PMI-ACP practice question 24 of 35

A member of a cross-functional project team is not able to attend regular status meetings and provide progress updates, which is impacting the productivity of the entire team. What should the product owner do to improve productivity?

Full set: 482 questions

Answer options

A: Discuss the issue to reduce the backlog based on decreased productivity of the team.

B: Collect updates from each team member before the meeting and share them with all members.

C: Ask the team member to update daily progress on the information radiators. Correct answer

D: Change the team velocity to show positive progress in shared information radiators.

Correct Answer:

C. Ask the team member to update daily progress on the information radiators.

Explanation

Agile teams rely on osmotic communication via information radiators (task boards, burn-down charts, etc.). Having the absent member post daily status on the radiator restores transparency, lets everyone obtain progress data without extra meetings, and preserves the team’s self-organization. The product owner thereby removes an impediment without lowering scope or falsifying velocity.

Why Incorrect

A. Adjusting backlog for one person’s absence masks, not solves, the communication gap.
B. Centralizing status collection re-introduces command-and-control and increases the product owner’s workload.
D. Altering velocity distorts empirical data and hides the real productivity issue.

References

1. PMI Agile Practice Guide, §5.9 “Information Radiators”, pp.55-56.

2. S. Ambler & M. Lines (2012). Disciplined Agile Delivery, §10.2 “Radiating Information”.

3. K. Schwaber & J. Sutherland, Scrum Guide 2020, “Transparency” & “Sprint Backlog”.

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