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

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​.

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​​.

In Professional Scrum with Kanban, the Work in Progress (WIP) limits are set as a policy to maintain a sustainable flow of work. Urgent work emerging does not automatically warrant changing these WIP limits; instead, the team should first discuss how to accommodate the urgent work within the existing constraints. Modifying WIP limits for urgent work could undermine the benefits of a controlled flow, which is why urgent work should not be a reason to change WIP limits during a Sprint

1.WIP Limits provide a boundary/container in which the Scrum Team self-manages (Option B):

WIP Limits establish clear boundaries within which the Scrum Team can make decisions about how much work they take on. This framework allows the team to self-manage their workflow more effectively, as they must decide collectively how to stay within these limits while delivering value.

2.As part of self-managing, Scrum Teams figure out their own WIP Limits (Option D):

A fundamental principle of Scrum is self-management. The team collectively decides its WIP limits, adjusting them based on empirical evidence and ongoing learning about their capacity, flow, and delivery capabilities. This decision-making process is a key aspect of the team's autonomy and self-management(

Options A and C are incorrect because WIP limits do not inhibit self-management (A); instead, they enable it. Additionally, a Scrum Master does not define WIP limits (C); the Scrum Team decides them.

The Definition of Workflow should include policies that dictate how work flows through the system, such as Visualization policies, Pull policies, WIP Limits, Service Level Expectations, Work Item types, and the Definition of Done. These elements help the Scrum Team maintain transparency and consistency in their process, enhancing predictability and facilitating continuous improvement. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

Sprints remain a core aspect of the Scrum framework, regardless of the use of Kanban. Sprints provide a time-boxed cadence and structure that is integral to Scrum. The addition of Kanban practices enhances Scrum but does not replace the need for Sprints. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​.

Cycle Time measures the time taken to complete individual work items, and while some items might take longer than a Sprint, on average, teams aim to have Cycle Times shorter than the Sprint duration to ensure a smooth flow and regular delivery of value. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

You always need a Scrum Master when applying Kanban practices in the Scrum framework. The role of the Scrum Master remains crucial, even when Kanban practices are incorporated, as they are responsible for ensuring that the Scrum framework is followed, including all the new practices introduced by Kanban. The Scrum Master helps facilitate the team's understanding and use of flow-based metrics and practices while maintaining the integrity of Scrum events, roles, and artifacts

The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams outlines four primary Kanban practices essential for Scrum Teams:

Visualization of the Workflow.

Limiting Work in Progress (WIP).

Active management of work items in progress.

Explicit policies for workflow management, often including the identification of bottlenecks​.

Inspecting and adapting the workflow is not explicitly listed as a Kanban practice for Scrum Teams. While inspection and adaptation are fundamental to Scrum (due to its reliance on empiricism), they are not specific to the set of Kanban practices integrated into Scrum​​.

This statement is incorrect. A Scrum Team will not stop using Sprints just by implementing Kanban. Kanban is used to complement Scrum practices, not replace them. The team continues to use Sprints as a cadence and timebox for delivering increments of work while also incorporating Kanban principles like visualizing work, limiting WIP, and managing flow to enhance their process

Even when using Kanban, Scrum Teams still follow the Scrum framework, which mandates crafting a Sprint Goal during Sprint Planning. The Sprint Goal provides focus and alignment for the team, ensuring that all work contributes toward a common objective, rather than being taken on as needed. References: The Scrum Guide​.

A Cycle Time scatterplot is the best chart to determine when a single item that has not been started will be finished. This chart shows the distribution of cycle times for completed work items. By analyzing the historical data, you can estimate the likely cycle time for a new item.

Here's how to use the Cycle Time scatterplot:

Identify the average cycle time:Calculate the average cycle time for similar types of work items.

Consider variability:Look at the range of cycle times to understand the variability in delivery times.

Estimate completion time:Based on the average cycle time and variability, estimate when the new item is likely to be completed.

While the other charts (CFD, Throughput run chart, and WIP Aging chart) provide valuable insights into the overall workflow, they are not as effective for predicting the completion time of a single item.

Within the same Kanban system, Work in Progress (WIP) is not a leading indicator for "Story points delivered." While WIP can influence throughput and cycle time, it does not directly correlate with story points delivered, as story points are a measure of effort or complexity rather than flow. The number of story points delivered is not directly influenced by the current WIP levels

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.

Work Item Aging is an essential metric that helps the Scrum Team monitor progress and detect potential delays early. It is especially useful in Daily Scrums to identify items that are taking longer than expected, allowing the team to take corrective actions and prevent delays. It also serves as a leading indicator of how long the feedback loop for a Work Item may take.

If the Product Owner requests that an urgent, unplanned work item be added during the Sprint, and it aligns with the Sprint Goal but does not fit within the current WIP limits, the Developers should:

1.Add the urgent item to their Sprint Backlog but only start working on it when their WIP Limits allow it (Option A): This maintains the integrity of the WIP limits and ensures that the team doesn't overcommit or create too much work in progress, which could affect flow and focus.

2.Take on the urgent item as an exception to the WIP Limits and visualize that they are above their WIP Limit (Option C): By taking on the urgent item as an exception, the team can address the urgency while being transparent about the temporary breach of the WIP limits. This visualization helps the team and stakeholders understand the current state of work and its impact(

Options B (Adjust the WIP Limits) and D (Reject the urgent item) are less suitable because they either undermine the WIP control mechanism or fail to accommodate a potentially critical change that aligns with the Sprint Goal.

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

A Cycle Time Scatterplot is a visualization tool used to display the cycle times for individual work items over time. This scatterplot provides several types of qualitative information:

1.General Cycle Time Trends (Option A): The scatterplot can show general trends over time, such as whether the cycle times are decreasing, increasing, or staying stable. This helps teams understand the overall direction in which their workflow efficiency is moving.

2.Single Cycle Time Outliers (Option B): The scatterplot also helps identify individual outliers — work items that took significantly longer or shorter than usual to complete. These outliers can be further investigated to understand why they occurred and to prevent similar situations in the future.

3.Clusters of Cycle Time Outliers (Option C): In addition to single outliers, the scatterplot may reveal clusters of outliers. These clusters can indicate systemic issues, such as bottlenecks or recurring problems in a specific part of the process.

Since a Cycle Time Scatterplot provides all these types of information (general trends, single outliers, and clusters of outliers), the correct answer is D.

Kanban is:

•A strategy for optimizing the flow of value through a process (Option B): Kanban focuses on improving flow and efficiency by using a visual pull system with limited WIP. This strategy helps teams balance demand against throughput and enhance productivity by limiting the number of work items in progress.

Options A (methodology for visualizing workflow) and C (set of practices additive to Scrum) are partially correct but do not fully capture Kanban's purpose. Kanban is not just a visualization tool (A), and while it can be additive to Scrum (C), it is fundamentally a flow-based strategy

Although WIP limits are central to Kanban, enhancing visualization and communication through Kanban boards can be a way to ease into WIP limits gradually. This alternative fosters transparency and alignment without directly imposing WIP constraints, which can be beneficial for teams adjusting to Kanban practices. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

Leading indicators are the most appropriate metrics for Daily Scrum because they provide information about the current state of the work and potential future issues. By tracking leading indicators, the team can identify potential problems early on and take proactive measures to address them.

Here are some examples of leading indicators that can be useful during Daily Scrum:

WIP Limits:Are the WIP limits being adhered to?

Blocked Tasks:Are there any tasks that are blocked or waiting for dependencies?

Task Progress:How much progress has been made on each task?

Team Mood:Is the team morale high or low?

By discussing these leading indicators during the Daily Scrum, the team can identify any impediments and take immediate action to keep the work flowing smoothly.

Lagging indicators, on the other hand, provide information about past performance and are not as useful for identifying and addressing current issues. Examples of lagging indicators include cycle time, lead time, and throughput. While these metrics are important for long-term analysis and improvement, they are not as actionable in the context of the Daily Scrum.