Agile Estimation Techniques & User Stories Flashcards
7 cards from real CST practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Agile Estimation Techniques & User Stories flashcards as text
What is the primary advantage of using story points rather than hours for estimating in Scrum?
Answer: They enable relative estimation that is team-specific and avoids time-pressure anchoring
Story points enable relative estimation that remains internally consistent within a team while avoiding the psychological pressure and anchoring that comes with hour-based estimates.
Why does Planning Poker typically use a Fibonacci-like sequence (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13) rather than a linear scale?
Answer: The increasing gaps reflect growing uncertainty in larger estimates
The exponentially increasing gaps in the Fibonacci sequence reflect the reality that larger items carry more uncertainty, making fine-grained distinctions (e.g., 11 vs. 12 points) meaningless.
During Planning Poker, two team members consistently submit very different estimates. What is the BEST action for the Scrum Master to take?
Answer: Facilitate a discussion so both team members share their reasoning
Divergent estimates signal different assumptions or hidden complexity; facilitating a discussion surfaces these differences, leading to shared understanding and better estimates.
Which of the following best describes a well-formed User Story?
Answer: A short, simple description of a feature from the perspective of the person who desires it
A User Story is a short, simple description written from the end user's perspective, capturing what they want and why, to facilitate conversation and collaborative refinement.
What does the 'I' in the INVEST acronym for well-formed User Stories stand for?
Answer: Independent
Independent in INVEST means user stories should be self-contained and avoid dependencies on other stories, enabling flexible scheduling and prioritization.
What is the recommended action when a User Story is too large to complete within a single Sprint?
Answer: Split it into smaller stories that each individually deliver value
Stories too large for a Sprint should be split into smaller, independently valuable stories so each can be completed and potentially released within a single Sprint.
A team consistently over-commits in Sprint Planning and fails to complete all selected items. What is the most likely root cause?
Answer: The team's velocity calculation is not accounting for overhead, meetings, and interruptions
Teams often over-commit because their velocity calculation doesn't account for non-development activities like ceremonies, support requests, and unexpected interruptions that reduce actual capacity.