Agile Certified Practitioner
A method used to communicate with business customers, developers, and testers before coding begins.
A leadership style that helps teams to thrive and overcome challenges throughout a project.
A method used to quickly place user stories into a comparable-sized group.
To develop a goal through periodic experimentation in order to fulfill the need of a complex decision.
To use the empirical process, observation, and spike introduction while executing a project to influence planning.
A statement that reflects Agile Philosophy that includes individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to changes over following a plan.
A document that describes the twelve principles of the Agile Manifesto.
a) Agile Manifesto: Customer Satisfaction
To satisfy customers through early and continuous delivery of products, to test and receive feedback, to inform customers on progress, and to fulfill the customer’s value by completing priority requirements.
b) Agile Manifesto: Welcome Changes
To allow quick responses to changes in the external environment, and late in development to maximize the customer’s competitive advantage.
c) Agile Manifesto: Frequent Delivery (MVP)
To deliver software frequently to the customer, allowing for a quicker product release, faster provision of value to the customer and shorter delivery timeframe.
d) Agile Manifesto: Collocated Team
To have individuals work together daily on a project to implement osmotic communication, focus, and receive instant feedback to achieve a common goal.
e) Agile Manifesto: Motivated Individuals
To give individuals the empowerment, environment, support, and trust needed to complete a task successfully.
f) Agile Manifesto: Face-to-Face Conversation
The most efficient and effective way to communicate in order to receive direct feedback and influence osmotic communication.
g) Agile Manifesto: Working Software
Working software enables the measurement of progress, enhances customer satisfaction, and maintains and improves the quality of the software to help support project goals.
h) Agile Manifesto: Constant Pace
To help team members establish a healthy work-life balance, remain productive, and respond to changes swiftly for progress during a project.
i) Agile Manifesto: Continuous Attention
To enhance agility and time spent on work requirements in order to retain a well-balanced work environment.
j) Agile Manifesto: Simplicity
Allows team members to focus on what is necessary to achieve the requirements needed to create and deliver value to the project and customer.
k) Agile Manifesto: Self-Organization
A team that knows how to complete tasks effectively, has dedication to the project and is an expert on the process and project.
l) Agile Manifesto: Regular Reflection / Retrospective
This allows a team to learn how to become more effective, what changes need immediate implementation, and behavior that needs adjustment.
A way to complete a goal effectively and efficiently. Examples of Agile Methodologies include XP, Scrum, and Lean.
A workflow depiction of a process or system a team can review before it is turned into code. Stakeholders should understand the model.
The most important aspect of the Agile project. Planning happens at multiple levels such as strategic, release, iteration, and daily. Planning must happen up-front and can change throughout the project.
Symptoms of problems that affect Agile teams and projects.
A space that allows team members to establish collaboration, communication, transparency, and visibility.
Spikes that relate to any area of a system, technology, or application domain that is unknown.
A process or work output Ex. Document, Code
Exhibits continuous adaptation to the project and its processes with characteristics that include mission-focused, feature-based, iterative, time-boxed, risk-driven, and change tolerant.
These tools allow for efficient and strong testing. Examples: Peer Reviews, Periodical Code-Reviews, Refactoring, Unit Tests, Automatic and Manual Testing.
A chart used to display progress during and at the end of an iteration. “Burning down” means the backlog will lessen throughout the iteration.
The rate of resources consumed by the team; also cost per iteration.
A chart that displays completed functionality. Progress will trend upwards, as stories are completed. Only shows complete functions, it is not accurate at predicting or showing work-in-progress.
An acronym to measure the goals and mission of the project with each letter meaning: Criticality, Accessibility, Return, Vulnerability, Effect, and Recognizability.
A meeting conducted during an Agile project that consists of daily stand-up, iteration planning, iteration review, and iteration retrospective.
A document created during initiation that formally begins the project. The document includes the project’s justification, a summary level budget, major milestones, critical success factors, constraints, assumptions, and authorization to do it.
An individual involved but not committed to an Agile project.
A team role that keeps the team focused on learning and the process.
The entire team together is responsible for 100% of the code.
The entire team is physically present, working in one room.
An issue solved through trend analysis because the issue is systematic.
Decisions created by higher-up individuals in the organization and handed over to the team.
To meet regulations, rules, and standards.
An environment for the team that is free of distractions and interruptions.
To ensure that self-assessment and process improvement occurs frequently to improve the product.
To consistently examine a team member’s work. To build, and test the entire system.
To measure the cost spent on a project and its efficiency. Earned Value / Actual Cost = CPI
Teams that consist of members who can multi-task well and complete various functions to achieve a common goal.
An adaptable approach that focuses on the interaction between people and processes that consists of families that vary based on team size, system criticality, and project priorities.
A chart that displays feature backlog, work-in-progress, and completed features.
The time needed to complete a feature (user story).
A brief meeting where the team shares the previous day’s achievements plans to make achievements, obstacles, and how to overcome the obstacles.
To postpone decisions to determine possibilities and make the decision when the most amount of knowledge is available.
The qualities of a product backlog include: detailed, estimate-able, emergent, and prioritized.
To separate epics or large stories into smaller stories.
To reach a deal through tactics so both parties receive the highest amount of value possible.
A system of voting where people receive a certain number of dots to vote on the options provided.
A model that provides a comprehensive foundation for planning, managing, executing, and scaling agile and iterative software development projects based on nine principles that involve business needs/value, active user involvement, empowered teams, frequent delivery, integrated testing, and stakeholder collaboration.
Earned Value Management, works well at iteration. It is a method to measure and communicate progress and trends at the current stage of the project.
Stories that grow and change over time as other stories reach completion in the backlog.
An individual’s skill to lead and relate to other team members.
A large story that spans iterations then disaggregated into smaller stories.
Defects reported after the delivery by the customer.
An individual chooses to behave in a particular way over other behaviors because of the expected results of the chosen behavior.
To inquire how the software works with the use of test subjects using the software and asking questions about the software.
A team-manufactured persona that exaggerates to induce requirements a standard persona may miss.
A methodology in Agile with one-week iterations and paired development.
A comprehensive model and list of features included in the system before the design work begins.
A group of stories that deliver value to the customers.
Information or responses towards a product or project used to make improvements.
The traditional Fibonacci sequence is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on. In Agile projects, this sequence is modified. The modified Fibonacci sequence is 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 20, 40, 100 - it is used to estimate the relative size of User Stories in terms of Story Points.
A root cause diagram.
The root causes analysis technique that asks WHY five times. The problem is looked into deeper each time WHY is asked. Toyota developed this technique.
Assigned tasks prioritized for completion based on an estimated number of days. Top priorities are usually completed first.
To analyze forces that encourage or resist change.
To clean up the product backlog by removal of items, disaggregation of items, or estimation of items.
A theory that states factors in the workplace create satisfaction and dissatisfaction in relation to the job.
The amount of time needed to complete an assignment without distractions or interruptions.
Functionality conveyed in small phases.
Information that is not transparent or useful to the team and stakeholders.
Artifacts used to help maintain transparency of project status to team members and stakeholders.
A practice used to induce requirements from product, owners, users, and stakeholders.
To reach an agreement collaboratively that creates more value for both parties by a win-win solution.
Internal Rate of Return- a discount rate that makes the net present value of all cash flows from a project equal to zero. Used to determine the potential profitability of project or investment.
To inspect within, during a meeting with the Agile team to review practices, usually when a problem or issue occurs.
An incorrect project schedule is known as Intrinsic Schedule Flaw and leads to oor estimation.
The benefits of good user stories, which include: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimate-able, Small, and Testable.
Work cycle, Scrum uses 2-4 weeks, XP uses 1 week.
Work to complete in a particular iteration.
Iteration used to prepare the launch of software and to test software.
Iteration to complete tasks before the development work occurs, for technical and architectural spikes, and to gather requirements into the backlog.
A meeting used in Scrum, the team discusses ways to improve after work is completed.
Used to minimize inventory cost by materials delivered before they are required.
Based on Japanese management philosophy, to continuous improvement through small releases.
A signal used to advance transparency of work-in-progress, a new task can begin once a previous one is complete.
A chart that shows workflow stages to locate work-in-progress.
An analysis of product development and customer satisfaction based on needs fulfilled/not fulfilled vs. satisfaction/dissatisfaction.
To make decisions as late as possible in order to preserve all possible options.
To eliminate waste, an Agile method derived from manufacturing.
The law limits work-in-progress efficiently with the development of an appropriate cycle time.
This methodology focuses on the “Value Stream” to deliver value to customers. The goal is to eliminate waste by focusing on valuable features of a system and to deliver value in small batches. Principles of Lean include: elimination of waste, amplify learning, to decide late as possible, deliver as fast as possible, empowerment the team, building integrity, and seeing the whole.
This theory suggests the interdependent needs (motivators) of people based on five levels in this order: Physiological, Safety & Security, Social, Esteem, and Self-Actualization.
A product with only the essential features delivered to early adopters to receive feedback.
The smallest feature of a product that provides value to the end-user.
To give fake money to business features in order to compare the relative priority of those features.
An analysis used to help stakeholders understand the importance of each requirement delivered. MoSCoW is the acronym for Must have, Should have, Could have, and Would like to have.
Net Present Value- A value that compares the amount invested today to the present value of future cash receipts from the investment.
To communicate by sharing an environment.
When developers work together in XP Practice
Known as the 80/20 rule. For Agile projects, it means that 80% of all development should be spent on the top 20% of the features the customers need.
A storage place for ideas that distract from the main goal during a meeting.
To have stakeholder’s involvement in decision-making with techniques such as a simple vote.
A depiction of the customer of the system with applicable details about usage.
A committed individual impacted by the outcome.
Work cycle in smaller, quick iterations than traditional.
To prioritize work and estimate effort required by the creation of a release plan in XP.
A tool used to estimate team effort on user stories.
Project Management Institute
Team members asked to define reasons for a project’s failure and to identify causes of failure missed in previous analyses.
A way to calculate the time value of money
To perfect agile processes for a particular project and environment.
The difference between the planned and actual performance.
The known features for a project.
An artifact that displays planned project functionality.
A document that describes what the product is, who will use the product, why the product will be used, and how the product supports the strategy of a company.
An approach for planning that occurs in cycles instead of upfront, which happens frequently.
Project Management Professional credential.
A model used to perfect requirements.
Descriptive data used for analysis.
Numerical data used for analysis.
To adjust working code to improve functionality and conservation.
A list of all user stories and features ordered by highest priority to the lowest priority.
To estimate the size of a story in comparison with another story.
Iteration outcomes delivered to customers (end-users).
A document that describes the timeline of a product release.
A model to rate each feature with the calculation of the weighted formula defined by the team.
Return on Investment- The return an organization makes on an investment expressed by a percentage.
A product backlog adjusted to help balance the risk and value factors of the product.
This spike helps the team remove major risks, and if the spike fails every approach possible, the project is defined as “fast failure”.
A chart that displays risk and success with feature vs. time.
To analyze the consequences of the risk if they occur based on their probability.
How much the risk’s consequences will influence the success or failure of a project. Risk Probability (%) x Risk Impact ($) = Risk Severity
To divide the planning phase into stages.
To investigate beyond the symptoms of the problem and to understand the root cause of the problem.
A diagram that correlates different factors and the symptom.
The ratio of earned value to planned value. EV/PV=SPI.
The uncontrolled changes or growth in a project’s scope go beyond the initial agreement.
A popular Agile methodology.
Meetings used to organize large projects with scrum masters from different teams.
The leader that helps the team to follow Scrum methodology.
This cycle tends to be long and requires a lot of advanced planning.
This team has the capability to make their own decisions, empowerment, mutual accountability, and collective ownership of a project, which leads them to be more productive and efficient.
Naturally formed teams that interact with minimal management supervision.
Leaders collaborate with the team and do anything the team does when needed.
Originated in Japan as a way to understand learning and mastery, Shu – obeying the rules, Ha - consciously moving away from the rules, and Ri – consciously finding an individual path.
Work that is isolated.
Communication used conveniently to receive instant feedback, ideas, and requirements from a particular community.
A cause that occurs once because of special reasons.
This occurs when requirements for the specification are incomplete or conflicting.
An experiment that helps a team answer, a particular question and determines future actions.
A consistent iteration that lasts from one week to one month in order to measure velocity in Scrum.
A document that explains sprint goals, tasks, and requirements and how the tasks will reach completion.
A team-member meeting occurs after each sprint to evaluate the product and process to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
A meeting that occurs after each sprint to show the product or process to stakeholders for approval and to receive feedback.
An individual with an interest in the outcome.
A curved test used to measure knowledge and understanding, but constructed so the same test-taker will perform similarly each time.
An index card that displays the user story.
A prioritization tool that backlogged stories made smaller and organized by user functionality.
A unit of measurement to estimate the difficulty of a user story.
A maintainable pace of work that is intense yet steady.
When the team collaborates to focus on a single user story.
A model originated in Japan to describe a team with values that include self-organization, empowered to make decisions, belief in vision and success, a committed team, trust, participatory decision making, consensus-driven, and construction disagreement.
The smaller jobs to fulfill a user story, usually divided among team members.
A team that is empowered has collaboration, responsibility, and self-sufficiency.
Formation happens when a team creates ground rules and processes to build bonds and shared goals.
An area for team members to collocate, usually a physical location, in some cases a virtual location is created.
The number of story points completed during iteration and used to determine the planned capacity.
Technical decisions a team chooses to not implement currently, but must do so or face difficulty in the future.
A written acceptance test for a module with the code built to pass the tests in order to ensure correct performance.
To set a fixed delivery date for a project or release.
A role in XP that measures the team’s progress and communicates the measurements to the team.
A top-down approach that consists of long cycles, heavy planning, and minimal customer involvement.
This analysis provides trends that will occur in the future to help control and implement continuous improvement.
These tests are used for continuous feedback to achieve quality
An exploratory test uses a test subject to understand the usability of the software.
A minimalistic business requirement t hat increases the value for the user.
To allow the PO or customer to determine which function to implement first based on the value it delivers.
A tool used to analyze a chain of processes with the desired outcome of eliminating waste.
The total number of features that a team delivers in an iteration.
A geographically distributed group that does not meet physically.
Space where the team can work and collaborate effectively.
Resistant to change that requires heavy planning and a sequential, traditional approach.
An estimation technique for user stories. The PO presents user stories & discusses challenges. Each story’s estimates plotted, and then the team comes to an agreement on the range of points.
Work-In-Progress- Stories that have started, which are displayed in workflows to show progress and what still needs to be completed.
To limit work-in-progress so a team can do the following: maintain focus on completing work, maintaining quality, and delivering value.
A lightweight non-functional UI design that shows the customer the vital elements and how they will interact before coding.
A series of phases or stages the team has agreed to execute for a project.
A method that allows customers to score (total 100 points) on different features of a product.
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