key characteristics of a Product Backlog

Course 5 – Agile Project Management QUIZ ANSWERS

Week 3: Implementing Scrum

Google Project Management: Professional Certificate

Coursera Answers & Study Guide

Implementing Scrum INTRODUCTION

The Coursera Google Project Management: Professional Certificate program covers Implementing Scrum. This section will guide you through the process of building and managing a Product Backlog, developing user stories and epics, and setting up the five important Scrum events. You will learn how to use tools to plan and visualize sprint workflows, track progress against goals, and identify areas for improvement. By the end of this section, you’ll have a better understanding of the fundamentals of Scrum and be able to apply them to your own projects.

With Coursera’s Google Project Management: Professional Certificate program, it has never been easier to master Agile project management principles with industry-recognized best practices taught by experts from the Google Cloud Platform!

Learning Objectives

  • Apply communication tools to help plan and visualize sprint workflow and progress.
  • Develop and break down user stories and epics.
  • Perform Product Backlog refinement by relative effort estimation, determining acceptance criteria, and prioritization.
  • Describe the five important Scrum events and how to set up each event for a Scrum Team.
  • Explain how to build and manage a Product Backlog.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: THE PRODUCT BACKLOG

1. Which Scrum Role is primarily responsible for owning and updating the Product Backlog?

  • Development Team
  • High-Influence Stakeholder
  • Scrum Master
  • Product Owner (CORRECT)

Correct: The Product Backlog is the single authoritative source for the Scrum Team that evolves throughout the life cycle of the project. To help keep things organized, it is primarily the Product Owner’s job to own and update the Product Backlog.

2. Which of the following are key characteristics of a Product Backlog? Select all that apply.

  • It is rarely updated.
  • It is owned and adjusted by the entire team.
  • It is a prioritized list of features. (CORRECT)
  • It is a living artifact. (CORRECT)

Correct: The Product Backlog is a living artifact and prioritized list of features. When new information and features are added, the Product Owner includes them in the order of importance.

Correct: The Product Backlog is a living artifact, and items may be added to the Backlog at any time. As a result, it evolves as the project progresses and serves as a central guide for the team’s work.

3. What long-term objective for the Scrum Team is included in the Product Backlog?

  • Product Goal (CORRECT)
  • Product requirements document
  • Sprint Goal
  • Product Owner

Correct: The Scrum Team shares the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner. The Product Goal is the long-term objective that the team needs to achieve. It is included in the Product Backlog.

4. When building a Product Backlog, you include how much effort the Developers state it will take to finish an item. You should capture this information in which Backlog item attribute?

  • Item estimate (CORRECT)
  • Item order
  • Item description
  • Item value field

Correct: Each item in the Backlog includes a relative effort estimate. Typically, the entire team owns this item field, not just the Product Owner.

5. When building a Product Backlog, you compare the importance of each Backlog item to the other Backlog items. This helps you rank and organize the Backlog items from highest to lowest priority. You should capture this information in which Backlog item attribute?

  • Item effort estimate
  • Item order (CORRECT)
  • Item value
  • Item description

Correct: The Product Owner may compare the relative importance of items to order each item from highest priority to lowest priority. This is often called a stacked rank.

ACTIVITY: CREATE A PRODUCT BACKLOG

1. Select the action that best completes the following user story.

“As a pet owner, I want to _____ so that my cat doesn’t get sick.

  • purchase non-toxic plants (CORRECT)
  • purchase outdoor plants
  • contact a poison control center
  • keep my plants in my office

Correct: This action relates to the value and benefits the user role.

2. Consider the following user story:

“As a plant owner, I want to learn from other, more experienced plant owners so that I can better care for my plant.”

Which of the following pieces of acceptance criteria are appropriate for this story? Select all that apply.

  • Ability to join a mailing list
  • Ability to sign up for Q&A sessions with plant experts (CORRECT)
  • Ability to join an online discussion group for trading plant care tips (CORRECT)
  • Ability to access an “Expert Advice” section on the website (CORRECT)

Correct: This piece of acceptance criteria is appropriate for the user story.

3. Which of the following user stories is complete and follows the correct structure?

  • “As a plant owner, I want to know how much sunlight my plant needs so that I can maximize its growth.” (CORRECT)
  • “I want to order plant care tools so that I can keep my plants healthy.”
  • “As a customer, I want to be able to access my account dashboard quickly and easily.”
  • “I want to purchase plants, but I’m worried they won’t get to me safely.”

Correct: This story is complete: it describes a user role, an action, and the value the action provides for the user role.

4. Which of the following user stories could lead to the creation of a discussion group or a live customer chat option? Select all that apply.

  • “As a plant owner, I only want to purchase rare succulents but Virtual Verde does not offer any.”
  • “As a new plant owner, I want to purchase low-maintenance plants so that I can care for them easily.”
  • “As a plant owner, I want to get expert help and advice quickly so that I know what to do if my plant gets sick.” (CORRECT)
  • “As a plant expert, I want to connect with other customers so that I can discuss plant care tips and tricks.” (CORRECT)

Correct: This story follows the correct format and could lead to the creation of a live chat option.

Correct: This story follows the correct format and could lead to the creation of a discussion group.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: THE SPRINT

1. Which of the following are included in a Sprint’s set of events? Select all that apply.

  • Sprint Closing
  • Sprint Review (CORRECT)
  • Daily Scrum (CORRECT)
  • Sprint Retrospective (CORRECT)
  • Sprint Planning (CORRECT)

Correct: The Sprint Review is when the team demonstrates the work they completed in the previous Sprint. This event also explores which items the Product Owner should consider done in the Product Backlog. Other Sprint events include Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, and the Sprint Retrospective.

Correct: The Daily Scrum is a time for the team to synchronize and prioritize activities. It may occur daily or 2–3 times throughout the week. Other Sprint events include Sprint Planning, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective.

Correct: The Sprint Retrospective is when the team reviews the previous Sprint’s work. They comment on what went well and what they can improve. Other Sprint events include Sprint Planning, the Sprint Review, and the Daily Scrum.

Correct: During Sprint Planning, the team identifies which items from the Backlog will be worked on in the upcoming Sprint. Other Sprint events include the Sprint Review, the Daily Scrum, and the Sprint Retrospective.

2. What are the benefits of timeboxes? Select all that apply.

  • They enable the team to visually understand the work.
  • They help the team develop a predictable rhythm to their work. (CORRECT)
  • They create a sense of urgency to drive prioritization. (CORRECT)
  • They provide a window of focus to improve productivity. (CORRECT)

Correct: By setting a timboxed meeting and work schedule, teammates can more accurately predict how much time they have for tasks during a Sprint. In addition, timeboxes provide a window of focus for the team and help the team address the most urgent tasks.

Correct: By limiting the time to do work, timeboxes help teams focus on the most urgent tasks. In addition, timeboxes help to regularly pace the team’s work and provide a window of focus.

Correct: With a set amount of time to complete a task, such as two weeks, the team only has to focus on their work during that limited window. In addition, timeboxes help to regularly pace the team’s work and allow the team to focus on urgent tasks.

3. How long is a typical Sprint’s timebox?

  • Between one and three days
  • Between one and four weeks (CORRECT)
  • Between two and three months

Correct: A Sprint that lasts between one and four weeks gives the team enough focused time to complete their tasks. The Sprint length may change if the team determines they need more or less time to complete their work.

4. Which of the following factors should you consider when setting the length of a Sprint’s timebox? Select all that apply.

  • The likelihood that the project will go over budget
  • The expected frequency of changes (CORRECT)
  • How much overhead—such as testing and review—goes into the delivery of the product (CORRECT)
  • How much focused time the solution Developers need to build a Backlog item (CORRECT)

Correct: You should consider what you expect the frequency of changes to be. This might include changing requirements or new requests—both of which can impact the timebox. A project with less consistent needs typically benefits from a longer Sprint.

Correct: You should consider how much overhead goes into product delivery. For instance, a product that requires a major review with many stakeholders may require a longer timebox.

Correct: You should consider how much focused time your solution Developers need to build a Backlog item. With this information, you can set a timebox that allows the team to create something valuable but does not create undue time pressure.

GOOGLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSERA ANSWERS AND STUDY GUIDE

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Weekly Breakdown | Google Study Guides | Back to Top

Agile Project Management WEEKLY CHALLENGE 3

1. How do Product Owners typically organize items in the Backlog?

  • From highest to lowest priority (CORRECT)
  • From easiest to most difficult
  • From simplest to most complex
  • From most to least time-consuming

2. A Product Owner writing a user story needs the story to fit within the planned Sprint. If the user story is too large, they break it down into multiple, scaled-down stories in order to meet which of the I.N.V.E.S.T. story writing criteria?

  • Small (CORRECT)
  • Valuable
  • Independent
  • Negotiable
  • Estimitable

3. As a Product Owner doing story estimation, you tell your team to keep their initial estimate private. This allows team members to form an independent opinion before sharing. Which effective estimation characteristic does this refer to?

  • Build team trust
  • Lead to effort discovery
  • Avoid anchoring bias (CORRECT)
  • Promote inclusivity

4. As a Product Owner, you set the initial Sprint duration the team has to work on their items. This refers to what Scrum concept?

  • Interval
  • Time frame
  • Schedule
  • Timebox (CORRECT)

5. Which of the following is a key deliverable of Sprint Planning?

  • The project charter
  • Retrospective notes
  • A burndown chart
  • The Sprint Backlog (CORRECT)

6. Which role is responsible for assisting team members to clear obstacles and unblock their work?

  • Product Owner
  • Key stakeholder
  • Another teammate
  • Scrum Master (CORRECT)

7. What does the Scrum Team reflect on during a Sprint Retrospective? Select all that apply.

  • Who was at fault for not accomplishing a story?
  • What updates should the team make to user stories in the next Sprint?
  • What’s working or not working for the team regarding the people, the processes, and the tools? (CORRECT)
  • Were the improvements in the last Sprint helpful or not? (CORRECT)
  • What improvements are worth exploring in the next Sprint? (CORRECT)

8. What’s the overall goal of a burndown chart?

  • Serve as a communication tool for outside stakeholders
  • Quantify performance for individual team members
  • Provide a way to compare productivity among teams
  • Keep the team aware of how they’re doing against their goals (CORRECT)

9. Why would a Scrum Team use a Kanban board? Select all that apply.

  • To take fewer notes
  • To give a better sense of the team’s flow of work (CORRECT)
  • To visualize tasks (CORRECT)
  • To make it easier to notice work-in-progress (WIP) limits (CORRECT)

10. Utilizing tools in Scrum helps make the team fully aware of progress and updates. This embodies which Scrum pillar?

  • Commitment
  • Transparency (CORRECT)
  • Adaptation
  • Inspection

11. Which of the following best describes why Scrum Teams refer to the Product Backlog as a living artifact?

  • The team only adds items at the end of a Sprint.
  • The stakeholders can add items at any time.
  • The Product Owner only adds items at the end of a Sprint.
  • The Product Owner adds items at any time. (CORRECT)

12. Fill in the blank: As a Product Owner writing a user story, you want every task to have a clear Definition of Done. A clear Definition of Done helps the team better understand how much effort it will take to complete an item. Including a Definition of Done in a user story makes it _____, one of the I.N.V.E.S.T. story-writing criteria.

  • independent
  • estimable (CORRECT)
  • negotiable
  • valuable
  • small

13. Which of the following may indicate a task meets the Definition of Done? Select all that apply.

  • The product meets half of the acceptance criteria.
  • An independent peer group reviews the product. (CORRECT)
  • The product passes all testing requirements. (CORRECT)
  • The Product Owner accepts the story. (CORRECT)

14. As a Product Owner hosting a Sprint Retrospective, you ask the team, “Where did we notice success?” This question reflects which Retrospective best practice?

  • Change up the format
  • Balance negative with positive (CORRECT)
  • Be blameless
  • Take action

15. Fill in the blank: When a team conducts Sprint Planning, they use the average velocity of _____ to determine how many items they can safely add to their Sprint Backlog.

  • at least three days
  • at least three weeks
  • at least three story points
  • at least three Sprints (CORRECT)

16. How would you best compare a Kanban board to a Scrum board?

  • The Scrum board is more visual
  • A project team has less use for a Kanban board
  • They’re essentially the same tool with minor differences (CORRECT)
  • The Kanban board is better for tracking Sprint tasks

17. As a Product Owner, you need to organize and visualize your Backlog. What is an example of a tool that would make this task easier?

  • Gmail or Slack
  • Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Zoom or Google Chat
  • Jira or Trello (CORRECT)

18. As a Product Owner building a Backlog, what three pieces of information should you include for each item?

  • The date the item is due
  • Step-by-step instructions on how to complete the item
  • The level of effort to complete the item (CORRECT)
  • A clear description from the perspective of the customer (CORRECT)
  • A set value for each item, such as dollar signs (CORRECT)

19. As a Product Owner, you need to add estimates to your Backlog items. You and your team have over 100 items to estimate and less than one hour to do it. Because of the time limit, you need a technique that will help your team quickly sort items by complexity. Which effort estimation technique should you use?

  • Planning Poker™
  • The Bucket System (CORRECT)
  • Affinity Mapping
  • Dot Voting

20. Fill in the blank: The amount of work a Product Owner plans for the Sprint is based on _____.

  • the historical capacity of the team (CORRECT)
  • direction from the customer
  • the future capacity of the team
  • direction from the stakeholders

21. Which role is responsible for assisting team members to clear obstacles and unblock their work?

  • Product Owner
  • Another teammate
  • Scrum Master (CORRECT)
  • Key stakeholder

22. Fill in the blank: Retrospectives in Scrum happen _____ a traditional project.

  • more often than in (CORRECT)
  • less often than in
  • as often as in

23. Which of the following typically happens during a Sprint? Select all that apply.

  • The Product Backlog is refined by the Product Owner as needed. (CORRECT)
  • The project scope is clarified with the Product Owner as more is learned. (CORRECT)
  • The Sprint Goal is changed by the Product Owner as needed.
  • The work quality improves—or at least stays the same—when compared to the last Sprint. (CORRECT)

24. During the Sprint Review, what does the team unveil that demonstrates what they produced in a given Sprint that is considered releasable?

  • acceptance criteria
  • Product Backlog
  • user story
  • product increment (CORRECT)

25. Which tool is helpful for documenting Backlog and item information?

  • Presentations
  • Video chat
  • Email
  • Spreadsheets (CORRECT)

26. Which of the following pieces of data should you capture in a Product Backlog?

  • Cost
  • Order (CORRECT)
  • Description (CORRECT)
  • Estimate (CORRECT)
  • Value (CORRECT)

Correct: The Backlog should always be prioritized and ordered by hierarchy. This will help you answer the question: How important is this Backlog item compared to all the other items?

Correct: The item description is aptly named: it describes an item. The descriptions you write should be clear and rich in detail.

Correct: An estimate is how much effort the Scrum Team thinks an item will take to complete. You should capture the relative effort estimate in each Backlog item.

Correct: The value field describes how much business value the Backlog item delivers to the customers, the team, or the users. You can work with your team to decide on the best method to indicate the level of value.

27. What’s the purpose of a user story?

  • User stories help the team create a solution that’s always centered around the user and the user experience. (CORRECT)
  • User stories explain to the user why the team is creating a product or service and why they should use it.
  • User stories replace the Product Backlog, so product managers do not need to capture and manage backlog items.

Correct: User stories are concise, specific descriptions of a feature told from the user’s perspective. They allow the team to create solutions centered on the user experience and help project managers capture and manage the Product Backlog.

28. In Asana, what can Board View help you do?

  • Set your team’s budget, similar to using a spreadsheet
  • Determine your team’s key results, similar to using OKRs
  • Track your team’s Sprint plans, similar to using a Kanban board (CORRECT)
  • Conduct stakeholder analysis, similar to using a power grid

Correct: After you create a project in Asana, you will be directed to the Board View to add project details. Board View can help you track Sprint plans for your team, just like a Kanban board.

29. Fill in the blank: In relative estimation, project managers _____.

  • determine exactly how long a task will take and assign it a time estimate in hours, days, or weeks
  • keep the Product Backlog described and prioritized so the Scrum Team can operate effectively
  • review the Product Backlog to ensure it contains the appropriate items and that nothing needs to be added or removed
  • compare the effort of a given task to the effort for another task and assign it a value that is a relative unit for size (CORRECT)

Correct: In relative estimation, instead of determining exactly how long a task will take, project managers compare the effort of a given task to the effort for another task. This becomes the estimate.

30. Which of the following best describes the Definition of Done?

  • The agreed-upon set of items that must be completed before the user story or Backlog item can be considered complete (CORRECT)
  • The Scrum event when the Scrum team meets to confirm how much capacity is available during the current Sprint
  • The set of Product Backlog items that are identified for completion during the upcoming Sprint

Correct: This describes the Definition of Done. The Scrum Team is responsible for determining what should be on this list of items and improving it as needed.

31. In Asana, what is the benefit of adding a Sprints field when you prioritize and schedule Backlog items for an upcoming Sprint?

  • It automatically updates each item’s priority, based on previous Sprints.
  • It allows you to easily find out which Sprint each task is scheduled for. (CORRECT)
  • It orders items into Sprints based on team capacity.

Correct: Asana can help you with prioritizing and scheduling each item in the Backlog. If you add a custom field for Sprints, you can easily find out which Sprint each task is scheduled for.

32. What questions should the team answer during the Daily Scrum?

  • What work do I need to do next week to help the team meet the Sprint Goal?
  • Do I notice any impediment that prevents me or the team from meeting our goals? (CORRECT)
  • What will I do today to help the team meet the sprint goal? (CORRECT)
  • What did I do yesterday that helped the team meet the Sprint Goal? (CORRECT)

Correct: It’s important to bring up any task impediments so the Scrum Master can help remove or unblock those impediments.

Correct: Each team member will discuss the work they will be working on during the current day.

Correct: Each team member will recap what work they completed the day before.

33. What typically happens during the Sprint Review? Select all that apply.

  • Prioritize activities for the day
  • Identify which Backlog items to work on during the Sprint
  • Explore which Backlog items to consider done (CORRECT)
  • Demonstrate and inspect the product (CORRECT)

Correct: After the team demonstrates the work completed during the Sprint, they discuss which items in the Product Backlog to mark as done.

Correct: The team demonstrates and discusses the work they completed during the Sprint.

34. During what Scrum event will the Scrum Master ask questions like: What has been our average velocity? Who on the team has any upcoming vacations or work conflicts? Who is responsible for what Sprint tasks?

  • Sprint Review
  • Sprint Retrospective
  • Sprint planning (CORRECT)
  • Daily Scrum

35. What stakeholder benefit does a team provide when they have a stable velocity and refine their Product Backlog?

  • Know approximately how long it will take to complete the Backlog (CORRECT)
  • Able to compare the team to other teams at the company
  • Verify if the team is productive
  • Able to alter the project’s goals, milestones, and deliverables

36. Which of the following exhibit the best practices for formatting a user story?

  • Paint the client’s home to increase its value and protect its exterior surfaces.
  • As the homeowner, I want my home painted, so that it increases the value of my home and protects the exterior surfaces. (CORRECT)
  • Paint the client’s home because they want to increase the value of their home and protect its exterior surface.
  • Paint my home because as a homeowner, it will increase its value and protect its exterior surfaces.

37. As a Product Owner, you need to add estimates to your Backlog for a small number of items. You’d like your team to reach a consensus on the number of items, and you’d also like to incorporate the Fibonacci sequence. Which effort estimation technique should you use?

  • Planning Poker™ (CORRECT)
  • The Bucket System
  • Affinity Mapping
  • Dot Voting

38. What typically occurs during the Sprint Review? Select all that apply.

  • Synchronize and prioritize activities for the team.
  • Demonstrate and inspect the product. (CORRECT)
  • Explore which items should be considered done in the Backlog. (CORRECT)
  • Discuss how to better work as a team.

39. Work in progress (WIP) limits place constraints on how many items a team works on at any given time. What Scrum value do WIP limits encourage for a team?

  • Focus (CORRECT)
  • Commitment
  • Courage
  • Openness

40. As a Product Owner building a Backlog, what three pieces of information should you include for each item? Select all that apply.

  • A set value for each item, such as dollar signs (CORRECT)
  • The level of effort to complete the item (CORRECT)
  • A clear description from the perspective of the customer (CORRECT)

41. As a Product Owner, you need to add estimates to your Backlog items. You and your team have over 100 items to estimate and less than one hour to do it. Which effort estimation technique should you use?

  • The Bucket System (CORRECT)

42. As a Product Owner hosting a Sprint Review, you ask the team, “Where did we notice success?” This question reflects which Retrospective best practice?

  • Balance negative with positive (CORRECT)

Implementing Scrum CONCLUSION

Scrum is an Agile framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. Through this course, you will learn how to build and manage a Product Backlog, develop user stories and epics, set up the five important Scrum events, use tools to plan and visualize sprint workflows and progress, create transparency around what needs to be done in every Sprint cycle with task boards campfire sessions or show & tells, inspect progress towards product goals during Sprint Reviews / Retrospectives meetings, scale scrum development teams by applying SAFe house of lean practices through enterprise-level programs.

With the help of this course, you will be able to build and manage an effective Product Backlog. You will know how to develop user stories and epics to guide your development process. In addition, you will also learn about the five important Scrum events and how to use tools to plan and visualize sprint workflows and progress. If you want to learn more about this topic, join us now at Coursera.org!