CASM Certified Agile Service ManagerV2.1 Questions and Answers

Becoming more Agile requires fostering collaboration, flexibility, and customer focus. Let’s evaluate the options:

A.Incorrect. While IT plays a crucial role in Agile transformation, solely focusing on software development doesn't address Agile principles like collaboration, iterative value delivery, and responsiveness to change.

B.Incorrect. Strict control over changes contradicts Agile principles, which encourage adaptability and welcoming change throughout development.

C.Correct. Collaboration is a core value in Agile, emphasizing interactions among teams, customers, and stakeholders to deliver value effectively.

D.Incorrect. While collaboration is correct, pairing it with a narrow IT focus (option A) doesn’t reflect a holistic Agile transformation.

References:

Agile Manifesto (Individual and interactions over processes and tools).

Principles of Agile Transformation: Collaboration and adaptability are key.

The selection of automation tools should be made by those withdeep knowledge of the job, as they understand the specific requirements and nuances of the task.

A.Incorrect. The Agile Service Management Team supports automation efforts but may not have the technical expertise to select specific tools.

B.Incorrect. The Agile Practice Owner ensures alignment with goals but does not typically choose tools.

C.Correct.Those familiar with the job requirements are best suited to select the appropriate tools.

D.Incorrect. While Site Reliability Engineers may contribute, they are not the only ones qualified to select tools.

References:

DevOps practices: Collaborative tool selection.

ITIL 4: Importance of domain expertise in automation decisions.

ITIL 4 defines specific guiding principles that help organizations adopt and adapt practices in a service management context. Let’s analyze the options:

A.Correct. “Start where you are” encourages building upon existing capabilities instead of starting from scratch.

B.Incorrect.While understanding flow is crucial in Lean practices, this specific phrasing is not an ITIL guiding principle. ITIL focuses more on holistic principles such as collaborationand iteration.

C.Correct. “Progress iteratively with feedback” reflects Agile and Lean practices in ITIL, ensuring incremental improvements with customer input.

D.Correct. Collaboration and visibility are key to ITIL 4 principles, promoting shared understanding and transparency.

References:

ITIL 4 Guiding Principles: Axelos ITIL 4 Foundation materials.

ThePractice Backlogserves as the single source of truth for requirements within a service management practice, similar to how a Product Backlog functions in Scrum.

A.Incorrect. This describes a Sprint Backlog, not the Practice Backlog.

B.Correct.The Practice Backlog acts as the comprehensive repository for requirements specific to a practice.

C.Incorrect. While the Practice Backlog informs the roadmap, it is not a detailed project plan.

D.Incorrect. Only B accurately reflects the nature of a Practice Backlog.

References:

ITIL 4 and Agile Service Management: Practice Backlog as a requirements repository.

In Scrum, theProduct Ownerhas the authority to manage the Product Backlog, including accepting or rejecting changes to the Sprint Backlog.

A.Incorrect. The team is responsible for delivering the work but does not control changes to the Sprint Backlog.

B.Incorrect. The Agile Service Manager is not a role in Scrum and does not make decisions about the Sprint Backlog.

C.Incorrect. The Agile Practice Owner is not a Scrum role.

D.Correct.The Product Owner ensures the Sprint Backlog aligns with the Sprint Goal and business priorities.

References:

Scrum Guide 2020: The role of the Product Owner

The Agile Service Manager serves the organization byfostering agilityand improving the ability to respond to change effectively.

A.Correct.The Agile Service Manager’s role includes driving organizational agility by aligning processes and practices with Agile principles.

B.Incorrect. While Agile values outcomes over artifacts, this is a broader principle, not the primary focus of the Agile Service Manager's service to the organization.

C.Incorrect. Ensuring customer focus is more specific to the team and Product Owner roles.

D.Incorrect. The Agile Service Manager serves both the team and the broader organization by aligning efforts with strategic goals.

References:

ITIL 4: Agile Service Management as part of organizational agility.

SAFe Framework: Role of leaders in promoting enterprise agility.

In Scrum and Agile practices, the decision to release an increment typically lies with theProduct Owner (or Agile Practice Owner in service contexts)because they are responsible for maximizing the value of the product and ensuring alignment with business needs.

A.Incorrect. While the team delivers the increment, the release decision is outside their authority.

B.Correct.The Agile Practice Owner is accountable for ensuring that a release aligns with business goals and customer needs.

C.Incorrect. The Agile Service Manager focuses on process facilitation, not increment releases.

D.Incorrect. The team supports increment development, but the release decision remains with the Agile Practice Owner.

References:

Scrum Guide 2020: Role of the Product Owner in release decisions.

Practice Backlog Refinement involves continuous improvement of the backlog to ensure it is actionable and aligns with team goals.

A.Correct. Refinement involves adding detail to user stories to make them ready for implementation.

B.Correct. During refinement, outdated or irrelevant user stories are removed to maintain backlog clarity.

C.Correct. Refinement helps prioritize and prepare user stories for inclusion in the next Sprint.

D.Correct.All of these actions are part of the refinement process.

References:

Scrum Guide 2020: Backlog Refinement process.

Agile Process Improvement emphasizes iterative, value-driven enhancements to processes, but it avoids unnecessary bureaucracy, such as overly comprehensive documentation.

A.Correct. Agile focuses on identifying and mitigating bottlenecks or constraints to optimize workflow.

B.Correct. Regular reviews, such as retrospectives, are essential to continuous improvement.

C.Incorrect.While documentation is important, Agile prefers documentation that is "just enough" to support collaboration and delivery, avoiding overly comprehensive updates.

D.Correct. Aligning processes with Agile values ensures that improvements drive responsiveness, flexibility, and customer satisfaction.

References:

Agile Manifesto principle: "Working software over comprehensive documentation."

Lean and Agile Process Improvement strategies in ITIL 4 and SAFe.