PMI PMI-ACP - PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

Agile encourages team collaboration and self-organization. If a team member feels underutilized, the team should be encouraged to engage that person more fully, leveraging their skills across tasks. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 4.3: Team Performance) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Development), the agile practitioner supports healthy team dynamics and facilitates inclusive participation.

Option C is correct: promoting team-level inclusion helps resolve underutilization and fosters engagement.

Option A is a last resort and undermines team stability.

Option B reframes the issue as a performance problem when it may not be.

Option D unnecessarily escalates what should be resolved within the team.

The daily coordination meeting (often referred to as the daily standup) should be a brief check-in where each team member quickly shares their updates and impediments, focusing on the status of work and immediate blockers. If a detailed discussion arises during the meeting, the agile facilitator should politely stop the discussion and suggest scheduling a separate meeting to dive deeper into the issue. This ensures the daily meeting stays focused, time is used efficiently, and team members aren ' t distracted from their updates. By handling the issue separately, the facilitator helps maintain the flow and productivity of the team while still addressing the impediment effectively.

The correct answer is C – Initiate an estimation session because agile planning is iterative and collaborative. When delivery timing is in question, especially during a release planning session, the team must first estimate the size of the work (epics and user stories). Once estimates are made (often using story points or relative sizing techniques), velocity can be used to forecast delivery timelines.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Estimation is typically performed at the beginning of a release or iteration planning session to determine how much work can be completed. Teams use estimation to size items and then apply their known or projected velocity to forecast completion.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.3 – Estimation and Velocity)

Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book also states:

“Before making any delivery commitments, teams should first engage in collaborative estimation to understand the scope and effort of the work. These estimates then inform velocity-based forecasting.”

(Mike Griffiths, Chapter 5 – Adaptive Planning)

Why the other options are incorrect:

A – Scrum Masters do not estimate work; estimation is a team activity.

B – You cannot determine deliverables based on velocity until the work has been estimated.

D – Historical data can support forecasting but must be preceded by proper estimation of current backlog items.

Answer: C

The correct answer is D – Meet with project stakeholders to review the backlog and determine if the scope should be adjusted. Agile emphasizes continuous stakeholder collaboration and delivering maximum value. If the remaining backlog may not contribute significant value, it’s prudent for the Product Owner to reassess scope and validate changes with stakeholders.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Engage stakeholders continuously to review priorities and business value. If the product delivers sufficient value earlier than anticipated, the scope may be reduced or the project closed.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.4 – Value-Driven Delivery)

Mike Griffiths adds:

“Early delivery of value allows teams to stop work that no longer serves business objectives. This requires transparent communication with stakeholders to validate scope adjustments.”

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

Incorrect options:

A assumes authority without consulting stakeholders.

B doesn’t address the possible need for scope reduction.

C skips stakeholder validation before deployment decisions.

Answer: D

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Stakeholder participation, especially during sprint reviews, is critical to agile success. The PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 7.2: Stakeholder Engagement) emphasizes the importance of actively engaging stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle, particularly during key ceremonies like sprint reviews, where feedback shapes the product.

Mike Griffiths in the PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 4: Stakeholder Engagement) states that stakeholders need to understand the value of their input and how it influences product direction. The agile practitioner or Scrum Master should educate and influence stakeholders by demonstrating the tangible impact of their participation.

Option D is correct: aligning stakeholders with the benefits of engagement fosters participation.

Option A, B, and C are passive substitutes and don’t address the root issue of stakeholder disengagement.

The correct answer is D — Engaged key stakeholders periodically to collect requirements.

Agile is based on frequent stakeholder collaboration. Continuous engagement ensures evolving needs are captured and prevents misalignment. Waiting for planning meetings or demos is too late to catch missing input.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams ensure stakeholder engagement is ongoing throughout the project. This helps validate requirements and prevent surprises during reviews.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths:

“Stakeholders should be consulted early and often. Relying on static requirements leads to gaps. Agile teams maintain constant feedback loops.”

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

Incorrect options:

A is too early and one-time.

B may help but is reactive.

C is a predictive approach inconsistent with agile.

Answer: D

Sprint planning or any task-level technical meeting should involve the development team and the product owner, as they are the key players in delivering and clarifying work. According to the PMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 3.3: Agile Roles and Responsibilities) and Mike Griffiths’ PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 3: Team Performance), the Scrum Master facilitates the meeting, while the development team and product owner collaborate on the details.

Option D is correct: the core team (developers) and product owner are the correct participants for story elaboration and commitment.

Option A and C involve the customer and sponsor unnecessarily for a technical planning meeting.

Option B includes " key stakeholders, " which may be overkill unless specific business input is needed.

The correct answer is B – Create a team norms document to set participation guidelines. Establishing team norms improves psychological safety, trust, and collaborative behavior. It provides a structured way to handle differences of opinion and ensure equal contribution.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Team norms or working agreements are guidelines created by the team to set expectations for behavior, participation, and communication. These norms are agreed upon early and revisited as needed to support healthy collaboration.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.3 – Team Charter and Working Agreements)

Mike Griffiths elaborates:

“High-performing agile teams create shared agreements that clarify roles, expectations, and behavior. When team conflict or disconnects arise, practitioners should guide the team to revisit or develop such norms.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 4 – Team Performance)

Incorrect options:

A lacks structure and may not address the root issue.

C delays resolution and misuses the stand-up’s purpose.

D waits too long to act; issues should be addressed immediately, not deferred.

Answer: B

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The correct answer is D – Increase the opportunities to confirm common understanding with the client.

The rise in defects and change requests indicates a disconnect between what the team is delivering and what the customer expects. Agile emphasizes constant feedback and collaboration. Ensuring shared understanding through frequent interaction and validation reduces misunderstandings and rework.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Frequent interactions with customers and stakeholders help teams build a shared understanding and reduce the risk of misaligned expectations and defects.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 4.2 – Stakeholder Engagement)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“A high defect rate often results from unclear requirements. Teams should improve communication loops with stakeholders to confirm understanding before development begins.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6 – Problem Detection and Resolution)

Why the other options are suboptimal:

A doesn’t address the root cause: misalignment with the client.

B is reactive and temporary, not a sustainable solution.

C may help but should be preceded by improving collaboration and understanding.

Answer: D

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This approach reinforces the core values of agile, particularly the idea that a self-managed team should be collaborative and support one another. The agile lead should focus on creating a safe environment where team members feel comfortable sharing challenges and asking for help. This will not only help the junior team member but also improve the overall team dynamics and performance by fostering a culture of openness and mutual support.