CAPM: Project Methodologies and Business Analysis in Agile and Predictive Environments

What are the two major project management approaches?

Predictive (Waterfall) and Adaptive (Agile)

How does the predictive approach define requirements?

Requirements and scope are defined up front before significant development begins.

What is a key characteristic of the predictive approach?

Detailed planning occurs before execution.

What does the business analyst (BA) do in a predictive environment?

The BA performs substantial analysis before implementation, including eliciting, analyzing, and documenting requirements.

What is the purpose of formal change control in a predictive approach?

To evaluate the impact of significant changes on scope, schedule, cost, and other project constraints.

What is the main focus of the adaptive approach (Agile)?

Requirements are defined, refined, prioritized, reassessed, developed iteratively, and delivered incrementally.

What does 'iterative' mean in the context of Agile methodologies?

The team repeatedly revisits and improves the product based on feedback and learning.

What is Scrum?

An agile framework used to develop and deliver products incrementally and iteratively.

What is the Product Backlog in Scrum?

An ordered list of work/items that may be needed for the product.

What is a Sprint in Scrum?

A fixed-length period during which the team creates a usable increment.

Who is accountable for maximizing product value in Scrum?

The Product Owner.

What is the main goal of Lean methodology?

To maximize value while minimizing waste.

What types of activities are considered waste in Lean?

Unnecessary work, waiting, rework, excessive handoffs, unnecessary inventory, defects, and overproduction.

What is Kanban?

An approach for managing and improving the flow of work by visualizing tasks.

What does a Kanban board visualize?

What work needs to be done, what is currently in progress, and what has been completed.

What are key concepts of Kanban?

Visualizing workflow, managing the flow of work, identifying bottlenecks, and limiting Work in Progress (WIP).

What is a Product Backlog Item (PBI)?

An individual item of work in the Product Backlog.

What does the term 'Product Increment' refer to in Scrum?

A usable, valuable version of the product produced during the work.

What is the role of the Scrum Master?

To help establish Scrum and support the team's effectiveness.

What is a key takeaway about Scrum methodology?

Scrum uses iterative and incremental development, frequent inspection, feedback, and adaptation.

What is the significance of acceptance criteria in business analysis?

Acceptance criteria define the conditions under which a solution is accepted as meeting requirements.

What is the importance of stakeholder identification in business analysis?

To understand and address the needs and expectations of those affected by the project.

How does the adaptive approach differ from the predictive approach in terms of requirements?

In the adaptive approach, requirements are not fully defined at the beginning and evolve over time.

What is the purpose of developing requirements traceability?

To ensure that all requirements are accounted for and linked to their source throughout the project lifecycle.

What is the primary role of a Business Analyst (BA) in an adaptive environment?

To work closely with stakeholders, product team, and delivery team to continuously understand and refine what provides value.

What activities does a BA perform to identify and analyze project/product work?

Elicit stakeholder needs, identify and analyze requirements, break larger requirements into smaller pieces, clarify acceptance criteria, and refine requirements as more information becomes available.

How does a BA prioritize value in an adaptive environment?

By considering business value, customer value, risk, urgency, dependencies, cost/effort, and strategic objectives.

What does a BA help the team understand in terms of delivery?

What needs to be delivered, why it is needed, how requirements relate to stakeholder needs, what acceptance criteria must be met, and what dependencies exist.

What types of risks and issues can a BA help identify?

Requirement-related risks, ambiguous requirements, conflicting stakeholder needs, dependencies, assumptions, constraints, and potential issues affecting value delivery.

In a predictive environment, what is the BA's approach to requirements?

Performing more up-front requirements analysis and documentation.

What responsibilities does a BA have in a predictive environment?

Identify stakeholders, elicit and analyze requirements, document requirements, define and validate scope, develop requirements models, establish acceptance criteria, and support requirements traceability.

What is a key concept the BA ensures the project team understands?

What needs to be delivered, why it is needed, and how to determine whether the delivered solution meets the requirements.

What is the difference between predictive and adaptive environments regarding requirements?

Predictive environments have requirements defined largely up front, while adaptive environments have requirements that evolve and are progressively elaborated.

How does planning differ between predictive and adaptive environments?

Predictive environments involve detailed planning up front, while adaptive environments have planning that occurs progressively.

What is the focus of a BA in a predictive environment?

To elicit, analyze, document, and validate requirements largely up front.

What does iterative mean in the context of business analysis?

Iterative refers to repeatedly improving or refining the solution.

What does incremental mean in business analysis?

Incremental refers to delivering the solution in separate pieces.

What is the relationship between iterative and incremental approaches in agile teams?

An agile team may build incrementally and improve iteratively.

What is a major concept in business analysis regarding stakeholder needs?

Business analysis is not simply about writing down requirements; it involves moving from stakeholder need to requirement to solution to validation to value.

What should a BA investigate when a stakeholder expresses a need?

The problem stakeholders are experiencing, who needs the information, what information is needed, when it is needed, what 'better access' means, constraints, solution options, and how success will be measured.

What are the key ideas associated with the predictive/waterfall approach?

Requirements largely defined up front, detailed planning, more formal documentation, scope established early, and changes generally go through formal change control.

What are the key ideas associated with the agile/adaptive approach?

Requirements evolve, progressive elaboration, iterative and incremental delivery, frequent stakeholder feedback, continuous prioritization, and adaptation to change.

What does Scrum emphasize in its framework?

Iterations/Sprints, Product Backlog, Increment, Feedback, and Adaptation.

What does Lean focus on in business analysis?

Maximizing value and minimizing/eliminating waste.

What is the focus of Kanban in project management?

Visualizing work, managing flow, limiting work in progress (WIP), and continuous improvement.

What is the most important distinction for the CAPM exam regarding requirements?

If requirements are expected to change as the team learns, an adaptive approach is appropriate; if requirements can be defined and planned in detail before execution, a predictive approach is more suitable.