AAC Agile Requirements & Documentation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the MOST appropriate level of documentation for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
- Full functional specification documents for all features
- Only the documentation necessary to validate core hypotheses with users (Correct answer)
- No documentation at all to maximize speed
- Complete user manuals and API documentation
Correct answer: Only the documentation necessary to validate core hypotheses with users
An MVP requires just enough documentation to test the core value proposition with real users, avoiding waste on unvalidated features.
Question 2: A BA notices that multiple user stories in the backlog address the same underlying user need but from different angles. What is the BEST course of action?
- Keep all stories to provide maximum development options
- Consolidate them into one large story regardless of size
- Review for duplication and merge or split as appropriate to eliminate redundancy (Correct answer)
- Archive duplicates without informing the product owner
Correct answer: Review for duplication and merge or split as appropriate to eliminate redundancy
Reviewing for duplication and restructuring ensures the backlog remains clean, avoiding rework and confusion during development.
Question 3: What does the INVEST acronym stand for in the context of well-formed user stories?
- Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable (Correct answer)
- Integrated, Novel, Verified, Essential, Scalable, Timely
- Incremental, Needed, Vetted, Executable, Structured, Tested
- Intentional, Normalized, Validated, Effective, Scoped, Traceable
Correct answer: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable
INVEST (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) is a checklist for evaluating the quality of a user story.
Question 4: When should a business analyst create a process flow diagram during agile development?
- Only after all user stories are completed
- When a complex workflow needs to be understood before story decomposition (Correct answer)
- At the beginning of every sprint regardless of need
- Only when requested by external auditors
Correct answer: When a complex workflow needs to be understood before story decomposition
Process flow diagrams are created on an as-needed basis when complexity warrants visual modeling to aid understanding before writing stories.
Question 5: A stakeholder insists that every requirement be traced to a specific line of code. How should an agile BA respond?
- Agree and create a full traceability matrix immediately
- Explain that agile replaces traceability with working software
- Discuss the cost-benefit of traceability and explore lightweight alternatives like tagging stories to features (Correct answer)
- Escalate to the project manager to handle the request
Correct answer: Discuss the cost-benefit of traceability and explore lightweight alternatives like tagging stories to features
Agile BAs acknowledge the value of traceability but guide stakeholders toward lightweight approaches that provide needed traceability without excessive overhead.
Question 6: Which technique helps a BA identify and document the boundaries of a system by showing what is inside versus outside scope?
- Context diagram (Correct answer)
- Burndown chart
- Velocity chart
- Cumulative flow diagram
Correct answer: Context diagram
A context diagram shows the system as a single entity and its interactions with external actors, clearly defining scope boundaries.
Question 7: During sprint review, a stakeholder requests a significant feature addition. What is the correct agile process?
- Add it directly to the current sprint backlog
- Have the BA document it and add it to the product backlog for prioritization by the product owner (Correct answer)
- Reject it since the sprint has already started its review
- Implement it immediately after the sprint ends without review
Correct answer: Have the BA document it and add it to the product backlog for prioritization by the product owner
New requests are captured and added to the product backlog, where the product owner prioritizes them relative to existing work.
AAC Agile Requirements & Documentation 3
Which of the following is the MOST appropriate level of documentation for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?