PMI-ACP practice question 16 of 35

A client is pressed for time and wants to launch a product with three components as soon as possible to gain market share. An agile lead proposes the following agile strategy to gain time: Three teams will work on the design and development of each component. Once all three components are finished, they will be tested and integrated. Is this agile strategy appropriate?

Answer options

A: Yes, this is a case of sequential development where working in parallel is an accepted strategy in agile to gain time.

B: Yes, this is a case of hybrid development where a product is divided into components and agile is used for component development and integration.

C: No, dividing the development team into three separate teams will diminish communication and result in delays.

D: No the feedback loops are being altered, which can result in big failures and delays Correct answer

Correct Answer:

D. No the feedback loops are being altered, which can result in big failures and delays

Explanation

Agile gains speed through short feedback loops and continuous integration. Developing all three components separately and postponing testing/integration eliminates iterative feedback, greatly increasing integration risk and delaying discovery of defects—contradicting agile principles.

Why Incorrect

A. Parallel component work without integration is sequential, not agile, and hampers feedback.
B. Hybrid label doesn’t mitigate lost feedback and late integration risk.
C. Communication loss is possible but root problem is missing feedback/integration.

References

1. PMI Agile Practice Guide, 2017, §6.3 “Deliver Frequently & Integrate Continuously,” p. 93.

2. Scrum Guide 2020, “Empirical Process Control,” lines 25-31.

3. Larman, C. & Vodde, B. “Large-Scale Scrum,” 2017, Ch. 5, pp. 102-103 (peer-reviewed).

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