Pass the PMI PMI Agile PMI-ACP Questions and answers with CertsForce

In agile, teams are empowered to identify and solve problems collaboratively. When a technical concern arises, such as a limitation in the current technology stack, it is common practice to initiate a spike or research activity to explore alternative solutions. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.2: Spikes and Technical Investigation) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Problem Detection and Resolution), the best approach is to encourage the team to investigate the issue collaboratively.

Option A is correct: engaging the team in research fosters ownership and solution-based thinking.

Option B circumvents team decision-making and undermines self-organization.

Option C is premature—this is a technical issue, not a user requirement.

Option D may be helpful, but action should start with the team exploring options.

The correct answer is B – Prioritizing stories.

The MoSCoW method is a prioritization technique used in Agile to categorize requirements and backlog items based on their business value. It helps stakeholders and teams agree on what is essential to deliver versus what is desirable or optional.

MoSCoW stands for:

M – Must have

S – Should have

C – Could have

W – Won’t have (this time)

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The MoSCoW prioritization method helps stakeholders classify backlog items based on their criticality and desired delivery timing. This enables better alignment with business objectives.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Prioritization)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“MoSCoW is a simple but effective method for clarifying which features are essential and which can be deferred. It enhances transparency during prioritization discussions.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Why the other options are incorrect:

A – Estimating story size involves techniques like planning poker or T-shirt sizing.

C – Product validation is done via demos, acceptance criteria, and stakeholder feedback.

D – Progress tracking uses tools like burndown charts or cumulative flow diagrams.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is D — Help establish the next sprint ' s goal.

The sprint goal provides a shared objective and guides the selection and execution of user stories. It is established collaboratively between the product owner and the development team at the start of sprint planning and precedes task decomposition or estimation.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The team collaborates with the product owner during sprint planning to define a sprint goal. The sprint goal gives the team clarity and focus on what it intends to achieve during the sprint.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.5 – Iteration Planning)

Mike Griffiths reinforces:

“Effective planning starts with understanding the desired outcome of the sprint. The sprint goal aligns the team and informs prioritization and task breakdown.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Incorrect options:

A prematurely assigns tasks, which goes against Agile’s collaborative ethos.

B and C happen later in the sprint planning process after defining the sprint goal.

Answer: D

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The presence of a single point of knowledge is a significant risk in agile teams. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3.3: Team Structure and Cross-functionality) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance), agile teams should avoid role silos and promote knowledge sharing. Adding another database administrator helps with both workload distribution and knowledge retention through pairing or mentoring.

Option C is correct: it ensures redundancy and knowledge spread, reducing project risk.

Option A does not address knowledge transfer or team development.

Option B removes the knowledge resource, worsening the risk.

Option D limits knowledge-sharing and still creates a bottleneck.

The best approach to resolving this conflict is collaborating, as it encourages open communication and active participation from all team members. In this case, the graphic designer’s non-participation is causing frustration within the team. The Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion where the designer can express their concerns, and the team can share why their attendance in meetings is important. By collaborating, the Scrum Master can help find a solution that addresses both the designer’s needs and the team ' s expectations, ensuring better teamwork and alignment moving forward. This approach encourages mutual respect and fosters a cooperative environment.

Retrospectives are meant to drive incremental, continuous improvement. Implementing too many changes at once can be overwhelming. The PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.6 Retrospectives) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement) recommend that teams select a manageable number of actionable improvements and follow through in the next iteration.

This supports sustainable improvement and encourages follow-up.

Option C is correct: start with one or two improvements to implement immediately.

Option A bypasses action.

Option B risks overwhelming the team.

Option D prioritizes complexity over practicality.

The correct answer is C — The team should have conducted more demonstrations with the product owner during the iteration.

Continuous feedback is essential in Agile. Regular product demos or interim check-ins during the sprint (not just at the end) allow the product owner to validate progress and course-correct early. This ensures that expectations are aligned and surprises are avoided at the sprint review.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Stakeholder feedback should be gathered continuously throughout the sprint. Regular engagement and interim demos reduce the risk of misalignment at iteration end.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.7 – Reviews and Demos)

Mike Griffiths:

“Waiting until the sprint review to validate features with the product owner increases risk. Frequent collaboration and demonstrations ensure the work remains on target.”

(PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 3 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Incorrect options:

A is helpful but doesn ' t guarantee alignment.

B is testing-focused and misses early collaboration.

D places all responsibility on the product owner, ignoring shared ownership.

Answer: C

Knowledge sharing and organizational learning are core elements of scaling agile. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 8.4 Organizational Change Management) and the PMBOK® Guide (6th Edition, Section 10.2 Manage Communications), the project manager should actively disseminate lessons learned, best practices, and project outcomes to promote agile adoption across the organization.

Mike Griffiths reinforces in the PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 7: Continuous Improvement) that continuous feedback loops and transparent communication are essential to agile transformation success.

Option D is correct because regular meetings specifically focused on sharing outcomes and learning from the pilot project help embed agile values and improve future implementations.

Sprint reviews are a crucial Scrum event for obtaining early feedback from stakeholders, which allows the team to inspect the progress and adapt the product accordingly. By skipping sprint reviews in favor of only release reviews, the team loses the opportunity to make adjustments and improvements throughout the project. The scrum master should emphasize the importance of regular feedback and ensure the team stays aligned with Scrum principles for continuous improvement and value delivery.

Frequent feedback is key to agile success. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.3: Sprint Review and Feedback) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement), the sprint review (demo) is the primary event designed to obtain feedback from stakeholders. If stakeholders are unresponsive, increasing the opportunities for engagement, such as by scheduling more demos or review checkpoints, encourages their involvement.

Option D is correct: demos provide structured opportunities to collect feedback.

Option A might increase delivery cadence but doesn ' t guarantee feedback.

Option B is inappropriate—daily stand-ups are for the team.

Option C violates role responsibilities—estimation is owned by the team, not stakeholders.