Agile Project Management Agile Release Planning and Roadmaps 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a product roadmap in Agile?
- To assign tasks to individual developers
- To communicate the strategic direction and planned evolution of a product (Correct answer)
- To document every sprint's completed work
- To replace the product backlog
Correct answer: To communicate the strategic direction and planned evolution of a product
A product roadmap provides a high-level visual summary that communicates the strategic direction and planned evolution of a product over time.
Question 2: In Agile release planning, what is a 'release' typically defined as?
- A single sprint deliverable
- A deployable increment of working software that delivers value to stakeholders (Correct answer)
- A document listing all completed features
- A milestone in the project charter
Correct answer: A deployable increment of working software that delivers value to stakeholders
A release is a deployable increment of working software that delivers meaningful value to stakeholders, often spanning multiple sprints.
Question 3: Which technique is commonly used in Agile to forecast when features will be completed?
- Gantt chart tracking
- Velocity-based forecasting (Correct answer)
- Critical path method
- Earned value management
Correct answer: Velocity-based forecasting
Velocity-based forecasting uses the team's average story points per sprint to predict when backlog items will be completed.
Question 4: What is a 'rolling wave' release plan?
- A plan that covers all sprints in equal detail
- A plan where near-term releases are detailed and future releases are high-level (Correct answer)
- A plan updated only at the end of each release
- A waterfall plan adapted for Agile teams
Correct answer: A plan where near-term releases are detailed and future releases are high-level
Rolling wave planning keeps near-term releases in detail while treating future releases at a higher level, refining as more is learned.
Question 5: How does Agile differ from waterfall in release planning?
- Agile releases are always annual
- Agile supports frequent, incremental releases rather than one big release at the end (Correct answer)
- Agile does not plan releases at all
- Agile requires sign-off from all stakeholders before any release
Correct answer: Agile supports frequent, incremental releases rather than one big release at the end
Agile encourages frequent, incremental releases that deliver value continuously, rather than a single large release after all development is complete.
Question 6: What is a 'minimum viable product' (MVP) in the context of Agile release planning?
- The smallest product that can be sold at any price
- The version with the minimum number of bugs
- The smallest set of features that delivers value and enables validated learning (Correct answer)
- A prototype used only for internal testing
Correct answer: The smallest set of features that delivers value and enables validated learning
An MVP is the smallest set of features that delivers enough value to early users while enabling the team to gather validated learning about the market.
Agile Project Management Agile Release Planning and Roadmaps 1
What is the primary purpose of a product roadmap in Agile?