Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) Exam Questions and Answers
A team has completed the work in their Aeration backlog earlier than expected. There is still three days left of the iteration, what should the team do now?
Options:
Work on non-critical tasks until the product owner can assign them more work.
Work with the product owner to pull more work from the product backlog into their iteration backlog.
Report the differences in completion time so the next iteration can be planned more efficiently.
Wait for the other groups to complete their work prior to doing anything else.
Answer:
BExplanation:
When a team completes their iteration backlog earlier than expected, the recommended approach in Disciplined Agile is to collaborate with the product owner to pull additional work from the product backlog into the iteration backlog. This approach maintains momentum and ensures that the team continues delivering value without waiting for the next iteration. It promotes agility and maximizes productivity by utilizing any remaining time effectively.
A. Working on non-critical tasksorD. waiting for other groupsare not effective uses of the team’s time and do not align with agile principles of continuous value delivery.
C. Reporting differences in completion timehelps with future planning but does not address the immediate need to continue productive work.
Thus, the correct answer isB. Work with the product owner to pull more work from the product backlog into their iteration backlog.
What goal diagrams should a team select first?
Options:
The goals in which the team has the least experience
The goals that ate most relevant to the team's context and lite cycle.
The goals that are the easiest to complete.
The goals that are selected by the customer and stakeholders.
Answer:
BExplanation:
In Disciplined Agile, teams are encouraged to selectgoals that are most relevant to their context and life cycle. This approach ensures that the team focuses on achieving outcomes that align with their specific needs, challenges, and project phase. Goal diagrams in DA help teams visualize and prioritize their objectives, and by choosing goals most pertinent to their current context, teams can address the most critical aspects first and adjust their practices effectively.
A scrum master needs to set up a team for a long-term project that has the potential for significant budgeting and tracking overhead.
What type of team should the scrum master set up?
Options:
A long-standing team
A protect team
A cross-functional team
A shared services team
Answer:
AExplanation:
Along-standing teamis best suited for a long-term project with the potential for significant budgeting and tracking overhead. In Disciplined Agile (DA), a long-standing team is a stable, cross-functional team that remains intact over time and works on various projects or continuous delivery of value. This type of team reduces overhead associated with forming and disbanding teams and allows for more consistent tracking, budgeting, and management of resources. Additionally, long-standing teams develop stronger team dynamics and improve performance over time due to their stability.
B. A project teamis typically temporary and disbanded once the project ends.
C. A cross-functional teamis a characteristic of many Agile teams but does not specifically address the need for long-term stability.
D. A shared services teamsupports other teams by providing specialized skills but is not focused on long-term projects with budgeting needs.
What are the attributes of a leader? (Choose three)
Options:
Goes with the flow
Assigns tasks
Focuses on goals
Inspires trust
Takes risks
Answer:
C, D, EExplanation:
The key attributes of a leader in an agile context include the ability tofocus on goals,inspire trust, andtake risks. Agile leaders guide their teams by keeping a clear vision of the goals, building trust through transparency and integrity, and being willing to take calculated risks to achieve desired outcomes. They do not simply "go with the flow" or assign tasks in a top-down manner; instead, they empower their teams, foster a culture of trust, and support innovation by encouraging risk-taking within safe-to-fail boundaries.
Which of the following statements accurately describes a complex adaptive system?
Options:
A system algorithm used to predict how people are going to work together or what the results of that work will be
The process used in agile teams to evolve their ways of working and motivate change in those they interact with outside of the team
The process by which a collection of interacting teams and groups adapt their way of working to the organizational context and project requirements
A system in which a perfect understanding of the individual parts does not automatically convey a perfect understanding of the whole system's behavior
Answer:
DExplanation:
Acomplex adaptive systemis characterized by the idea that understanding the individual components does not necessarily provide a clear understanding of the system's overall behavior. These systems are composed of interacting agents that adapt and learn from their experiences, leading to emergent behavior that cannot be easily predicted from the properties of the individual components. This concept is critical in Agile and Disciplined Agile practices, where teams and organizations are viewed as complex adaptive systems that evolve and adapt over time in response to their environment.
Which characteristic describes a good user story according to the f.N.V.E.S.T. mnemonic?
Options:
Incremental
Satisfactory
Tangible
Valuable
Answer:
DExplanation:
According to theINVEST mnemonic, a good user story should beValuable. This means that the user story must deliver value to the customer or stakeholder. Each user story should have a clear purpose, ensuring that the effort invested in its development contributes to the overall product value. Other criteria of the INVEST mnemonic include Independent, Negotiable, Estimable, Small, and Testable, but "Valuable" is key to justifying the user story's inclusion in the product backlog.
What is the role of management in Lean?
Options:
Ensure documentation is completed.
Provide minimum viable products to the team.
Ensure decisions are not made regionally.
Create awesome team environments.
Answer:
DExplanation:
In Lean and Agile methodologies, the role of management is tocreate awesome team environmentsthat foster collaboration, creativity, and high performance. Lean principles emphasize empowering teams, removing obstacles, and creating a culture of continuous improvement and respect. This means management's role is to support the team, provide the necessary resources, and ensure a safe and conducive environment for delivering high-quality work.
A. Ensure documentation is completedis not the primary role of management in Lean.
B. Provide minimum viable products to the teamis more related to the responsibilities of product owners or teams, not management.
C. Ensure decisions are not made regionallyis not directly related to the core responsibilities of management in Lean.
Therefore,D. Create awesome team environmentscorrectly reflects the Lean management role.
Which approach is described as an agnostic hybrid technique that draws upon many different ideas?
Options:
Agile
Lean
Disciplined Agile
Iterative
Answer:
CExplanation:
Disciplined Agileis described as anagnostic hybrid techniquethat draws upon many different ideas from multiple agile and lean frameworks. Unlike other agile methodologies that prescribe a specific set of practices, Disciplined Agile provides a toolkit that allows teams to choose and tailor their way of working based on their unique context, goals, and constraints. It integrates strategies from Scrum, Kanban, Lean, XP (Extreme Programming), SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), and other approaches, providing a more flexible and adaptive approach to project management.
During Which iterative ceremony should someone obtain feedback?
Options:
Iteration demo.
Retrospective.
Iteration planning.
Daily stand-up/coordination meeting.
Answer:
AExplanation:
During aniteration demo(also known as an iteration review), the team presents the work completed during the iteration to stakeholders and obtains feedback. This feedback is crucial for ensuring that the team is delivering the desired value and making adjustments as needed forfuture iterations. The demo provides an opportunity for the product owner and other stakeholders to inspect the product increment and provide input that can be used to refine the backlog and guide the team’s efforts.
B. Retrospectiveis focused on team improvement rather than obtaining product feedback.
C. Iteration planningis for planning the work to be done, not gathering feedback.
D. Daily stand-up/coordination meetingis used for team synchronization and does not involve external feedback.
What is the purpose of an iteration retrospective?
Options:
To showcase what the team accomplished in an iteration.
To transfer knowledge and improvements to the next iteration.
To prioritize stories and concrete tasks for the next iteration.
To identity progress and to note encountered impediments.
Answer:
BExplanation:
The purpose of aniteration retrospectivein the Disciplined Agile framework is to reflect on the team's process and performance during the previous iteration to identify what went well and what can be improved. The primary goal is to continuously improve by transferring the lessons learned, knowledge, and potential improvements to the next iteration. This aligns with Disciplined Agile’s emphasis on continuous improvement and learning, which is critical to the team's effectiveness and efficiency.
The other options are not the primary focus of an iteration retrospective:
A. To showcase what the team accomplished in an iterationis the purpose of an iteration review or demo, not a retrospective.
C. To prioritize stories and concrete tasks for the next iterationis typically part of iteration planning.
D. To identify progress and to note encountered impedimentsis also part of other ceremonies like daily standups but not the main focus of a retrospective.
Thus, the correct answer isB. To transfer knowledge and improvements to the next iteration, aligning with the Disciplined Agile framework’s purpose for iteration retrospectives.
What arc Disciplined Agile milestones based on?
Options:
Continuous integration
Documentation
Lean governance
Lifecycle
Answer:
CExplanation:
Disciplined Agile (DA) milestones are based on the concept ofLean governance, which is focused on ensuring that agile practices are aligned with the organization's overall objectives while minimizing bureaucracy. In the DA framework, milestones provide lightweight checkpoints throughout the lifecycle to ensure that the team is on track to meet its objectives and deliver value. These milestones are not about documentation or merely following a predefined lifecycle but are instead focused on achieving business value in a lean and efficient manner.
A. Continuous integrationis a practice rather than a basis for milestones.
B. Documentationis not a central focus of DA milestones.
D. Lifecyclerefers to the various phases in the DA process, but milestones are specific checkpoints within these phases guided by lean governance principles.
Thus,C. Lean governanceis the correct answer, as it embodies the principles upon which Disciplined Agile milestones are established.
A team is about to begin work on a project that will lace rapidly changing requirements with releases only every six months or so. The team does not have an agile mindset and does not want to release often.
Which lifecycle should the scrum master select?
Options:
Program
Lean
Traditional
Agile
Answer:
CExplanation:
In the context of the Disciplined Agile framework, when a team is dealing with rapidly changing requirements but is resistant to frequent releases and does not have an Agile mindset, theTraditionallifecycle is appropriate. This lifecycle aligns with teams that prefer a more plan-driven, less iterative approach, which typically includes longer release cycles and detailed upfront planning. The Traditional lifecycle in Disciplined Agile follows a waterfall-like approach, which is suitable when the team is not yet prepared to adopt Agile principles such as frequent delivery and adaptive planning.
The other options do not match this scenario:
A. Programlifecycle is used for coordinating multiple teams on larger programs, which is not relevant to a single team with the specified conditions.
B. Leanfocuses on optimizing flow and delivering value quickly, which contrasts with the team’s preference for infrequent releases.
D. Agilelifecycle involves iterative development and frequent releases, which the team is resistant to.
Therefore,C. Traditionalis the correct answer as it fits the team’s preference for less frequent releases and their lack of an Agile mindset.
What are the three phases common across project life cycles? (Choose three)
Options:
Inspiration
Modulation
Construction
Inception
Transition
Answer:
C, D, EExplanation:
In Disciplined Agile (DA), the three common phases across project life cycles areInception, Construction,andTransition. These phases reflect the iterative and incremental approach of agile methodologies tailored to suit varying contexts.
Inception: This phase is about getting things started properly. It includes initial planning activities such as defining the vision, developing a preliminary project plan, identifying stakeholders, securing funding, and setting up the initial environment.
Construction: This phase focuses on developing a consumable solution in a series of iterations. The team builds, enhances, and evolves the solution to ensure that it meets stakeholders' needs while remaining aligned with the overarching vision and goals.
Transition: The transition phase ensures that the solution is ready for delivery to the end-users or stakeholders. This includes final validation and verification activities, user training, deployment, and addressing any remaining issues.
These phases are common in the DA life cycles, reflecting the disciplined approach to managing complexity in various types of projects, from straightforward to highly complex, while supporting adaptability and continuous improvement.
What is the main role of the team lead?
Options:
Ensure that the team builds the product right.
Build the product.
Ensure that the team builds the right product.
Coordinate the building of the product.
Answer:
AExplanation:
In Disciplined Agile (DA), theTeam Lead(often equivalent to the Scrum Master role in Scrum) is primarily responsible for ensuring that the team adheres to the agreed-upon practices andbuilds the product correctly. This involves facilitating the team's processes, coaching team members on agile practices, and helping them remove impediments. The Team Lead is responsible for guiding the team in following the chosen way of working (WoW) and ensuring that the team's processes are efficient, effective, and continuously improving. Therefore, the primary focus is on ensuring that the product is built correctly according to the standards and requirements agreed upon by the team.
Which of these tools or techniques should be used to sequence work to deliver value quickly?
Options:
Minimum business Increment (MBI)
Minimum viable product (MVP)
Panning Poker
Work in process (WIP) limits
Answer:
AExplanation:
In Disciplined Agile (DA),Minimum Business Increment (MBI)(A) is a key tool used to sequence work in order to deliver value quickly. An MBI is the smallest piece of functionality that can deliver recognizable value to the business and its stakeholders. By focusing on delivering MBIs, teams can prioritize andsequence their work to release incremental value to customers in a timely manner, reducing time-to-market and allowing for early feedback.
Here’s a breakdown of whyMBIis the correct answer:
MBI (A)is specifically designed to deliverreal business valuewith the minimum amount of effort, ensuring that development work is focused on the most impactful features first. It’s not just about delivering a working product, but rather delivering thesmallest set of functionalitiesthat provide business value, which can be immediately utilized by the organization or customers.
The other options have important roles in Agile but are not directly related to sequencing work to deliver value quickly:
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) (B): While MVP is crucial for early market testing, it is a broader concept compared to MBI. MVP aims to test the product’s viability, but MBI is more focused on delivering incremental business value.
Planning Poker (C): A tool for estimating work efforts in Agile but not used for sequencing work.
Work in Process (WIP) Limits (D): This technique is related to managing workflow, typically in Kanban, by limiting the number of tasks in progress to avoid overloading the team. While it improves flow, it does not directly prioritize or sequence work based on business value.
Therefore,MBI (A)is the most effective technique for sequencing work to deliver value quickly in the DA framework.