PSK-I Practice Questions

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.

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 steady flow of

work, improve cycle times, and make more reliable forecasts about future deliveries

When a Scrum Team uses Kanban, they can visualize:

•

The Product Backlog: By making the Product Backlog visible, the team can track what work

items are upcoming and prioritize them effectively.

•

The Sprint Backlog: Visualizing the Sprint Backlog helps the team see the work planned for

the current Sprint, track progress, and manage flow.

•

The Definition of Done: Making the Definition of Done visible ensures that all team members

and stakeholders understand the criteria that must be met for work to be considered complete

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

Adjusting WIP limits can directly impact Cycle Time and overall flow by reducing bottlenecks and

increasing focus. Lowering WIP can enhance the team’s ability to complete work within a Sprint by

minimizing task switching and promoting faster delivery of value. Reference: 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

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.

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. Reference: The Kanban Guide for

Scrum Teams​​.

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 establishes a relationship between three flow metrics: Work in Progress (WIP), Cycle

Time, and Throughput. It provides insights into how changes in one metric affect the others in a

stable system​​.

Little's Law is used to understand and manage flow within a system but is not a forecasting tool for

output or future performance. It assumes a stable and predictable system where the input and

output rates are consistent.

Why Not True?

Forecasting requires variability, historical data, and often different statistical models. While Little's

Law supports system predictability and capacity planning, it does not directly project future Scrum

Team outputs or delivery dates​.

Thus, Little's Law helps teams analyze and optimize flow but is not used for forecasting.