PSK-I Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK 1) Exam Questions and Answers

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​​.

An SLE indicates the expected time frame within which work items should be completed, expressed as a percentage probability over a specific range of days. This helps Scrum Teams using Kanban to establish realistic expectations about delivery timelines. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​.

Lagging indicator metrics are metrics that provide information about past performance:

1.Velocity (Option A): This is a measure of the amount of work a Scrum Team completes in a Sprint. It is a lagging indicator because it reflects what has been done rather than predicting future performance.

2.Cycle Time (Option B): This metric measures the time taken to complete a work item from start to finish. It is a lagging indicator because it provides data on how long work items took to complete in the past.

3.Throughput (Option D): This refers to the number of work items completed in a given period. Like Velocity, it reflects past performance and is considered a lagging indicator.

Work in Progress (Option C) and Work Item Aging (Option E) are not lagging indicators:

•Work in Progress (C): is a current state metric that indicates how much work is currently in progress.

•Work Item Aging (E): is a leading indicator, providing insights into how long a work item has been in progress, helping predict delays or bottlenecks

When Developers limit Work in Progress (WIP) within a Sprint:

1.Developers Stop Beginning Work and Start Finishing Work (Option A):

Limiting WIP encourages the team to focus on completing work that has already been started rather than starting new tasks. This "stop starting, start finishing" approach helps to reduce multitasking and ensures that tasks are completed more efficiently(

2.Self-management Strengthened Due to Increased Transparency (Option C):

Limiting WIP increases transparency by clearly showing what work is in progress and what remains to be done. This heightened visibility encourages the Developers to self-manage more effectively, as they can see what needs attention and make collective decisions about the next steps(

3.Increased Collaboration/Swarming Between Developers (Option D):

With a limited amount of work in progress, Developers are more likely to collaborate or "swarm" on the tasks that are currently active. This can lead to faster completion of tasks, shared knowledge among team members, and a stronger sense of teamwork(

Option B (The amount of work done by the end of the Sprint would be reduced) is not necessarily correct. Limiting WIP does not inherently reduce the amount of work completed; instead, it aims to improve focus, reduce waste, and ensure more consistent delivery.

According to the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, Work in Progress (WIP) limits are set to control the amount of work in progress in a system, enhancing flow, reducing bottlenecks, and ensuring smoother delivery. WIP limits can be changed as a result of an inspection and adaptation cycle, which primarily occurs during the Sprint Retrospective.

During the Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team reflects on its process, practices, and interactions. This is the time when the team inspects its flow, evaluates the effectiveness of the current WIP limits, and can make decisions to adjust them based on observed issues or potential improvements. The goal is to optimize the team's ability to deliver value, and adjusting WIP limits during the Retrospective allows for thoughtful consideration based on the team's experience and data from the completed Sprint.

Changing WIP limits at other times could disrupt the flow and reduce the predictability and stability that the limits are intended to create. Therefore, the best practice is to evaluate and change them during the Sprint Retrospective, where the team can inspect the results of their workflow and make informed decisions for the upcoming Sprints

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 Definition of Workflow includes the agreed-upon points at which the Scrum Team considers work to have started and finished. These points are determined based on the boundaries and scope of the team's workflow. This definition must be clearly understood by the entire team to track Work in Progress (WIP) effectively and manage flow efficiently. It is up to the Scrum Team to define these boundaries to suit their specific context and workflow needs.

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

When WIP limits are implemented, Developers are encouraged to focus on completing existing tasks rather than starting new ones. This leads to a more collaborative approach, as team members may swarm to complete items together. Additionally, limiting WIP enhances transparency in the process, which in turn strengthens self-management by the team. These principles align with Kanban’s emphasis on active management and the Scrum framework's focus on collaboration. 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​​.

An SLE combines a timeframe (elapsed days) and a probability, representing the likelihood that a work item will be completed within that timeframe. This helps to set realistic expectations for stakeholders and guide the team in maintaining a predictable flow. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​.

Work Item Age is the amount of time a work item has been in progress. It acts as a leading indicator for the length of the Scrum Team's feedback loop for that item. If a work item stays in progress for too long, it indicates that feedback is delayed, potentially impacting the team's ability to adapt and respond effectively. Tracking Work Item Age helps the team monitor flow and take timely actions to ensure that feedback loops remain short and effective

A Service Level Expectation (SLE) in Kanban provides an agreement or expectation regarding the time it will take to complete a work item. An SLE consists of two main elements:

1.A probability (Option B): This is the likelihood or confidence level (e.g., 85%) that a work item will be completed within the specified period.

2.A period of elapsed days (Option D): This defines the maximum amount of time (e.g., 10 days) expected for a work item to be completed. The combination of these two elements helps set clear expectations and guide planning and forecasting efforts(

Options A (A cost of delay) and C (A forecasted date) are not part of the standard elements defining an SLE. The cost of delay is a concept related to prioritization, and a forecasted date is usually derived from the SLE but is not part of it.

The Definition of Workflow in Kanban should include key elements that help manage the flow of work through the process. These elements typically include:

•WIP Limits (Option B), which help to manage flow and prevent overburdening the team.

•Start of the Workflow (Option D) and End of the Workflow (Option C), which define when work begins and when it is considered complete.

However, Option A (Agreed owner of Workflow lane) is not usually part of the Definition of Workflow. The workflow definition focuses on the stages, policies, and rules that govern work items, rather than on individual ownership of workflow lanes(

The four key flow metrics in Scrum with Kanban are:

•Work in Progress (WIP): The number of items that are currently being worked on.

•Work Item Age: The time that has elapsed since an item started, which helps identify aging work that may need attention.

•Throughput: The number of items completed over a specific period, helping to measure productivity.

•Cycle Time: The total time from when an item starts until it is finished, used to assess how quickly items are moving through the process.

These metrics are essential for understanding and optimizing the flow of work in a Scrum team using Kanban practices

The Work Item Aging Chart is the best chart to determine when a specific Sprint Backlog item that has been started will be finished. This chart provides a visual representation of how long each work item has been in progress, without being completed. It focuses on items that are currently active and helps teams identify which items are aging too much in the workflow, which might require attention to ensure they are completed promptly. The Work Item Aging Chart helps to quickly identify items that might be taking longer than expected, making it ideal for forecasting when a started item will be finished