Scrum PSK-I Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK 1) Exam Exam Practice Test

Work Item Age is the amount of time a work item has been in progress. It acts as a leading indicator for the length of the Scrum Team's feedback loop for that item. If a work item stays in progress for too long, it indicates that feedback is delayed, potentially impacting the team's ability to adapt and respond effectively. Tracking Work Item Age helps the team monitor flow and take timely actions to ensure that feedback loops remain short and effective

Scrum Teams using Kanban can start to increase predictability by reducing the amount of work in progress (WIP) through WIP limits. This approach helps to limit the number of items being worked on at any given time, thus reducing multitasking and context switching. It allows the team to focus on completing a few items before starting new ones, which directly impacts the flow of work and helps to predict when items will be completed. By controlling the WIP, teams can achieve a steadyflow of work, improve cycle times, and make more reliable forecasts about future deliveries

Cycle Time is a lagging indicator, meaning it can only be measured after a work item is complete. Therefore, it cannot be used as a leading indicator of the length of the feedback loop (Option A). Additionally, Cycle Time is not typically used during the Daily Scrum to help Developers inspect and adapt their Sprint; rather, it is more often used to assess overall process efficiency

Lagging indicator metrics are metrics that provide information about past performance:

1.Velocity (Option A): This is a measure of the amount of work a Scrum Team completes in a Sprint. It is a lagging indicator because it reflects what has been done rather than predicting future performance.

2.Cycle Time (Option B): This metric measures the time taken to complete a work item from start to finish. It is a lagging indicator because it provides data on how long work items took to complete in the past.

3.Throughput (Option D): This refers to the number of work items completed in a given period. Like Velocity, it reflects past performance and is considered a lagging indicator.

Work in Progress (Option C) and Work Item Aging (Option E) are not lagging indicators:

•Work in Progress (C): is a current state metric that indicates how much work is currently in progress.

•Work Item Aging (E): is a leading indicator, providing insights into how long a work item has been in progress, helping predict delays or bottlenecks

The Definition of Workflow in Kanban should include key elements that help manage the flow of work through the process. These elements typically include:

•WIP Limits (Option B), which help to manage flow and prevent overburdening the team.

•Start of the Workflow (Option D) and End of the Workflow (Option C), which define when work begins and when it is considered complete.

However, Option A (Agreed owner of Workflow lane) is not usually part of the Definition of Workflow. The workflow definition focuses on the stages, policies, and rules that govern workitems, rather than on individual ownership of workflow lanes(

Kanban for Scrum Teams maximizes value delivered by:

1.Enabling Tighter Empirical Feedback Loops via Faster Cycle Times (Option B):

Kanban practices help Scrum Teams reduce Cycle Times, which is the time it takes for a work item to move from "start" to "finish." Faster Cycle Times mean that feedback on work done is received more quickly, allowing the team to make necessary adjustments sooner. This rapid feedback loop enhances the empirical process control central to Scrum, thus ensuring that the team is always delivering value in line with the needs of stakeholders(

2.Optimizing the Flow of Value (Option C):

Kanban focuses on optimizing the flow of work through the team’s process. This is achieved by limiting Work in Progress (WIP) and actively managing flow metrics such as throughput and cycle time. By optimizing flow, teams can ensure that work items are completed efficiently and effectively, minimizing waste and maximizing the delivery of value to the customer(

The other options are less accurate:

•Option A: Minimizing time spent in meetings/events is not the primary goal of Kanban; rather, it is about optimizing flow and value delivery.

•Option D: Minimizing transaction costs is more related to Lean principles, but it does not directly address the value delivered as effectively as options B and C.

•Option E: Choosing higher-value items to deliver is part of prioritization, which is more related to Product Backlog management than to Kanban's specific practices

Supplementing Scrum with Kanban practices can bring several benefits to a Scrum Team:

•Greater Collaboration (A): By using Kanban practices like visualizing work and managing flow, team members have clearer visibility into each other's tasks, fostering better collaboration.

•Reduced Average Cycle Time (C): Kanban's focus on flow and limiting WIP helps decrease the time it takes for items to move from start to finish.

•Better Transparency (D): Kanban practices enhance visibility into the current state of work, making it easier to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement.

•Discover Areas of Variability (E): The use of flow metrics such as cycle time and throughput in Kanban can help identify variability in processes, enabling the team to make adjustments for more predictable delivery

Kanban does not eliminate the need for a Scrum Master when used with Scrum. The Scrum Master remains an essential role to facilitate the Scrum framework, help the team adopt both Scrum and Kanban practices effectively, and ensure the team understands and adheres to Scrum principles.

The role of the Scrum Master includes coaching the team on both Scrum and Kanban practices, removing impediments, and promoting continuous improvement. Therefore, even when Scrum is used with Kanban, the Scrum Master is not optional but a critical role in ensuring that the integration of these practices is successful(

Little's Law states:

•Average Cycle Time = Average Work in Progress (WIP) / Average Throughput.

Little's Law is used to understand and forecast the performance of a workflow system. It implies that if you know two of these three variables (Cycle Time, WIP, Throughput), you can calculate the third. The correct formula is Option A(

Options B, C, and D do not correctly state Little's Law.

Kanban emphasizes explicit policies for better transparency and alignment, and elements such as the Definition of Done, Definition of Ready, and Product Backlog refinement can be utilized as explicit policies to clarify the Scrum Team’s working agreements. These policies help the team make consistent decisions and streamline their processes. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams and The Scrum Guide​​.

A Kanban board is primarily used for visualizing the Workflow and managing WIP Limits. This visualization helps Scrum Teams make the flow of work transparent, track progress, and manage bottlenecks effectively. Limiting WIP ensures a pull-based flow, where new tasks are only started when there is available capacity, preventing overburdening the team. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

A probabilistic forecast is intended to communicate a prediction based on historical data, showing the likelihood of completing a certain amount of work within a given time frame. It helps the team and stakeholders understand the probability of meeting certain goals or deadlines based on past performance, supporting more informed decision-making

The essential flow metrics for Scrum Teams utilizing Kanban are:

Throughput: Measures the number of items completed within a time period.

Lead Time: Time from when an item enters the system to when it exits.

Cycle Time: Time it takes to complete a work item once it starts.

Work in Progress (WIP): The number of items currently in progress but not completed.

These metrics are foundational in understanding and optimizing flow within Kanban systems used alongside Scrum​​. "Work Item Age" and "Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)" are useful metrics but are not listed as primary flow metrics in Kanban for Scrum Teams.

Professional Scrum with Kanban builds upon the core Scrum values to enhance flow and effectiveness within the team. The relevant values are:

•Courage: Encourages team members to address issues, experiment with changes in the workflow, and make adjustments transparently, even when facing uncertainty.

•Focus: Enhances the team's ability to concentrate on achieving the Sprint Goal and flow of work items by using Work in Progress (WIP) limits and other Kanban practices.

•Openness: Promotes an open environment where the team transparently shares information on work progress, obstacles, and opportunities for improvement, which is key for continuous inspection and adaptation in Kanban.

These values directly support the empirical process control and continuous improvement principles of Kanban

The Work Item Aging Chart is the best chart to determine when a specific Sprint Backlog item that has been started will be finished. This chart provides a visual representation of how long each work item has been in progress, without being completed. It focuses on items that are currently active and helps teams identify which items are aging too much in the workflow, which might require attention to ensure they are completed promptly. The Work Item Aging Chart helps to quickly identify items that might be taking longer than expected, making it ideal for forecasting when a started item willbe finished

The four key flow metrics in Scrum with Kanban are:

•Work in Progress (WIP): The number of items that are currently being worked on.

•Work Item Age: The time that has elapsed since an item started, which helps identify aging work that may need attention.

•Throughput: The number of items completed over a specific period, helping to measure productivity.

•Cycle Time: The total time from when an item starts until it is finished, used to assess how quickly items are moving through the process.

These metrics are essential for understanding and optimizing the flow of work in a Scrum team using Kanban practices

Limiting Work in Progress (WIP) is likely to increase rather than reduce collaboration within a Scrum Team. When WIP limits are enforced, team members are encouraged to "swarm" around fewer tasks, focusing on completing them together rather than starting new work. This promotes more collaborative behaviors, such as pairing or mob programming, to get work items done efficiently

Cycle Time in the context of Professional Scrum with Kanban is defined as the time it takes for a single work item to move from the start to the end of a specific process or workflow. This metric is crucial for understanding how efficiently a team can process individual work items through their defined workflow stages.

•Option A describes a broader measurement from the initial concept to customer feedback post-release. This could align more with the concept of Lead Time rather than Cycle Time.

•Option B correctly describes a possible measurement for Cycle Time — the time a work item spends in one specific column (workflow stage). This is in line with the definitions provided in the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, where Cycle Time can measure time within distinct parts of the workflow.

•Option D accurately reflects the definition of Cycle Time, which measures the elapsed time from when work starts on an item until it is completed.

•Option C describes "Throughput," which is a measure of the number of items delivered over a specific time period (e.g., daily or weekly). This is not related to Cycle Time but is a separate flow metric often used alongside Cycle Time to understand team performance and capacity better(

Thus, Option C is the correct answer as it does not correctly describe Cycle Time. This explanation is verified with resources from Scrum.org that define Cycle Time within the scope of ProfessionalScrum with Kanban practices.

An SLE indicates the expected time frame within which work items should be completed, expressed as a percentage probability over a specific range of days. This helps Scrum Teams using Kanban to establish realistic expectations about delivery timelines. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​.

Cycle Time measures the time it takes for a single work item to go from start to completion. By understanding Cycle Time, a team can forecast when multiple items from the Product Backlog will likely be finished based on the average duration it takes to complete an item. This is essential in Kanban as it provides insight into the delivery timeline and is crucial for planning and predictability within a Scrum context. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​.