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

The correct answer is B — Prioritize the most valuable product features in the backlog first.

Agile prioritization focuses on delivering value early and frequently. Coaching the product owner to understand value-based prioritization ensures that the most critical features are built and validated first.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Agile teams focus on delivering the highest value items first. The product owner prioritizes the backlog based on business value, risk, and stakeholder input.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.3 – Backlog Management)

Mike Griffiths:

“Product backlog prioritization is value-driven. The product owner should assess each item’s value and prioritize those that deliver the greatest return or strategic impact.”

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

Incorrect options:

A misinterprets story points as a priority metric—story points measure effort, not value.

C addresses risk but not value.

D refers to Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which is a release planning technique, not a backlog sorting method.

Answer: B

—

The Definition of Done (DoD) is a crucial agile practice that outlines the agreed-upon criteria for when a deliverable is considered complete and ready for release. It ensures that all aspects of the deliverable meet the necessary standards and requirements before it is finalized. Additionally, the team should demonstrate the deliverable, typically during a sprint review or other appropriate meeting, to confirm that it meets stakeholder expectations and aligns with the project goals. This practice helps ensure that the deliverables are truly complete and ready for release, avoiding rework and maintaining a high level of quality.

The correct answer is A – Create a user story for this new improvement and put it in the product backlog for prioritization and validation by the customer. Agile is iterative and feedback-driven. New requirements or enhancements identified during reviews are treated like any other backlog item: they are created as user stories, evaluated, and prioritized collaboratively.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Feedback during review meetings may lead to new stories. These are added to the product backlog and prioritized based on value, risk, and customer need.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Product Review and Feedback)

Mike Griffiths explains:

“Agile welcomes change—even late in development. New feedback should be captured as stories, then reviewed and prioritized by the Product Owner in alignment with business goals.”

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

Incorrect options:

B assumes premature prioritization.

C implies scope creep, which contradicts agile’s flexibility.

D contradicts team empowerment and planning integrity.

Answer: A

────────────

────────────────────────────────────

Step 1: Identifying Remaining MVP Story Points

From the backlog, the MVP-related stories that are not started include:

Accessibility – color blind (4 story points)

Increase security (21 story points)

Add AI chatbot (5 story points)

Total remaining MVP story points = 4 + 21 + 5 = 30

Step 2: Projected Sprint Completion

MVP Completion: The risk register mentions a burn reduction for sprints 4-6 due to holiday schedules.

If the burn rate is consistent after sprint 6, the MVP will be completed by sprint 9.

The entire backlog is projected to complete by sprint 16 assuming no further deviations.

The correct answer is D – Add a variety of users, such as business analysts and domain experts, to the team.

When direct access to a true end-user is not possible, Agile teams can maintain strong customer representation by including subject matter experts, business analysts, or domain experts who have a deep understanding of user needs. This helps maintain focus on value delivery and minimizes the risk of developing the wrong product.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“If actual customers are not available to participate, the team may rely on proxies, such as product owners, subject matter experts, or business analysts who can effectively represent the voice of the customer.”

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

Mike Griffiths supports this:

“In the absence of true users, teams can engage stakeholders who are closest to the user’s experience—such as domain experts or business analysts—to ensure continuous feedback and guidance.”

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

Why the other options fall short:

A increases output speed but doesn’t address misalignment with user value.

B adds technical depth but not business perspective or user empathy.

C changes cadence but doesn’t improve customer representation.

Answer: D

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

The correct answer is C – The team should discuss their definition of done (DoD) and make changes to ensure there is common understanding of the acceptance criteria.

A shared understanding of what “done” means ensures consistent quality across team members. When this understanding is missing, defects and inconsistencies arise. The Definition of Done (DoD) should be reviewed and updated collaboratively to set a clear standard for completeness and quality.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“The Definition of Done provides a shared understanding of when work is complete. This includes quality criteria, testing, and documentation. It should be revisited regularly to maintain alignment.”

(PMI Agile Practice Guide, Section 5.2 – Definition of Done)

Mike Griffiths emphasizes:

“Quality issues often result from unclear or inconsistent DoD. Revisiting and refining it ensures consistent expectations across the team.”

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

Why the other options are incorrect:

A (TDD) may help, but won’t solve the fundamental alignment issue.

B accepts a problem without resolving it.

D imposes a process without team collaboration, which is not agile.

Answer: C

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

InKanban, one of the most effective ways to reduce variability in cycle time is by ensuring a consistent size of work items. According to thePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.7 Flow-based Agile - Kanban), maintaining uniformity in work item size helps stabilize the system and supports reliable forecasts. Large or complex stories increase variability and unpredictability.

Mike Griffiths in thePMI-ACP Exam Prep Book (Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery)recommendssplitting large user storiesand maintaining size thresholds for items on the board to ensure flow efficiency.

OptionCaligns best with this practice:establishing a policyfor breaking down large stories and adjusting WIP accordingly will help standardize flow, minimize cycle time variation, and improve predictability.

The correct answer is C – The team realized that some stories were underestimated relative to other stories and reestimated as needed.

According to the data in the chart:

Backlog started at 500 points.

Points steadily decreased by 25 points per iteration for the first 3 iterations, reflecting normal velocity.

At the end of iteration 4, the backlog increased from 425 to 450 points (a 25-point jump), which indicates an increase in estimated remaining work.

In Agile, backlog point totals can increase when work is reestimated—typically because items were originally underestimated or new complexity is discovered. Reestimation reflects the evolving understanding of requirements and is a core principle of adaptive planning.

From the PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Estimates may change as the team learns more. Agile teams inspect and adapt their understanding of the work during iteration planning and refinement. Story reestimation is normal and may result in backlog point increases.”

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

Mike Griffiths writes:

“Backlogs are dynamic. Teams may reestimate stories during grooming or retrospectives if they find that original estimates were off. This helps maintain planning accuracy and backlog integrity.”

(Mike Griffiths, PMI-ACP Exam Prep, Chapter 5 – Estimation and Backlog Refinement)

Incorrect options:

A refers to external factors not reflected in the backlog points.

B would be better handled by new backlog items, not inflating prior estimates.

D suggests increased scope/output, which would add stories but not necessarily reestimate existing ones.

Answer: C

────────────────────────────────────

The correct answer is A — Provide feedback for completed user stories.

Stakeholder involvement in Agile is ongoing. Their primary role is to give timely and actionable feedback on delivered product increments to ensure alignment with their expectations and business value goals. This feedback is then used to refine the product backlog and guide future iterations.

PMI Agile Practice Guide:

“Stakeholders should engage regularly to inspect product increments and provide feedback to guide value delivery.”

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

Mike Griffiths:

“In agile projects, stakeholders ensure their needs are met by actively reviewing completed work and providing feedback to influence upcoming work.”

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

Incorrect options:

B is the team's responsibility; stakeholders should focus on the “what,” not the “how.”

C is the product owner's responsibility.

D is a collaborative task but not solely a stakeholder responsibility.

Answer: A

—

In agile,early and frequent feedbackfrom stakeholders and clients is critical to ensure that what is being built delivers the intended value. ThePMI Agile Practice Guide (Section 5.5 and Section 7.2.2)promotes regularproduct review sessions (e.g., sprint reviews)with stakeholders to validate progress and obtain immediate feedback.

Mike Griffiths (PMI-ACP Exam Prep Book, Chapter 6: Value-Driven Delivery) explains thatproduct validation is continuousand not left to the end of the project. Regular review sessions allow clients toconfirm that the product meets expectations, reducing the risk of building the wrong solution.

Therefore,Option Dis correct: holding product review sessions with the client aligns with agile values of transparency, collaboration, and value delivery.