.

Answer: A

—

Velocity is a team-specific, relative measureof work done in a sprint and should not be used to compare teams. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.4: Estimation and Velocity)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)highlight that aconsistent and predictable velocityis more valuable than simply trying to exceed estimates, which can lead toovercommitment or burnout.

Option Cis correct: predictability and consistency are hallmarks of agile maturity.

Option AandBfalsely equate velocity across teams.

Option Dvalues overperformance, which may underminesustainable pace.

The correct answer isC – Facilitate a conversation about the user story between the development team and the product owner.In Agile,collaboration,self-organization, andface-to-face conversationare foundational principles for resolving disagreements and achieving a shared understanding.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The agile practitioner facilitates healthy communication and constructive dialogue between the product owner and the development team to align understanding and priorities. Agile coaches and Scrum Masters serve the team by removing obstacles to collaboration, not by acting as decision-makers.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.3 – Facilitating Agile Practices)

Further, the guide emphasizes:

“Effective teams discuss issues collaboratively. When disagreements arise, the agile leader’s role is to facilitate communication and resolution through shared understanding, not to dictate decisions.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.1 – Agile Mindset and Behaviors)

Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Bookalso states:

“Agile encourages close collaboration between business and technical teams. When conflicts arise regarding a user story, the agile practitioner’s role is to facilitate meaningful discussions to ensure mutual understanding and team-driven resolution.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Why the other options are incorrect:

Aundermines team self-organization and implies a command-and-control model.

Bis confrontational and goes against agile values of respect and collaboration.

Dcontradicts the facilitative role of the agile practitioner, who should not act as an authoritative decision-maker.

Thus, the most agile-consistent approach is toenable conversation and clarity between roles.

Answer: C

Task boards (or visual boards) are a great way to facilitate communication within the team. By using a task board, team members can easily see what work has been completed, what is currently being worked on, and what still needs attention. This visual aid helps keep everyone on the same page, ensures that information is shared transparently, and can help identify potential bottlenecks or communication gaps. It improves collaboration and visibility, making it easier for the team to coordinate and align on tasks, leading to fewer delays in the development process.

The first priority for the Scrum Master should be to ensure the project has a dedicated, cross-functional team. Scrum teams are self-organizing and cross-functional, meaning they have all the skills needed to complete the work without relying on external resources. The Scrum Master should focus on forming a team that can collaboratively work on the product development, ensuring they are committed to the project and understand their roles and responsibilities within the Scrum framework. This is essential for the team to be effective and aligned with the Scrum principles, ensuring that they can deliver value in iterative cycles.

The correct answer is A – Inform the stakeholder that all updates are provided in the sprint review sessions and encourage them to attend.

The Sprint Review is designed to provide transparency to stakeholders, demonstrate completed work, and gather feedback. Stakeholders should be encouraged to attend these events to stay updated and engaged.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Sprint reviews are intended to engage stakeholders in reviewing completed work and discussing priorities. This event ensures transparency and encourages stakeholder collaboration.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.5 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Agile teams encourage stakeholder participation in regularly scheduled review meetings to maintain alignment and foster transparency.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 3 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Other options:

B adds non-Agile overhead and undermines Agile transparency mechanisms.

C and D are dismissive and uncollaborative, potentially damaging relationships.

Answer: A

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The project manager should ensure that risks are clearly visible to all team members so that everyone is aware of potential issues and can take action as necessary. Displaying the RAID log visually makes it easy for the team to see the status of risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies in real-time. This encourages the team to follow up on risks and keep them top of mind, facilitating more proactive management of potential threats to the sprint's success. This approach also helps in maintaining transparency and continuous monitoring of risks throughout the sprint.

Knowledge sharing and organizational learning are core elements of scaling agile. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 8.4 Organizational Change Management)and thePMBOK® Guide (6th Edition, Section 10.2 Manage Communications), the project manager shouldactively disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and project outcomesto promote agile adoption across the organization.

Mike Griffiths reinforces in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement)thatcontinuous feedback loops and transparent communicationare essential to agile transformation success.

Option D is correct because regular meetings specifically focused onsharing outcomes and learningfrom the pilot project helpembed agile valuesand improve future implementations.

Agile teams areself-organizingand responsible for determining how to deliver their commitments. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.3: Self-Organizing Teams)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), the best course of action is tosupport the team in evaluating trade-offs—especially when innovation like a spike canenhance efficiency. The project leader shouldenable, not dictatedecisions.

Option Ais correct: it respects team autonomy while supporting innovation.

Option Bdiscourages innovation and learning.

Option Cmay delay needed improvement and demotivates team initiative.

Option Dremoves the team's ability to decide and self-manage priorities.

The correct answer is A — A formalized agile approach offers controlled flexibility in dealing with unknown variables in a manner that adds business value.

Agile is designed to operate effectively under conditions of high uncertainty. It allows for controlled experimentation, feedback loops, and adaptive changes, all while maintaining a focus on delivering business value. This makes it ideal for environments reliant on data analytics and frequent changes.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile approaches provide the flexibility to respond to changing conditions and unknowns while ensuring that value delivery remains aligned with stakeholder needs.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.2 – Agile Principles)

Mike Griffiths:

“Agile’s incremental delivery model enables teams to validate assumptions and adapt based on feedback and data—making it a natural fit for data-driven organizations.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Incorrect options:

B is factually incorrect and overly simplistic.

C misrepresents agile as a formal change-control process.

D is an opinion, not a principle.

Agile empowers teams to beself-organizing and self-managing. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6)andMike Griffiths' PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Problem Detection and Resolution), the agile coach or Scrum Master facilitates the process but shouldencourage the team to resolve internal issues themselves. This develops ownership, team maturity, and accountability.

The team coach’s role is tosupport, not solve. Escalating issues unnecessarily or bypassing the team undermines agile principles. Therefore,Option Cis correct: the coach should encourage the team to address and resolve the issue internally, stepping in only if the team cannot resolve it themselves.

In Agile, it's important to continuously refine and prioritize requirements while managing dependencies. The team should work collaboratively to identify and prioritize the key dependencies that must be resolved to ensure that the user stories meet the Definition of Ready (DoR) criteria. By focusing on the highest priority dependencies first, the team can maintain progress while adapting to changes, rather than getting stalled trying to resolve all dependencies at once. This allows for more flexibility and efficient delivery.

To reduce stakeholder risk and encourage early investment in high-risk/high-reward projects, agile recommends breaking the solution intosmall, incremental deliverablescalledMinimally Marketable Features (MMFs). According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.1 Product Roadmap and MMFs)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery), delivering MMFs early allows the business to realize value quickly, validate assumptions, and reduce risk—especially helpful for uncertain or experimental projects.

Option Bis correct: MMFs demonstrate business value early, promoting trust and investment confidence.

Option A (PPC)andD (EV)are traditional project tracking metrics, not suited for early-stage agile investment justification.

Option C(story points) is used forcapacity planning, not financial justification.

The correct answer is A because an Agile leader, such as a Scrum Master, is a servant-leader and facilitator. The Scrum Master supports the development team by helping remove impediments and facilitating healthy team dynamics. When there is misalignment or interpersonal conflict, the Scrum Master should help the team explore the root causes and encourage self-directed resolution.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile coaches facilitate conflict resolution by helping individuals understand each other’s perspectives and guiding them to collaborative solutions. The goal is to promote team ownership of outcomes and reinforce healthy communication.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.3 – Facilitating Agile Practices)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“The role of the Scrum Master is not to direct or micromanage the team, but to facilitate communication and remove barriers that prevent team members from collaborating effectively. In conflict scenarios, the Scrum Master should help the team uncover the root issue, then allow them to resolve it constructively.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Option B is slightly less effective than A because it escalates to the whole team before trying a focused resolution.

Option C abdicates responsibility and may allow conflict to worsen.

Option D contradicts agile’s emphasis on self-organizing teams.

Answer: A

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Servant leadership is about supporting the team, empowering them, and ensuring they have what they need to succeed. The team leader should focus on removing impediments that block the team's progress. By doing so, the leader enables the team to work more efficiently and effectively, without being obstructed by recurring issues. This aligns with the servant leadership mindset of putting the team's needs first and helping them reach their goals.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.2.2), one of the key responsibilities of the agile practitioner is toactively engage stakeholdersthroughout the development cycle—not just during review meetings. Agile frameworks promote continuous collaboration and frequent feedback. Merely attending sprint reviews is passive participation and may lead to missed alignment on expectations.

Mike Griffiths also emphasizes in hisPMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)that stakeholder satisfaction requires more than periodic visibility—it requiresongoing interactionand inclusion in decision-making and backlog refinement sessions. This deepens shared understanding and reduces the risk of late-stage surprises.

Hence, answerBis correct because proactivestakeholder engagement with the product ownerfosters mutual understanding, timely feedback, and course correction—ensuring the product aligns with expectations.

The correct answer is C – Encourage the product owner and team to analyze the impact of the changes and prioritize the backlog.

Agile embraces change, even late in the development cycle, but it must be managed through value-driven prioritization. Instead of blindly accepting all changes or overrunning the budget, the product owner collaborates with the team and stakeholders to evaluate the impact, adjust priorities, and ensure high-value items are delivered within constraints.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams welcome change but balance it with value delivery by continuously prioritizing the product backlog. When scope increases, the team and product owner must evaluate trade-offs and adjust delivery accordingly.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value-Based Prioritization)

Mike Griffiths affirms:

“Backlog grooming is a key mechanism to handle change. Product owners collaborate with stakeholders and the team to evaluate new requests, weigh impacts, and reprioritize as necessary.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Other options are incorrect:

A may be true in some organizations but is not an Agile principle.

B contradicts Agile’s emphasis on sustainable pace.

D may help clarify budgets but doesn’t resolve the issue collaboratively.

Answer: C

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In Scrum, the goal is to have open discussions during estimation, where all team members, including junior developers, can express their thoughts and assumptions. The Scrum Master should encourage the junior developers to keep their estimations because these can highlight different perspectives, constraints, or assumptions that others may not have considered. This helps create a more comprehensive understanding of the work and fosters a collaborative environment. It also builds confidence in junior team members, allowing them to contribute more effectively and learn from their peers in the process.

The scrum master should emphasize the core principles of agile, which are centered around collaboration, delivering value incrementally, and fostering a shared mindset among the team. In an agile environment, success is not only about following processes but about the team working together towards a common goal, adapting to change, and continuously delivering value to customers. These principles are the foundation of agile methodologies and essential for teams that are new to agile to understand.

Theretrospectiveis the agile ceremony designed for teams toinspect and adapttheir process based on actual performance. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6: Retrospectives), discussingvelocity issues and delivery concernsduring retrospectives allows the team to collaboratively identify improvement actions.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)also notes thatretrospectives are the best settingto discuss variations in velocity and refine estimation or planning practices based on empirical evidence.

Option Cis correct: the retrospective is where the team adapts based on reality.

Option Amay come later but doesn’t address the root issue.

Option Bgoes against agile principles of stable teams and empirical planning.

Option Dis reactive and may mask underlying process issues.

The Walking Skeleton approach involves developing a minimal, end-to-end working system with just enough functionality to demonstrate how the product works in its simplest form. This is often used in Agile to ensure the core structure of the product is in place, and it allows stakeholders to see how basic features are implemented and how the product will evolve. By highlighting this approach, the project manager can help the sponsor understand the essential features and the incremental development process, making it clear what will be developed and when, without overwhelming them with detailed planning at this stage.

Agile promotestransparency and ongoing communicationwith all stakeholders, including legal and compliance teams. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.1 Communications), one of the Scrum Master's responsibilities is tokeep stakeholders informedof project progress and projections using tools like burnup/burndown charts, velocity trends, or product roadmaps.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)emphasizes thatsharing the trajectoryof progress and scope delivery builds trust and provides clarity to non-technical stakeholders.

Option Cis correct: sharing actual progress and trends with legal ensures alignment and transparency.

Option Amisplaces the responsibility—it's the stakeholders who need visibility.

Option Bshifts product decisions prematurely.

Option Dassumes satisfaction trumps contractual obligations—this can cause legal issues.

The correct answer is D – Facilitate a product development roadmap workshop. Engaging stakeholders early through a roadmap workshop helps align expectations, prioritize outcomes, and build shared understanding around value delivery.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Product roadmaps provide a high-level view of deliverables and timing. Facilitating roadmap workshops ensures that all stakeholders contribute to and align with the vision.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.4 – Product Roadmap and Planning)

Mike Griffiths further explains:

“Roadmap workshops allow stakeholders to discuss release priorities and business goals, ensuring engagement in the planning process and continuous alignment throughout the project.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Incorrect options:

A reflects a waterfall mindset.

B involves team-level planning, not broad stakeholder engagement.

C is informative but not collaborative or sufficient for planning.

Answer: D

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The correct answer is A — To better listen, serve, and help the team grow their strengths individually and as a team.

An agile coach is a servant-leader whose role is to guide the team by modeling agile values, being present, actively listening, and helping teams grow. Coaching in agile is about enabling—not controlling—the team. A coach’s mindfulness, authenticity, and presence inspire the same behaviors in the team.

PMI Agile Practice Guide notes:

“The agile coach models the agile mindset, including being present, self-aware, and aligned with agile principles. This helps the team build trust, foster collaboration, and grow capabilities organically.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 – Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths emphasizes:

“Effective coaches guide by example. By modeling agile values and demonstrating presence, emotional intelligence, and listening, coaches help teams unlock their full potential.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

B suggests control rather than collaboration.

C is anti-agile and contrary to the servant-leader model.

D is valid but lacks the depth of A, which captures the coach’s mindset and actions.

Answer: A

—

The correct answer is A – High-risk features can be prioritized to fit into releases with less work in progress. Agile emphasizes risk-driven delivery: high-risk and high-value features should be addressed early to reduce uncertainty. Managing WIP also helps improve focus and throughput.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams often deliver the highest risk or highest value items early in the project. This helps reduce uncertainty and allows for faster feedback and adaptation.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value Delivery and Risk)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“Prioritizing high-risk features early is a proactive risk management strategy. Teams can reduce the likelihood of failure by discovering major issues early and correcting them while time and budget allow.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Option B delays addressing risk.

Option C focuses on low-value items and may not satisfy customer concerns.

Option D adjusts WIP but doesn’t directly address prioritizing the risky features.

Answer: A

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When transitioning to an iterative development lifecycle, it’s crucial to ensure that user stories are written with clear, testable acceptance criteria that define the desired outcomes. The agile lead should explain to the project sponsor that the subject matter expert (SME) needs to collaborate with the team, including developers, testers, and the product owner, to ensure everyone has a shared understanding of the requirements and the solution. This collaboration is essential for defining and refining the user stories to ensure that they deliver value and meet the needs of the stakeholders.

In agile environments, planning should be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances. Just-in-time (JIT) refinement refers to the practice of refining the backlog and details of the product features as they become more relevant, rather than attempting to plan everything upfront. This allows the team to respond to changes and new information as they emerge, which aligns with agile principles of iterative development and adaptability.

The project manager should engage in a constructive conversation with the team member to understand the reasons behind the performance dip. Instead of focusing on blame, it’s important to discuss the specifics of the project deliverables and identify any challenges or factors that may be affecting the team member's performance. Providing constructive feedback helps the team member understand the areas of improvement while maintaining a supportive environment. This approach encourages open communication, identifies potential solutions, and can lead to a positive outcome for both the team member and the project.

The correct answer is D – Create a collaborative team environment so that the team can explore a solution together. Agile emphasizes self-organization, teamwork, and collective ownership of problem-solving. The Scrum Master facilitates, not dictates, and enables the team to resolve impediments through collaboration.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The Scrum Master helps the team identify, address, and remove impediments. This is often done by fostering an environment of open communication and team problem-solving.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.5 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Mike Griffiths elaborates:

“Rather than escalate or assign responsibility, the Scrum Master enables the team to work together to solve problems. This builds trust, increases team capability, and supports agile values.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A and B promote a command-and-control approach, which violates agile values.

C defers the solution to a future sprint, rather than solving it now.

Answer: D

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Value stream mapping is a powerful tool in Agile and Lean methodologies used to visualize and analyze the flow of materials and information across the entire process. By mapping the current state, the team can identify bottlenecks, delays, and inefficiencies, especially when multiple teams are involved in sequential activities. Once these gaps and constraints are identified, the team can work on improving the process, such as by finding ways to increase the number of systems migrated per day from two to three, thus improving overall efficiency.

When a feature is too large to fit into a sprint, agile recommendsdecomposing it into smaller user storiesor increments. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: User Stories and MVPs)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), teams should break down epics or large stories intoMinimum Viable Product (MVP)segments and deliver value incrementally.

Option Ais correct: this enables the team to deliver value sooner and iteratively build on it.

Option Bdelays addressing customer concerns.

Option Csacrifices overall product balance.

Option Dviolates time-boxing principles in Scrum and agile.

The correct answer is C – Work with the stakeholder directly rather than go through different layers of people. Agile emphasizes direct communication and collaboration with stakeholders to reduce miscommunication and ensure clarity. When requirements differ depending on who is asked, the agile practitioner must go directly to the source for clarification and alignment.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Face-to-face conversation is the most effective method of conveying information to and within a development team. Agile encourages working directly with stakeholders and product owners to minimize miscommunication.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement; Agile Manifesto Principle #6)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“To reduce noise and confusion, agile practitioners are encouraged to engage stakeholders directly rather than relying on intermediaries or second-hand interpretations.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Option A contradicts agile’s value of responding to change. Option B is an indirect solution that does not eliminate confusion. Option D is internal to the team and doesn’t resolve inconsistencies from stakeholder communication.

Answer: C

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The correct answer is B – Meet face to face at regular intervals to enhance shared understanding.

While Agile favors colocation, it acknowledges that distributed teams are common. The Agile approach encourages face-to-face communication as the most effective means of information sharing. When colocation isn’t possible, periodic in-person meetings help establish team trust and understanding.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Even with distributed teams, periodic face-to-face interactions are recommended to foster team cohesion and alignment. This is especially important during team formation and key planning activities.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.3 – Communication and Collaboration)

Mike Griffiths also advises:

“Remote teams benefit significantly from occasional in-person meetings. This improves relationships, shared understanding, and effectiveness in virtual collaboration.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Why other options fall short:

A is about external support and not core to working agreements.

C undermines team transparency and agile principles of shared communication.

D could encourage fragmentation instead of collaboration.

Answer: B

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A quick mock-up (or prototype) is a highly effective way to visually represent the product's features and functionality to stakeholders. This allows stakeholders to get a tangible sense of what the product will look like and how it will work. By iterating on this mock-up and adjusting it based on feedback, the team can build consensus and gain stakeholder approval more effectively. This approach encourages active collaboration and ensures that the product aligns with stakeholder expectations early in the development process.

The correct answer is D – It helps to quickly resolve issues using the sponsor's influence. A sponsor's presence in Scrum ceremonies (like sprint reviews or retrospectives) helps escalate and resolve high-level issues, remove organizational blockers, and reinforce alignment between the team and the business.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Active sponsor engagement can accelerate issue resolution, remove organizational impediments, and provide vital support to the team. Sponsors are valuable allies in ensuring team success and organizational alignment.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“When sponsors are visible and engaged, teams benefit from faster decision-making, quicker escalation of issues, and improved morale. Their influence can break through bureaucratic barriers.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Incorrect options:

A misattributes sprint discipline to sponsor involvement—this is a team responsibility.

B is passive and doesn’t reflect tangible benefits.

C is useful but not the primary advantage of sponsor participation.

Answer: D

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The correct answer is D — A list of questions for the team and customer representative.

In Agile, creating a shared product vision is a collaborative effort that begins with open dialogue. The team should prepare insightful, value-driven questions to understand the customer’s needs, pain points, desired outcomes, and business drivers. This supports co-creation of the vision rather than relying on rigid documentation.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“A shared product vision aligns the team and stakeholders. Early collaboration and asking the right questions help establish understanding and purpose.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.2 – Agile Mindset)

Mike Griffiths:

“Visioning meetings are facilitated conversations where teams and stakeholders explore product goals and user needs. Questions—not documents—drive clarity.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Incorrect options:

A implies a rigid, document-driven mindset—contrary to Agile.

B assumes the backlog exists before visioning.

C is too early for acceptance criteria before vision alignment.

Answer: D

—

Since PO Integration (Item #3) currently lacks user stories and estimated story points, the project team needs to break it down into smaller user stories or tasks before moving forward. This will allow the team to:

Assess dependencies and integration requirements more effectively.

Prioritize and deliver in smaller, testable increments.

Improve estimation accuracy using techniques like planning poker.

Ensure alignment with agile principles of incremental and iterative delivery.

The agile lead is emphasizing the importance of creating a safe environment for disagreement, which encourages constructive conflict. In Agile, this is crucial because it allows team members to openly express differing opinions and perspectives. Such discussions often lead to better decision-making by surfacing various viewpoints and potential solutions. When teams feel safe to disagree, it fosters creativity, innovation, and problem-solving without fear of retribution. This aligns with Agile principles of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement.

The daily standup is focused on ensuring the team stays synchronized on their commitments for the sprint, and it is meant to be a short meeting where team members quickly discuss what they did the previous day, what they plan to do today, and any blockers they are facing. It is not a forum for external stakeholders to ask detailed questions about the sprint backlog or delivery timelines, as this can disrupt the team's focus and hinder the meeting's efficiency.

By explaining that the standup is about synchronizing commitments, the project manager helps the business partners understand the purpose of the meeting and suggests an appropriate time and place for discussing more detailed or strategic topics.

Once the team has clarity on the user stories and agrees they are ready, the next step in agile planning is toestimatethem. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: Estimating)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), agile estimation techniques likestory pointsorPlanning Pokerhelp the teamgain a shared understanding of effort, complexity, and delivery time.

Option Ais correct: estimating comes before development and guides prioritization and planning.

Option Bprematurely dives into task-level detail before effort is understood.

Option Cskips planning and development entirely.

Option Drefers to retrospective, which comes after execution, not before.

The correct answer is D – Planning poker.

Planning poker is a consensus-based estimation technique commonly used in Agile projects. During this technique, team members discuss user stories, clarify details, and independently assign story points. The facilitator (often the Scrum Master) ensures balanced participation. This process encourages team collaboration and reduces estimation bias.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Planning poker is a common estimation technique where team members discuss the story, then individually provide estimates using a card deck, reaching consensus over multiple rounds.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Estimation Techniques)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Planning poker is based on Wideband Delphi and allows teams to converge on estimates through discussion and consensus. It is particularly useful for relative estimation of story points.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Why other options are incorrect:

A (Lessons learned) applies to retrospective activities, not estimation.

B (Wideband Delphi) is the foundation of planning poker but is more formal and anonymous.

C (Formal point counting) is not a standard Agile estimation technique.

Answer: D

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Spikes are valuable for reducing uncertainty, but agile discouragesspending multiple sprints solely on spikeswithout delivering value. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2 Spikes and Exploration)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), learning and delivery should occurconcurrentlywhenever possible. Teams should strive toinclude high-priority deliverables alongside spikes, particularly in early sprints, to build momentum and maintain stakeholder engagement.

Option Cis correct: executing high-priority stories in parallel with spikes promotes learning and value delivery.

Option AandDsupport spikes but ignore the risk ofdelayed value.

Option Bis valid but administrative; the better choice is to avoid needing prolonged spike sprints at all.

Upon joining a team, a Scrum Master should focus onfacilitating team collaboration, removing impediments, and creating a psychologically safe space. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 3.3: Scrum Master Role)andMike Griffiths (Chapter 3: Team Performance)stress that early efforts should center onservant leadership, helping the team identify and solve their own challenges.

Option Cis correct: supporting the team through facilitation reflects the core role of a Scrum Master.

Option Ais prescriptive and not aligned with cross-functional team philosophy.

Option Bmay be necessary later, but first, trust and team dynamics must be established.

Option Dfalls under the Product Owner’s responsibility, not the Scrum Master’s.

When the team is facing difficulties in estimating the scope of work due to unclear or ambiguous requirements, the product owner should collaborate closely with the client to ensure that the requirements are clear and well-defined. By refining the product backlog with more detailed and clarified requirements, the product owner can help the team generate more accurate estimates and better understand the scope of work. This is a fundamental step in ensuring the team can properly plan and execute the project on time.

The correct answer is D — Ask the agile practitioner to facilitate a story-writing workshop.

When stakeholders have conflicting inputs, a collaborative approach such as a story-writing workshop enables the team to converge on a shared understanding. The agile practitioner (Scrum Master or Agile Coach) plays a key role in facilitating these sessions to ensure productive dialogue and alignment.

PMI Agile Practice Guide explains:

“Facilitated workshops, including story-writing workshops, help surface differences in stakeholder needs and create alignment through structured collaboration. Agile practitioners often lead these sessions to ensure neutrality and focus.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 — Backlog Refinement)

Mike Griffiths’ book adds:

“Agile practitioners support product owners in building and refining the backlog, especially when multiple viewpoints or conflicts exist. Facilitated workshops ensure transparency and a collaborative environment.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A is incorrect because the practitioner’s role is to facilitate, not write the stories.

B is a good idea, but the product owner should not delegate facilitation to the team.

C may assist with clarification but won’t help resolve conflict or prioritize across stakeholders.

Answer: D

—

The correct answer is C — All stakeholders are responsible for identifying risks during standups, retrospectives, and other team meetings.

Agile promotes collective ownership. Risk identification and mitigation are shared responsibilities involving the entire team, including the product owner, developers, and other stakeholders. Agile meetings (e.g., stand-ups, retrospectives) are excellent forums for surfacing risks early.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“In agile projects, everyone is responsible for identifying and managing risk. Teams inspect frequently, enabling early detection and resolution of issues.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 7.3 – Risk Management)

Mike Griffiths:

“Risk management is embedded in agile events. Teams don’t defer risk analysis to a specialist—they collaborate continuously to identify, discuss, and respond to risks.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A ignores active risk management needs.

B assumes individual rather than shared responsibility.

D misrepresents the PO’s role—risks may appear in the backlog, but management is team-based.

Answer: C

—

When calculating cycle time, it's important to consider delays and bottlenecks in the process. Cycle time refers to the total time taken for a single unit of work to go through the entire process from start to finish. By identifying and understanding delays or bottlenecks, the team can gain insights into where improvements can be made to optimize the flow and reduce overall cycle time. This approach helps in identifying inefficiencies and improving the team's ability to deliver value more effectively.

The correct answer is A — Provide feedback for completed user stories.

Stakeholder involvement in Agile is ongoing. Their primary role is to give timely and actionable feedback on delivered product increments to ensure alignment with their expectations and business value goals. This feedback is then used to refine the product backlog and guide future iterations.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Stakeholders should engage regularly to inspect product increments and provide feedback to guide value delivery.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths:

“In agile projects, stakeholders ensure their needs are met by actively reviewing completed work and providing feedback to influence upcoming work.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

B is the team's responsibility; stakeholders should focus on the “what,” not the “how.”

C is the product owner's responsibility.

D is a collaborative task but not solely a stakeholder responsibility.

Answer: A

—

A value stream map is a tool used to visualize the flow of materials and information through a process, identifying areas of waste and inefficiency. In this case, the business analyst's key observations will include wait times (delays between steps) and cycle times (time taken to complete each step in the process). By analyzing these, the business analyst can identify opportunities to streamline the process, reduce delays, and improve overall efficiency in delivering healthcare services.

The team's primary role is to estimate and define the work items in the product backlog. In an Agile environment, the team collaborates with the product owner to break down user stories into manageable tasks, providing effort estimates (such as story points) to help guide future iterations. The team also works with the product owner to refine and clarify requirements when needed, ensuring that the work is well understood and ready for execution.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.3 Sprint Review and Acceptance)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery), stories areonly marked complete if they meet the Definition of Done (DoD) and are accepted by the product owner and stakeholders. If the customer (or their representative) raises a legitimate concern during the review, the story should be treated asincompleteuntil consensus is reached or it meets expectations.

Option Ais correct: if the story does not meet customer expectations, it should be reprioritized for the next sprint or refined.

Option BandDincorrectly assume that product owner or team authority overrides customer feedback.

Option Csuggests discarding the story, which is inappropriate if the customer still needs the functionality.

Stakeholder feedback is critical in agile, and the goal isdelivering value, not simply completing a checklist.

The correct answer is D because organizational transformation to agile requires more than process changes—it requires a shift in mindset. Training teams on agile values and principles builds a shared foundation and helps foster commitment to agile ways of working.

From PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile transformation requires attention to both practices and mindset. Leaders must help teams embrace agile values, empower decision-making, and promote an agile culture through education and active support.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.1 – Organizational Change and Transformation)

From PMBOK® Guide – 7th Edition:

“Successful transformation begins with people understanding the why and how of agile. Change cannot happen effectively without adequate training and communication.”

(PMBOK Guide 7th Ed., Principle 1 – Be a Diligent, Respectful, and Caring Steward)

From Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book:

“Agile success is rooted in the team’s understanding of core principles. Agile leaders must invest in developing a strong foundational mindset, as well as practices. Education is a critical enabler of sustainable agile adoption.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Option A is a partial strategy but doesn’t ensure cultural transformation.

Option B is necessary but not sufficient—buy-in alone won’t change behavior.

Option C is tactical and useful but doesn’t address team-wide mindset change.

Answer: D

The Scrum Master should help ensure that stakeholders understand Agile principles and terms correctly to facilitate smooth decision-making. Organizing training sessions is an effective way to address misunderstandings and create awareness around Agile values. By ensuring all stakeholders are on the same page, the team can move forward with a shared understanding, which is critical for successfully implementing Agile methodologies. This approach promotes long-term buy-in and alignment, rather than simply pushing for a decision without proper education or consensus.

Estimation challenges are common among new agile teams. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2 Requirements and Estimating Techniques), improving estimation accuracy involvesteam collaboration, continuous feedback, and inspecting and adapting techniquessuch as Planning Poker, affinity estimation, or triangulation. These discussions should happen in dedicated planning or retrospective meetings, but estimation issues can be flagged and lightly discussed in daily scrums to initiate deeper review.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)advises that estimation is ateam activity, not an individual one, and that teams learn and improve accuracy over time throughfeedback loops and shared insights.

Option Bis correct because discussing estimating challenges—even briefly during daily scrums—raises team awareness and drives improvement.

Option AandCdeal with symptoms rather than the root cause.

Option Dsuggests using metrics for performance evaluation, which contradicts agile values (Agile Manifesto: "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools").

The Scrum Master’s role as a servant leader is to support the team, not to resolve conflicts for them. It is important for the team to work through their disagreements themselves, as this fosters collaboration and improves their problem-solving skills. The Scrum Master should encourage open communication and guide the team toward healthy conflict resolution, ensuring that the disagreements are addressed constructively. This approach helps the team build trust, improves their cohesion, and strengthens their ability to handle challenges in the future.

Predictable flow in agile is achieved byreducing variabilityin story size and complexity. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.7: Flow-based Agile and Kanban), working withsmall, similarly sized user storiesincreases throughput predictability and improves cycle time.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery)supports breaking large stories into smaller, testable chunks as a way tostabilize delivery and forecasting.

Option Ais correct:small user storiesreduce variability and support predictable flow.

Option Bsupports testability but doesn’t directly improve flow.

Option CandDare too broad or conceptual to specifically improve predictability.

When significant architectural flaws are discovered, agile teamsinspect and adapt. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6: Retrospectives and Adaptation), the product owner and team shouldcollaboratively reassess priorities and rewrite backlog itemsto reflect the rework needed. This is aligned with agile’sincremental delivery and continuous adaptation.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)stresses that rework should be handled through backlog refinement and collaborative planning—not panic or reactive decisions.

Option Cis correct: reassessing the backlog with stakeholders aligns with agile practices.

Option Aabdicates product responsibility.

Option Bis too rigid for agile, unless the risk matrix is already very mature and agile-focused.

Option Dcancels value delivery and is unnecessarily drastic.

Velocity is a measure of how much work a team completes in a given sprint, typically measured in story points or other units of effort. While velocity can be useful for tracking progress and forecasting future work, it has some limitations when it comes to accurate capacity planning.

Velocity can vary from sprint to sprint due to multiple factors, such as the complexity of the tasks, interruptions, or even external influences. This variability can make it difficult to predict how much work a team can handle in future sprints, leading to inaccurate capacity planning.

The correct answer is D – Fishbone diagram. Also known as an Ishikawa or cause-and-effect diagram, this analysis tool helps teams identify root causes of delays or inefficiencies. In this scenario, the team needs to understand the causes of delayed release cycles to make process improvements.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Root cause analysis tools such as fishbone diagrams can help teams identify underlying causes of inefficiencies or failures, supporting continuous improvement.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.5 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Mike Griffiths also writes:

“A fishbone diagram helps the team brainstorm and categorize the potential causes of a problem, enabling a structured investigation into delays or bottlenecks.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A is for identifying and managing risks, not diagnosing root causes.

B analyzes progress metrics but doesn’t provide root cause insights.

C is for understanding customer satisfaction, not operational delays.

Answer: D

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Agile teams areself-organizingand should strive forconsensus-based decision making. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.1 Team Empowerment)supports facilitative leadership where leadersguide decision-making, not override it. Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance)emphasizes that leaders shouldfoster collaboration and respectdiverse views to prevent disengagement.

Option Ais correct: encouraging consensus builds ownership, trust, and engagement.

Option BandCstill place control with the leader, reducing team empowerment.

Option Dis too passive; agile leaders participate actively as facilitators.

Given the global distribution of the stakeholders and their high interest in the project (as indicated in the stakeholder power/interest grid), a dynamic feedback platform is the most effective way to ensure consistent engagement. By leveraging collaboration tools that allow asynchronous feedback, the team can accommodate stakeholders in different time zones, reducing the delay in obtaining feedback and helping to speed up the decision-making process. This approach ensures that all stakeholders can contribute when it’s convenient for them, without the need for synchronized meetings, thus improving overall engagement and decision-making efficiency.

The correct answer is D – Create a risk burndown chart showing the reduction of risks over time.

In Agile, risk management is integrated into each iteration. A risk burndown chart is a visual information radiator that tracks the total risk exposure and how it changes over time, making risk transparent and easy for the team to understand.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“A risk burndown chart can be used to communicate the decreasing level of project risk over time and encourage discussion on risk mitigation strategies.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.4 – Risk Management)

Mike Griffiths also states:

“Agile teams use tools like risk burndown charts to visualize risks and track mitigation. They provide real-time understanding of current and remaining risks.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Other options:

A is a responsibility assignment matrix (not risk-focused).

B and C are traditional (predictive) methods and don’t align with Agile risk communication.

Answer: D

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When the team isuncertain about a technical solution, aspike—a timeboxed research task—is used to explore possible approaches. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: Spikes)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)recommend spikes as aformal way to explore unknowns and reduce riskin the backlog.

Option Bis correct: spikes provide structure for resolving uncertainty.

Option Aignores the technical risk.

Option Cdisrupts team structure and ownership.

Option Ddefers the problem without seeking resolution.

The correct answer is A — Conduct a requirements gathering workshop.

In Agile, workshops such as story-writing or backlog refinement sessions help the team and stakeholders collaboratively explore requirements. These sessions are interactive and iterative and allow for joint discovery, prioritization, and clarification of user needs.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Collaborative workshops enable teams to gather requirements and clarify expectations in an iterative fashion. They engage stakeholders in prioritizing and decomposing work into user stories.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Backlog Refinement)

Mike Griffiths writes:

“Workshops are a key practice for backlog development. They are particularly useful when initiating complex projects with minimal requirements, allowing the team to iteratively develop stories with stakeholders.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

B assumes delivery before refinement, risking misalignment.

C places the burden on the product owner alone.

D is waterfall-oriented and contradicts iterative backlog evolution.

Answer: A

—

DevOps is a methodology that focuses on enhancing collaboration between development and operations teams to create a continuous feedback loop and speed up the delivery process. The key to enabling and sustaining a fast workflow is the establishment of a culture of collaboration, supported by the right tools and processes that allow for continuous delivery. This culture helps break down silos between teams, leading to faster and more efficient workflows that can continuously deliver value to customers.

The primary reason for delivering a minimally viable product (MVP) is to reduce risk as quickly as possible. By releasing a version of the product with just the essential features, the team can quickly test assumptions, gather feedback from users, and make necessary adjustments before investing more time and resources. This approach allows the team to identify and address potential risks early in the process, ensuring that the product is on the right track and meets user needs before full-scale development continues.

Theproduct owneris responsible formaintaining and prioritizing the product backlogbased on stakeholder input. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.1: Product Backlog and Prioritization)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement), when a sponsor is dissatisfied, the product owner should confirm that their needs are clearly prioritized and represented in the backlog.

Option Bis correct: ensuring priorities are accurately captured aligns delivery with stakeholder expectations.

Option Ais reactive and not productive.

Option Cpresumes funding is the issue without confirming alignment.

Option Dundermines the product owner’s role.

Sprint reviews are a crucial Scrum event for obtaining early feedback from stakeholders, which allows the team to inspect the progress and adapt the product accordingly. By skipping sprint reviews in favor of only release reviews, the team loses the opportunity to make adjustments and improvements throughout the project. The scrum master should emphasize the importance of regular feedback and ensure the team stays aligned with Scrum principles for continuous improvement and value delivery.

The correct answer is D – Communicate the risk of a negative ROI to the stakeholders, and update the release plan. Agile values transparency and collaboration. When the team identifies risks to business outcomes such as ROI, they must promptly inform stakeholders and work collaboratively to reassess scope, value, and strategy.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams provide ongoing visibility to stakeholders. If delivery metrics reveal financial concerns, the product owner and stakeholders evaluate whether to pivot, persevere, or stop.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value-Driven Delivery and Transparency)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Agile planning is value-based. If ROI is unlikely to be achieved, stakeholders must be informed early so informed decisions can be made.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A assumes trimming scope is sufficient without stakeholder input.

B contradicts team stability and morale principles.

C helps identify inefficiencies but doesn’t replace transparency.

Answer: D

The correct answer is D – Use the team's historical velocity to calculate a range of features that can be delivered. Agile emphasizes forecasting over commitment, and this is achieved through empirical data such as velocity. Providing a range based on historical velocity allows for realistic planning while acknowledging uncertainty.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile forecasting is based on empirical data. Teams use their past velocity to forecast how much work they can complete in a given time frame. This forecast is typically expressed as a range to account for variability.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Adaptive Planning and Forecasting)

Mike Griffiths supports this:

“Rather than commit to fixed scope, agile teams use historical velocity and prioritized backlogs to forecast delivery. Forecasts are probabilistic, not promises.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 5 – Estimation and Forecasting)

Incorrect options:

A violates agile’s core value of responding to change over following a fixed plan.

B delays valuable forecasting data.

C implies commitment rather than forecast.

Answer: D

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The ideal way to resolve the conflict is to encourage the team to brainstorm and propose an alternative solution that meets the intent of the architect’s request (error logging) but with a solution that fits within the current release timeline. By implementing error logging at the client level, the team can still address the monitoring and logging needs without significantly delaying the release. This approach fosters collaboration, balances priorities, and focuses on delivering value within the agreed timeline.

The correct answer is B – Ensured the early engagement of key stakeholders. Agile emphasizes early and continuous stakeholder involvement. In this case, engaging enterprise architects and standards stakeholders early in the design process would have helped detect conflicts before sprint execution.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Key stakeholders should be engaged early in the development cycle to ensure alignment with organizational policies, standards, and expectations.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths notes:

“Involving stakeholders early helps mitigate the risk of late surprises and rework. Enterprise architects should be consulted during backlog grooming or prior to sprint planning.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Incorrect options:

A is reactive and escalatory.

C presumes the standards are flawed without analysis.

D ignores necessary compliance and does not solve the issue proactively.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is A – Send the member to training. Agile encourages cross-functional teams and continuous improvement. When a team member identifies a skill gap that affects delivery, addressing it promptly through training or mentoring increases team capability and autonomy.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams strive for cross-functionality. When skill gaps hinder progress, organizations support learning to reduce dependencies and improve throughput.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Continuous Learning and Team Development)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Empowering team members through skill development enhances flexibility and velocity. Encouraging proactive learning improves team performance.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement)

Incorrect options:

B defers ownership of the solution.

C unnecessarily delays action.

D delays learning due to unnecessary constraints.

Answer: A

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The correct answer is D — Up-to-date project radiators.

Information radiators provide at-a-glance visibility into project status, progress, blockers, and other key metrics. Sharing or including these visual tools in extended stakeholder communication ensures transparency and up-to-date awareness, which aligns with agile values.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Information radiators provide immediate and transparent access to project health and status. They reduce the need for formal reporting and keep stakeholders aligned in real time.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.6 – Information Radiators)

Mike Griffiths:

“Using radiators to keep stakeholders informed improves trust, accelerates decision-making, and supports ongoing engagement.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A and B are not relevant for stakeholder reporting.

C is too narrow and lacks the holistic view offered by radiators.

Answer: D

The correct answer is D – Make use of a Kanban board so that the team will have a clear view of the work in progress (WIP) for the release.

Agile teams use information radiators like Kanban boards to visualize work, improve flow, identify bottlenecks, and maintain team focus. Visibility of work enhances self-organization and accountability while reducing ambiguity and delays.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Kanban boards provide visibility into the work in progress. They support collaboration, improve team focus, and are effective in both Scrum and Kanban approaches.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.1 – Visual Controls)

Mike Griffiths writes:

“Visual tools such as task boards and Kanban boards allow the team to manage their flow and workload. This enables collaboration and transparency without micromanagement.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Why the other options fall short:

A introduces unnecessary meetings, potentially disrupting flow.

B may lead to micromanagement and undermine team ownership.

C implies a command-and-control style, which is contrary to Agile principles.

Answer: D

A complete and realistic backlog must include not onlyfunctional storiesbut alsonon-functional and support taskssuch as infrastructure setup, analysis, and design. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: Backlog Composition)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning)emphasize including all types of work in the backlog to ensureaccurate effort planning.

Option Dis correct: effort must includetechnical tasks, not just feature delivery.

Option Asuggests speculation on velocity and cost increases, which is unreliable.

Option BandC(adding buffers or padding estimates) violate agile’s principle of transparency and simplicity.

The correct answer is D – Meet with project stakeholders to review the backlog and determine if the scope should be adjusted. Agile emphasizes continuous stakeholder collaboration and delivering maximum value. If the remaining backlog may not contribute significant value, it’s prudent for the Product Owner to reassess scope and validate changes with stakeholders.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Engage stakeholders continuously to review priorities and business value. If the product delivers sufficient value earlier than anticipated, the scope may be reduced or the project closed.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Early delivery of value allows teams to stop work that no longer serves business objectives. This requires transparent communication with stakeholders to validate scope adjustments.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A assumes authority without consulting stakeholders.

B doesn’t address the possible need for scope reduction.

C skips stakeholder validation before deployment decisions.

Answer: D

────────────────────────────────────

Velocity is a measure of the amount of work a team can handle during a sprint, typically measured in story points. While it can fluctuate slightly from sprint to sprint, the goal is to have velocity stabilize over time, as this helps in forecasting future sprints and planning. An increase in velocity from 27 to 35 could indicate an improvement in the team's capacity to deliver, which should be celebrated if it aligns with the team's capabilities. However, a stable velocity over time is what typically matters for predictability and planning.

The correct answer is D — Identify this as a risk, decide on the response, and prioritize spike to determine the solution on the product backlog.

A spike is a time-boxed research activity used in Agile to explore potential solutions to uncertainty. The architectural concern is a technical risk, and it's best addressed by formally identifying it, analyzing potential responses, and scheduling a spike as a backlog item to investigate solutions.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Spikes are stories used for time-boxed research and exploration when the team needs more information to understand technical or functional uncertainty.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Types of Backlog Items)

Mike Griffiths:

“Agile risk management integrates spikes and prioritization. When risk is detected, the team should identify it transparently and explore mitigation or investigation through a spike.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A skips backlog prioritization and team alignment.

B deflects the issue without analysis.

C ignores risk and blindly follows the existing priority.

Answer: D

—

The correct answer is C – Identify and monitor issues through a risk burndown chart.

Risk burndown charts track how risk exposure is increasing or decreasing over time. This agile artifact is used to communicate risk trends and drive conversations around risk mitigation. It’s especially useful when risks threaten iteration goals or release timelines.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Risk burndown charts are visual tools that track remaining project risk. They help identify whether risks are increasing or decreasing and enable proactive management.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.5 – Risk Management in Agile)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“Tracking risks visually, such as in a risk burndown chart, helps stakeholders understand exposure levels and fosters risk-mitigation behavior across the team.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6 – Risk Management)

Why the other options fall short:

A delays action and does not help real-time monitoring.

B tracks tasks, not risk.

D (issue log) may help but lacks the proactive visual trend tracking provided by a burndown chart.

Answer: C

Security features are typically considerednon-functional requirements (NFRs), which should be captured in theproduct backlogand prioritized accordingly. As per thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.1: Product Backlog)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery), any requested functionality—whether business- or system-level—must beclearly defined as a backlog itemso the team can plan for it.

Option Ais correct: security requirements should beadded to the backlog and prioritizedlike other features.

Option Bmay come later if implementation is unclear, but first, the work must be defined and logged.

Option CandDrepresent clarification steps but don’t directlysupport implementationas backlog management does.

The correct answer is D – Encourage self-organization by communicating the importance of a collaborative approach in decision making about the requirements.

Agile teams thrive on collaboration and shared ownership. When conflicts arise between stakeholders and team members, the project manager (or Scrum Master) acts as a facilitator to encourage respectful discussion and team-driven decisions. Agile emphasizes self-organization, transparency, and frequent collaboration between customers and teams.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile encourages ongoing stakeholder engagement and collaborative decision making. The Agile leader helps teams self-organize and resolve issues through direct communication and mutual respect.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“Agile promotes co-creation. The project manager’s role is to facilitate dialogue, not dictate requirements. The best outcomes come from collective decisions aligned with value.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 3 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Other options explained:

A contradicts Agile principles of team and stakeholder collaboration.

B gives unilateral authority to the customer, which can disrupt team ownership.

C excludes the team from the conversation, weakening transparency.

Answer: D

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Agile emphasizestransparency and team self-organization. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.3: Self-Organizing Teams)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance), a common practice is tomake work and issues visible to everyoneand allow the team to collaboratively manage their workflow. Using ashared workspace or boardhelps prevent redundant efforts and improves efficiency.

Option Dis correct: shared visibility and self-allocation promote team ownership.

Option Amisuses the backlog—issues aren't typically prioritized by customers.

Option Bis directive and may reduce collaboration.

Option Cfocuses on analysis, not immediate resolution or coordination.

The correct answer is A – Refocus the sprint review meetings to demonstrate working software and seek feedback on the product.

Sprint reviews are designed to showcase the completed product increment to stakeholders and receive feedback. The primary goal is to validate that the work delivered provides value to the customer—not to present technical details. Demonstrating working software is one of the core tenets of Agile.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Sprint reviews are working sessions designed to elicit feedback and foster collaboration. Teams demonstrate completed work and adjust the backlog based on stakeholder input.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Value Delivery)

Mike Griffiths confirms:

“The output of every iteration should be potentially shippable product. The sprint review is for stakeholders to see that output and provide feedback to inform future development.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 2 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Other options explained:

B may be helpful, but it doesn’t solve the immediate issue of misaligned sprint reviews.

C misunderstands the purpose of the sprint review—it’s not about architecture.

D changes the audience instead of correcting the approach.

Answer: A

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The correct answer is C — Training in areas of weakness.

Velocity can be improved when the team removes skill-based bottlenecks. If some members struggle due to lack of knowledge or technical gaps, their productivity—and the team's velocity—will be impacted. Targeted training helps the team overcome these weaknesses and deliver more efficiently.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Improving technical and team skills through training and mentoring increases team performance and agility. Learning is a continuous improvement activity that directly impacts delivery capacity.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.4 – Developing People and Teams)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Velocity is driven by team capabilities. When teams address their weakest areas—through training, pairing, or knowledge sharing—they improve quality and throughput.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Other options:

A supports communication but doesn’t directly impact skill-based bottlenecks.

B helps with planning but not necessarily performance.

D describes the work cadence, not a practice that enhances velocity.

Answer: C

—

The correct answer is D – Provide a delivery range based on the team's estimated velocity.

In Agile, planning is iterative and inherently uncertain. Rather than committing to a fixed schedule, it is best practice to provide a forecasted delivery window based on the team’s actual measured velocity. This reflects the inspect-and-adapt mindset of Agile.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams forecast delivery using velocity ranges derived from completed work. Ranges reflect uncertainty and promote realistic expectations with stakeholders.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.4 – Adaptive Planning)

Mike Griffiths affirms:

“Planning with ranges rather than fixed commitments respects the uncertainty of estimates and the empirical nature of Agile delivery. Forecasts should be based on velocity trends and updated iteratively.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Why the other options are less suitable:

A suggests triangulating data but wrongly implies a precise commitment.

B is more of a work preparation activity, not a planning technique.

C (analogous estimation) is better suited for initial planning, not for an in-progress agile project with real velocity data.

Answer: D

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The VP plays a key role in shaping the organizational culture and setting expectations for how projects are managed. By coaching the VP on the benefits and expectations of adopting Agile, the agile team member can help the VP understand how Agile can lead to more flexibility, collaboration, and faster delivery of value. This coaching will ensure that the VP is aligned with the Agile transformation, which in turn will influence the broader teams and managers to adopt the necessary mindset and practices for Agile to be effective across the organization.

The correct answer is D – Ask QA team members experienced with the new automation framework to cross-train the other QA members. Agile emphasizes shared ownership, continuous learning, and eliminating skill silos. Cross-training is an effective way to improve team capability and reduce dependencies.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile encourages cross-functional teams and skills sharing. When skill gaps are discovered, team members with the knowledge are encouraged to cross-train others to increase the team’s flexibility and productivity.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Team Performance and Learning)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Cross-training improves team resilience and reduces bottlenecks. When expertise is limited to a few people, risks increase. Agile teams overcome this by mentoring and shared learning.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

A and C are reactive and delay resolution.

B encourages overwork and can lead to burnout.

Answer: D

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To ensure that the service will benefit the customer and meet their requirements, the product owner should build a prototype. Prototypes allow the team to create an early, low-fidelity version of the product that can be used to gather direct feedback from the targeted customer segment. This helps to validate whether the service aligns with the customer's needs and expectations before investing heavily in full development.

A key agile principle is that user stories should includeclear acceptance criteria, which must bereviewed and accepted by the product owner. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: User Stories and Acceptance Criteria)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery), acceptance criteria ensure that the team and product ownershare a clear understandingof what constitutes “done.”

Option Ais correct: having the product owner validate acceptance criteria ensures alignment.

Option Baddresses technical quality but not stakeholder dissatisfaction.

Option Cunfairly shifts blame without addressing communication.

Option Dgoes against agile’s iterative and flexible nature.

The correct answer is C — Facilitate team brainstorming of the risks resulting from complexity for the risk register.

Technical complexity introduces risks that must be identified and managed early. Agile leaders support teams by facilitating collaborative risk identification, not by dictating solutions. Brainstorming sessions help surface concerns and lead to proactive mitigation strategies.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Risks are best identified through team collaboration. Facilitated risk identification sessions encourage broad participation and lead to better awareness and ownership of potential issues.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 7.3 – Risk Management)

Mike Griffiths:

“In agile projects, technical risks are treated early. Collaborative identification and visibility are key to creating a risk-adjusted delivery plan.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A is valid long-term, but brainstorming comes first for awareness.

B limits risk planning to a fixed period (Sprint 0), which may not be enough.

D promotes innovation but not structured risk identification.

Answer: C

—

Planning Pokeris a well-known estimation technique where team members use numbered cards (usually Fibonacci series) to estimatestory point valuesbased on relative size. It’s aconsensus-based estimation method, as described in thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: Estimation Techniques)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Estimating Techniques).

Option Dis correct:Planning Pokeris explicitly designed for estimating stories in terms of points.

Option A (Parametric)is more common in traditional (predictive) planning.

Option B (One-to-one comparison)refers to relative sizing without collaboration.

Option C (Affinity)is another agile technique but typically used forgrouping stories into size buckets, not direct story point consensus estimation.

The correct answer is A — Communicate the importance of the business need to the team and refine the product backlog.

One of Agile’s core strengths is responding to change. The product owner owns the product backlog and should adjust it when external factors shift priorities. Transparent communication about the business need ensures that the development team understands the context and can support the new direction.

PMI Agile Practice Guide states:

“The product owner is responsible for maintaining and adjusting the product backlog to reflect new information and changes in business needs. Agile welcomes changing requirements, even late in development, to provide competitive advantage.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 2.2 — Agile Manifesto Principles)

Mike Griffiths supports this:

“When market or customer needs change, the product owner refines the backlog and communicates the business context to the team so priorities are adjusted accordingly.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 5 — Adaptive Planning)

Other options:

B and C shift product owner responsibilities elsewhere.

D involves the team but omits the critical first step — communicating business rationale and refining the backlog accordingly.

Answer: A

—

The correct answer is B – Social awareness. Social awareness includes recognizing and respecting diversity, empathy, and being sensitive to cultural and interpersonal dynamics. It’s essential for fostering inclusion and trust in diverse agile teams.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Social awareness includes being mindful of others’ emotions, needs, and concerns. Agile leaders use empathy and active listening to promote a culture of inclusiveness.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Agile Leadership Skills)

Mike Griffiths reinforces:

“High-performing agile teams are inclusive. Leaders demonstrate social awareness by recognizing differences and adapting their behavior to support psychological safety and mutual respect.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

A is more externally focused.

C is necessary but not specific to handling team diversity.

D is general and doesn’t address interpersonal sensitivity.

Answer: B

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Thestorming phase(from Tuckman’s model: Forming–Storming–Norming–Performing) is marked byconflict and role negotiation. Theagile coach or Scrum Masterplays a critical role in guiding teams through this phase withstructured facilitation and conflict-resolution techniques.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.2: Team Development Stages)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance), the agile coach must providesupport, guidance, and toolsto help the team evolve toward self-organization and maturity.

Option Bis correct: effective facilitation helps the team progress toward high performance.

Option Apromotes dysfunction.

Option Crisks escalating unresolved conflict.

Option Dis overly individual-focused and not team-centric.

The agile lead should evaluate the team's capacity and help them select user stories that align with around 80% of their available capacity for the iteration. This approach takes into account potential issues or interruptions and helps ensure the team is not overcommitting. By selecting user stories based on a realistic understanding of the team’s capacity, the team is more likely to meet their commitments and avoid incomplete work. This method promotes sustainable work practices and helps the team maintain a predictable velocity over time.

A value stream map is an effective tool for identifying and visualizing the flow of work and the associated delays or handoffs in a process. By mapping out the entire value stream, the team can identify inefficiencies, waste, and bottlenecks, which helps them target areas for improvement. This allows the team to optimize the workflow by reducing unnecessary handovers and delays, which is in line with their goal of improving efficiency.

The correct answer is A – Facilitate a team discussion to identify knowledge gaps and determine the best way to address them.

The agile coach's role is to foster team ownership and encourage collaborative problem solving. When knowledge gaps are uncovered, the first step is to create transparency and engage the team in identifying how to resolve the gap—through pairing, mentoring, spikes, or backlog adjustments.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile leaders coach teams to self-identify impediments and explore solutions collaboratively. Coaching helps teams build awareness and take ownership of their development and process improvements.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 – Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Rather than providing direct solutions, agile coaches should help teams uncover their own improvements through retrospection, facilitated discussion, and group problem solving.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement / Coaching)

Why the other options fall short:

B & C externalize the problem instead of building team capability.

D may be part of the solution, but the team should explore it collectively—not as a unilateral decision.

Answer: A

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In this scenario, the team faced delays due to the absence of a single tester. To prevent similar issues in the future, the team should work on becoming more cross-functional, where team members are skilled in multiple areas (e.g., testing multiple data sources). Encouraging team members to become general specialists reduces bottlenecks and dependency on a single individual, ensuring that the team can continue to make progress even if someone is unavailable. This fosters greater flexibility and resilience within the team, improving overall efficiency and minimizing disruptions in future implementations.

Kanban is a visual management tool that helps teams improve workflow efficiency. One of its key principles is the use of a pull system, where work is pulled into the process when capacity allows, rather than being pushed into the system. This contrasts with a push system, where work is assigned or forced into the workflow regardless of capacity. This approach helps avoid bottlenecks and ensures work is handled efficiently.

Reducing test automation in agileundermines quality and slows down feedback loops, contradicting agile principles. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.5 Quality Management in Agile Projects)andPMBOK® Guide (6th Edition, Section 8.1), agile projects aim forbuilt-in quality, and test automation is critical in achieving that.

Mike Griffiths (PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery) strongly advocates fortest automation to support sustainable developmentand improve predictability, quality, and speed. Rather than comply blindly with the product owner’s request, the agile practitioner shouldengage stakeholdersand clarify the long-term trade-offs of reducing quality practices.

Option Ais correct: consulting stakeholders ensures transparency, alignment, and helps prevent short-sighted compromises that could undermine the product.

The correct answer is A — Practicing the servant leadership style of working with an agile team.

Servant leadership is foundational to Agile. The agile project leader serves the team by removing impediments, supporting their needs, and promoting transparency. Using information radiators and being involved in team progress reflects servant leadership in action.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile leaders act as servant leaders. They support the team, remove obstacles, and foster a transparent, collaborative environment.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 – Coaching and Servant Leadership)

Mike Griffiths:

“Servant leadership is about enabling the team to succeed. Agile leaders serve by ensuring the team has what it needs, while maintaining visibility through information radiators.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 1 – Agile Principles and Mindset)

Incorrect options:

B and C are valid Agile behaviors but not the most specific or complete match.

D references feedback loops but not leadership style.

Answer: A

—

The correct answer is A — Coordinate a collaboration session so all the team members are involved in the solution process.

Agile encourages cross-functional collaboration and collective problem-solving. When technical uncertainty arises, the best course of action is to leverage the team’s combined knowledge through collaboration rather than working in isolation.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams rely on collaboration, especially when solving complex problems. A diversity of input and joint ownership leads to better and faster decisions.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Communications and Collaboration)

Mike Griffiths notes:

“Agile practitioners should encourage collaborative decision-making. Technical decisions made in isolation can result in integration issues and delay. Collaboration unlocks shared ownership.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Other options:

B shifts focus away from current challenges.

C is long-term and not immediately actionable.

D may help, but it introduces external dependency instead of leveraging team knowledge.

Answer: A

—

The correct answer is C – Ensure that members begin to self-organize as small teams with efficiently distributed skills.

Agile emphasizes self-organizing teams. When teams are too large, splitting into smaller teams is a good practice (Scrum recommends 5–9 members per team). However, rather than top-down assignment, the Scrum Master should enable and support self-organization. Teams should be encouraged to form organically while ensuring knowledge-sharing and cross-functional capabilities.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile leaders support team self-organization by creating an environment of trust and encouraging the team to determine how best to accomplish their work.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Team Composition)

Mike Griffiths writes:

“Agile teams are self-organizing, and the role of the leader is to facilitate the conditions for that to occur, not to direct assignments.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Why other options are less appropriate:

A suggests command-and-control behavior, which is contrary to Agile values.

B makes assumptions about comfort levels and may ignore skill diversity.

D disregards team input and imposes a solution, limiting buy-in and trust.

Answer: C

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Agile promotestransparency through information radiators, such as task boards, burndown charts, and Kanban boards. These tools are designed to make real-time progress visible to all stakeholders. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.1: Communications)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement), stakeholders should be directed to thesereal-time, transparent sources of truth.

Option Bis correct: using an information radiator promotes transparency and reduces dependency on individuals.

Option Ais inappropriate—standups are for the team.

Option CandDare manual approaches that reduce transparency and don't scale.

The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is the smallest set of features needed to satisfy early adopters and deliver value quickly while enabling further development based on feedback. From the conversation:

Android phone integration: The customer specifically asks if they can connect their phone to the calendar app, so integrating with Android is a key MVP feature.

Scheduler to add events: The customer requests the ability to schedule and manage upcoming releases, including quarterly metrics deadlines and other key dates. This is fundamental functionality for the calendar app.

Product increment release dates: The customer wants the calendar to show release dates, so having the ability to display product increment release dates is essential.

The correct answer is B — Communicate this to the product owner, and offer to help facilitate discussions with the team.

Agile promotes collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement. The agile practitioner (e.g., Scrum Master) should first address challenges at the team level. Facilitating better communication and helping the product owner articulate requirements clearly is part of fostering a high-performing team environment.

PMI Agile Practice Guide states:

“Agile practitioners serve the team by removing impediments and improving communication. When conflicts or misunderstandings occur, the practitioner should engage with team members to resolve issues collaboratively before escalating externally.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 6.2 — Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths further explains:

“Scrum Masters or Agile Coaches are servant-leaders. Their role includes helping product owners improve interactions and serve the development team more effectively.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 — Team Performance)

Other options:

A and D involve escalation without first attempting resolution.

C avoids direct action and leaves responsibility to someone else.

Answer: B

—

The correct answer is B — Balance risk reduction and value-adding activities in the next iteration.

Agile recommends actively managing risks as part of iteration planning. While delivering customer value remains a top priority, severe risks should be mitigated as early as possible. The team should consider allocating capacity in the next sprint to reduce risk while still maintaining delivery focus.

PMI Agile Practice Guide states:

“Agile teams incorporate risk mitigation work into iteration planning. Teams should prioritize high-impact risks early and balance risk management with delivering customer value.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 7.3 – Agile Risk Management)

Mike Griffiths supports this:

“Agile does not separate risk management into a different process—it is embedded within backlog prioritization. Addressing risk early can prevent downstream impacts, and teams must weigh risk vs. value regularly.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Incorrect options:

A disrupts current iteration goals and contradicts agile time-boxing.

C ignores the severity of the risk.

D escalates unnecessarily—agile promotes team-level decision-making first.

Answer: B

—

The correct answer is A – Self-organize. One of the fundamental principles of agile is that teams are self-organizing and cross-functional. During iteration planning, once the stories are accepted into the sprint, the team collaborates to break down those stories into tasks and assign work among themselves based on skills and interest.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams are self-organizing, meaning they collectively decide how to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others. This principle supports autonomy and trust, and enhances team ownership and commitment.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Team Performance)

Mike Griffiths reinforces:

“Agile teams are trusted to manage themselves. Once user stories are selected during iteration planning, the team decomposes stories into tasks and self-assigns work collaboratively.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

B contradicts agile principles of self-assignment and voluntary collaboration.

C may be valuable for clarification but is not the first action after stories are added.

D identifying the Scrum Master is irrelevant to the task breakdown phase.

Answer: A

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In agile, especially under conditions ofuncertainty or anticipated changes, teams should focus oncollaborative product development, includingongoing backlog refinement and continuous product reviews. This approach is endorsed by thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.1 Product Backlog and Refinement)andSection 7.2 (Engaging Stakeholders), which emphasizefrequent interaction with the product owneranditerative feedback loopsto adapt quickly.

Mike Griffiths in hisPMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement)supports the practice ofrefining the backlog regularlyand conductingfrequent reviewsto stay aligned with stakeholder expectations.

Option Bis correct: continuous collaboration with the product owner supports flexible, value-driven delivery.

Option Ais only a partial measure.

Option Cpromotes a waterfall mindset.

Option Dignores the nature of changing requirements.

The root cause of the issue seems to be a focus on process and planning meetings, which may be impacting the team's ability to deliver effectively. Implementing Kanban, which emphasizes a pull system and focuses on continuous delivery without overwhelming the team with unnecessary meetings, allows for smoother workflow and can address bottlenecks. It helps the team focus more on value delivery rather than rigid planning and process constraints, thus potentially improving the quality and reducing unnecessary delays.

To assessprocess efficiency, agile teams usevalue stream mappingto identifywaste, delays, and non-value-adding steps. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.5 Process Analysis and Value Stream Mapping), value stream analysis helps determine how efficiently a process converts inputs into valuable outputs, making it ideal for supporting customer inquiries on operational performance.

Mike Griffiths (PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement) reinforces the value of usingvalue stream mappingfor both software development processes and operational workflows to increase transparency and drive improvements.

Option Bis correct: reviewing thevalue streamprovides a structured way to evaluate efficiency.

Option AandDare important for team improvement and performance but don’t focus onprocess activity efficiency.

Option Crelates tovalue prioritization, not operational efficiency.

In an agile environment, conflicts are seen as opportunities for collaboration and finding the best solution. The project manager should help the team by restating the positions of the team members to clarify their viewpoints and identify common ground. This approach encourages active listening, fosters understanding, and helps the team focus on shared goals rather than individual positions. Once the commonalities are identified, the team can collaboratively find a resolution that benefits the project, leveraging diverse perspectives to improve the outcome.

Story point estimation in agile is acollaborative team activity, and consensus is critical. Techniques likePlanning Pokerare designed to reveal differences in understanding. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2 Estimating Techniques)andMike Griffiths (Chapter 6: Adaptive Planning), when there's adiscrepancy in estimates, it is essential todiscuss and understand the rationalebehind differing views.

Option Cis correct: the team shoulddiscuss and clarifyto reach a shared understanding.

Option Aignores potential misunderstandings.

Option Bunnecessarily delays estimation.

Option Dis incorrect—the team, not the customer, estimates the effort.

The correct answer is D – Encourage the team member to use experimentation/spikes for continuous improvement and help the team understand why it is important. Agile encourages learning and experimentation through techniques like spikes (time-boxed research or exploration activities).

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile encourages teams to experiment and learn continuously. Time-boxed spikes can be used to investigate alternative designs, reduce uncertainty, and support informed decisions.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Spikes and Uncertainty Reduction)

Mike Griffiths supports this:

“Spikes are short, time-limited investigations into a design or technical approach. They are a vital part of agile development for reducing risk, exploring alternatives, and enabling innovation.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 7 – Continuous Improvement)

Incorrect options:

A and C discourage innovation and agility.

B defers action rather than enabling real-time learning.

Answer: D

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Analyzing theburndown chart, we see:

Points Planned(gray squares): decreasing steadily from 50 to 0 over 10 days (ideal burn).

Points Completed(gray triangles):plateau between days 3–6, lagging significantly behind planned completion.

This indicates that theteam is behind schedule, and unless they accelerate, they mayfail to complete all committed work.

According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.4: Burndown Charts)andMike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Monitoring Progress), such divergence between the ideal and actual burn lines indicates that the iteration isat risk.

Option Ais correct: the iteration isin jeopardydue to lack of progress mid-sprint.

Option Bis incorrect—scope removal would show a downward shift in planned points.

Option Cis false—the team isbehind, not ahead.

Option Dis misleading—velocity appears inconsistent (e.g., plateau from day 3–6).

Agile teamsembrace changeandcollaborate with customersto deliver value. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 2.1: Agile Mindset)supports responding to change—even late in the development cycle—if it results in business value. The team shouldaccept the new goal, replan with the product owner, andadjust scope or priority if needed, rather than resist or escalate.

Option Ais correct: it reflects the agile value ofresponding to change and delivering early value.

Option Bis too rigid and contrary to agile principles.

Option Cimplies a punitive model that does not align with collaborative agile contracts.

Option Dintroduces unnecessary cost and overhead without first trying to replan collaboratively.

The correct answer isC – Encourage the team to more frequently interact with all stakeholders. When an agile team is struggling to meet commitments, one key cause is often alack of communication or feedbackfrom key stakeholders. Increasing interaction helps align the team's priorities, clarify requirements, and improve ownership and accountability.

From thePMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Teams that engage in regular, open communication with stakeholders are better able to align with the evolving needs of the business and take ownership of their commitments. Agile coaches support this behavior by facilitating frequent interactions and improving team dynamics.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement and 6.2 – Coaching the Agile Team)

Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Bookreinforces this:

“Encouraging frequent stakeholder interaction fosters a sense of ownership in the team. Agile coaches guide teams to seek clarity through communication rather than rely on assumptions.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 4 – Team Performance and Coaching)

Why the other options are incorrect:

A– Involving the sponsor in team-level performance issues may undermine team self-organization.

B– Providing a list of deliverables doesn’t address the root cause (lack of communication or clarity).

D– Upfront product design goes against agile principles and does not improve team ownership or delivery capability.

Answer: C

To support quick feature delivery while maintaining quality, the best approach is to automate integration, testing, and deployment activities. This aligns with the principles of Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), which streamline processes and reduce the manual effort required to test and deploy software. This approach can help the team to quickly release features with confidence that they meet quality standards, reducing manual errors and speeding up the delivery cycle.

In an Agile environment, fostering a culture of collaboration and effective communication is key to success, especially when working with a diverse team. By creating a shared vision, the project manager aligns the team towards common goals, which helps reduce misunderstandings. Using techniques to increase empathy and positive interaction ensures that team members understand and respect each other's different perspectives. This approach promotes a collaborative environment where diverse ideas can be valued and conflicts can be addressed constructively.

Social awareness—a key element ofemotional intelligence (EI)—is the ability to understand and respect others' feelings, perspectives, and dynamics, especially indiverse teams. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.2: Emotional Intelligence and Team Collaboration)highlights that social awareness is essential when planning inclusive team-building activities, as it helps the leader consider cultural and personal differences.

Mike Griffiths also discussesEQ (Emotional Quotient)in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance)as vital to managingdiverse, high-performing teams.

Option Bis correct: social awareness allows the leader to design inclusive and engaging team activities.

Option A(networking) is more external-facing.

Option C(communication) is important but not specific to diversity sensitivity.

Option Dis broad and not specific to the interpersonal nuance required here.

The correct answer is A – Include it in the product backlog and use a new indicator to annotate that it is technical debt. Agile teams track technical debt transparently by adding it to the product backlog. Marking it with a clear label helps the team and product owner consider it during prioritization and planning.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Technical debt should be made visible and added to the product backlog. Teams may use tags or indicators to distinguish it and make informed prioritization decisions.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.5 – Technical Debt)

Mike Griffiths emphasizes:

“Technical debt must be tracked in the backlog to avoid long-term consequences. Tagging it ensures stakeholders are aware and can prioritize its resolution appropriately.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

B assumes all technical debt is low priority, which may not be true.

C is incorrect; agile explicitly recommends tracking tech debt.

D introduces inconsistency and reduces visibility.

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A clear, sharedvision statementis essential foralignment, motivation, and guidance. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 2.3.1: Product Vision Statement), a strong vision statement enables team members and stakeholders to stay focused on what matters most, even as requirements evolve.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 2: Agile Principles and Mindset)stresses the importance of ashared understandingand active participation when forming the vision.

Option Ais correct: it reinforces the value of shared vision and encourages stakeholder engagement.

Option Bis helpful but doesn't ensureshared understanding across the team.

Option Crisks misinterpretation and omits team collaboration.

Option Ddismisses a core agile practice—vision clarity is crucial, even in a change-friendly environment.

One of the pillars of agile isearly and continuous customer feedbackto ensure that the product being delivered meets stakeholder expectations. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.3: Reviews and Feedback Loops)andMike Griffiths' PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement),frequent customer reviews (e.g., sprint reviews)ensure alignment and early identification of quality or value issues.

Option Dis correct: regular customer engagement during reviews ensures delivery effectiveness and customer satisfaction.

Option Ais inappropriate—daily stand-ups are for internal team coordination.

Option Breflects a waterfall approach.

Option Cmisplaces the responsibility—requirements evolve and are refined throughout, not fixed up front.

In Kanban, lead time is a key performance indicator (KPI) that should be regularly monitored. Lead time measures the amount of time it takes for a work item to move from the start of the process to its completion. By monitoring lead time, the team lead can assess how efficiently work is flowing through the system and identify areas where bottlenecks or delays may be occurring. Reducing lead time is one of the primary goals in Kanban to improve overall process efficiency and delivery speed.

The goal of each iteration in Agile is to deliver working software frequently, typically at the end of each iteration. This allows the team to gather feedback early and make improvements quickly. The emphasis is on delivering usable software that provides value to the customer, rather than just completing tasks or preparing timelines. This approach aligns with the Agile principle of delivering working software frequently to ensure continuous progress and customer satisfaction.

In this case, the risk description for "Incomplete requirements specification" has been identified as a high likelihood and high impact risk. To mitigate this, the most appropriate strategy would be to conduct thorough requirements analysis and validation. This ensures that the integration of the new tool with the customer relationship management system aligns with the business objectives and avoids misunderstandings or gaps in the product requirements, which could cause delays or rework later in the project. This step addresses the core challenge of ensuring the product meets the business needs and integrates smoothly with existing systems.

The purpose of the daily standup (or daily coordination meeting) is to help the development team stay aligned with the sprint goal and actively manage any risks or impediments that may be blocking progress. It allows the team to quickly discuss their progress, share potential issues, and identify dependencies that could affect the sprint's success. The focus is on team collaboration and ensuring that everyone is on track.

The correct answer is A – Use an information radiator to help increase the transparency of work for key stakeholders.

Information radiators (such as Kanban boards, burndown charts, and story maps) make work status visible to the entire team and stakeholders in real-time, improving communication without additional meetings or reporting overhead.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams use information radiators to promote transparency, show progress, and increase stakeholder engagement without adding administrative burden.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.5 – Information Radiators)

Mike Griffiths confirms:

“Effective agile environments display work status where everyone can see it. Visual indicators allow stakeholders and team members to remain informed without direct queries.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 5 – Agile Monitoring and Control)

Other options explained:

B creates unnecessary manual effort.

C may disrupt team rhythm; daily stand-ups are sufficient in Scrum.

D encourages siloed behavior and contradicts collaboration.

Answer: A

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