Pass the Scrum Professional Scrum with Kanban PSK-I Questions and answers with CertsForce

Supplementing Scrum with Kanban practices can bring several benefits to a Scrum Team:

•Greater Collaboration (A): By using Kanban practices like visualizing work and managing flow, team members have clearer visibility into each other's tasks, fostering better collaboration.

•Reduced Average Cycle Time (C): Kanban's focus on flow and limiting WIP helps decrease the time it takes for items to move from start to finish.

•Better Transparency (D): Kanban practices enhance visibility into the current state of work, making it easier to identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement.

•Discover Areas of Variability (E): The use of flow metrics such as cycle time and throughput in Kanban can help identify variability in processes, enabling the team to make adjustments for more predictable delivery

By limiting WIP, Scrum Teams using Kanban create a more predictable flow, as it prevents the team from overcommitting and encourages them to finish work items before starting new ones. This aligns with Kanban’s principle of optimizing flow and Scrum’s iterative delivery approach. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

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​.

Kanban is:

•A strategy for optimizing the flow of value through a process (Option B): Kanban focuses on improving flow and efficiency by using a visual pull system with limited WIP. This strategy helps teams balance demand against throughput and enhance productivity by limiting the number of work items in progress.

Options A (methodology for visualizing workflow) and C (set of practices additive to Scrum) are partially correct but do not fully capture Kanban's purpose. Kanban is not just a visualization tool (A), and while it can be additive to Scrum (C), it is fundamentally a flow-based strategy

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 workitems, rather than on individual ownership of workflow lanes(

The essential flow metrics for Scrum Teams utilizing Kanban are:

Throughput: Measures the number of items completed within a time period.

Lead Time: Time from when an item enters the system to when it exits.

Cycle Time: Time it takes to complete a work item once it starts.

Work in Progress (WIP): The number of items currently in progress but not completed.

These metrics are foundational in understanding and optimizing flow within Kanban systems used alongside Scrum​​. "Work Item Age" and "Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)" are useful metrics but are not listed as primary flow metrics in Kanban 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​​.

The Definition of Done (DoD) still applies even if policies are explicitly stated at each column of your workflow. The DoD is a fundamental concept in Scrum that ensures a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete. Even with explicit policies at each stage of the workflow, the DoD provides a consistent standard for the team's deliverables, ensuring quality and alignment with stakeholder expectations

The best answer is option A, which outlines the core Kanban practices for Scrum:

•Visualizing Flow: Helps the team see the state of work items at a glance.

•Limiting Work in Progress (WIP): Prevents overloading the team and promotes focus on completing work.

•Actively Managing the WIP: Ensures the team continuously monitors and manages the amount of work in progress.

•Inspecting and Adapting the Workflow: Regularly reviewing and adjusting the workflow to improve efficiency and effectiveness