PMI-ACP Exam Set 7 - Continuous Improvement
Define "continuous improvement" in the context of an agile project. - ANS-The ongoing focus on
inspection and adaptation throughout the project, spanning the areas of process, product, and
people.
What is the agile approach to gathering lessons learned? - ANS-Adaptation and improvement
are a habitual part of the team's normal way of working, and a "learn" step of inspecting,
adapting, and improving is built into every agile iteration.
Describe "kaizen" and explain how it relates to agile. - ANS-Kaizen is the name of an approach
to continuous improvement that means "change for the better" in Japanese.
Kaizen focuses on encouraging the team - the people who are doing the work - to frequently
initiate and implement small, incremental improvements.
Agile's approach to continuous improvement is based on kaizen.
Define "process tailoring."
List three cautions for process tailoring. - ANS-Adapting our agile methodology to better fit the
project environment.
-Teams that are new to agile should use their methodology for a few projects before changing it.
-Agile practices are designed to work in balance with each other; changing even one practice
can lead to problems.
-Changes shouldn't be made just because a practice is difficult or there is resistance to
implementing it.
List the two main guidelines for mitigating the risks of process tailoring. - ANS--Get used to
normal, out-of-the-box agile before attempting to change it.
-Carefully examine the motivation to drop, amend, or append a practice.
In terms of systems thinking, on what kinds of project does agile work best? - ANS-Projects that
have a medium level of complexity (i.e., uncertainty) in both their requirements and their
technology
Define "hybrid model."
How are the Scrum and XP methodologies complementary? - ANS-Combining practices or
processes from different methodologies on one project.
-Scrum helps us organize and manage the project
-XP helps us build the software or solution.
, Define "process analysis." - ANS-The process of reviewing and diagnosing issues with team's
agile methods.
List Cockburn's six anti-patterns that agile processes should avoid. - ANS--Intolerant
-One size for all projects
-Heavy
-Untried
-Used once
-Embellished
What are three success criteria that tell us the team's approach is working well? - ANS--The
project got shipped.
-The leadership remained intact.
-The team would work the same way again.
List Cockburn's seven patterns for successful agile methodologies. - ANS--Projects with greater
criticality require greater ceremony.
-Interactive, face-to-face communication is the cheapest and fastest channel for exchanging
information.
-Larger teams need heavier methodologies.
-Excess methodology weight is costly.
-Feedback and communication reduce the need for intermediate deliverables.
-Efficiency is expendable in non-bottleneck activities.
-Discipline, skills, and understanding counter process, formality, and documentation.
What is value stream mapping?
What is the goal of this tool? - ANS-A lean technique that visualizes the flow of information or
materials requires to complete a process.
To identify wasteful, inefficient, or unnecessary element that can be removed to optimize the
efficiency of the process.
What are the six steps involved in creating a value stream map? - ANS-1. Identify the product or
service to be analyzed.
2. Create a value stream map of the current process, identifying steps, queues, delays, and
information flows.
3. Review the map to find delays, waste, and constraints.
4. Create a new map of the desired state of the process that removes or reduces delays, waste,
and constraints.
5. Develop a roadmap for creating the optimized state.
6. Plan to revisit the process in the future to continually tune and optimize it.
In value stream mapping, what are the two components of total cycle time? - ANS--Value-added
time
-Nonvalue-added time
Define "continuous improvement" in the context of an agile project. - ANS-The ongoing focus on
inspection and adaptation throughout the project, spanning the areas of process, product, and
people.
What is the agile approach to gathering lessons learned? - ANS-Adaptation and improvement
are a habitual part of the team's normal way of working, and a "learn" step of inspecting,
adapting, and improving is built into every agile iteration.
Describe "kaizen" and explain how it relates to agile. - ANS-Kaizen is the name of an approach
to continuous improvement that means "change for the better" in Japanese.
Kaizen focuses on encouraging the team - the people who are doing the work - to frequently
initiate and implement small, incremental improvements.
Agile's approach to continuous improvement is based on kaizen.
Define "process tailoring."
List three cautions for process tailoring. - ANS-Adapting our agile methodology to better fit the
project environment.
-Teams that are new to agile should use their methodology for a few projects before changing it.
-Agile practices are designed to work in balance with each other; changing even one practice
can lead to problems.
-Changes shouldn't be made just because a practice is difficult or there is resistance to
implementing it.
List the two main guidelines for mitigating the risks of process tailoring. - ANS--Get used to
normal, out-of-the-box agile before attempting to change it.
-Carefully examine the motivation to drop, amend, or append a practice.
In terms of systems thinking, on what kinds of project does agile work best? - ANS-Projects that
have a medium level of complexity (i.e., uncertainty) in both their requirements and their
technology
Define "hybrid model."
How are the Scrum and XP methodologies complementary? - ANS-Combining practices or
processes from different methodologies on one project.
-Scrum helps us organize and manage the project
-XP helps us build the software or solution.
, Define "process analysis." - ANS-The process of reviewing and diagnosing issues with team's
agile methods.
List Cockburn's six anti-patterns that agile processes should avoid. - ANS--Intolerant
-One size for all projects
-Heavy
-Untried
-Used once
-Embellished
What are three success criteria that tell us the team's approach is working well? - ANS--The
project got shipped.
-The leadership remained intact.
-The team would work the same way again.
List Cockburn's seven patterns for successful agile methodologies. - ANS--Projects with greater
criticality require greater ceremony.
-Interactive, face-to-face communication is the cheapest and fastest channel for exchanging
information.
-Larger teams need heavier methodologies.
-Excess methodology weight is costly.
-Feedback and communication reduce the need for intermediate deliverables.
-Efficiency is expendable in non-bottleneck activities.
-Discipline, skills, and understanding counter process, formality, and documentation.
What is value stream mapping?
What is the goal of this tool? - ANS-A lean technique that visualizes the flow of information or
materials requires to complete a process.
To identify wasteful, inefficient, or unnecessary element that can be removed to optimize the
efficiency of the process.
What are the six steps involved in creating a value stream map? - ANS-1. Identify the product or
service to be analyzed.
2. Create a value stream map of the current process, identifying steps, queues, delays, and
information flows.
3. Review the map to find delays, waste, and constraints.
4. Create a new map of the desired state of the process that removes or reduces delays, waste,
and constraints.
5. Develop a roadmap for creating the optimized state.
6. Plan to revisit the process in the future to continually tune and optimize it.
In value stream mapping, what are the two components of total cycle time? - ANS--Value-added
time
-Nonvalue-added time
