PSK-I Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK 1) Exam Questions and Answers

This statement is incorrect. A Scrum Team will not stop using Sprints just by implementing Kanban. Kanban is used to complement Scrum practices, not replace them. The team continues to use Sprints as a cadence and timebox for delivering increments of work while also incorporating Kanban principles like visualizing work, limiting WIP, and managing flow to enhance their process

Work Item Aging is an essential metric that helps the Scrum Team monitor progress and detect potential delays early. It is especially useful in Daily Scrums to identify items that are taking longer than expected, allowing the team to take corrective actions and prevent delays. It also serves as a leading indicator of how long the feedback loop for a Work Item may take.

Throughput, which measures the number of items completed over a specific period, is essential forforecasting future delivery rates. By analyzing historical throughput data, Scrum Teams using Kanban can make informed predictions about how many items they can complete by a given date. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

When WIP limits are implemented, Developers are encouraged to focus on completing existing tasks rather than starting new ones. This leads to a more collaborative approach, as team members may swarm to complete items together. Additionally, limiting WIP enhances transparency in the process, which in turn strengthens self-management by the team. These principles align with Kanban’s emphasis on active management and the Scrum framework's focus on collaboration. References: The Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams​​.

1.WIP Limits provide a boundary/container in which the Scrum Team self-manages (Option B):

WIP Limits establish clear boundaries within which the Scrum Team can make decisions about how much work they take on. This framework allows the team to self-manage their workflow more effectively, as they must decide collectively how to stay within these limits while delivering value.

2.As part of self-managing, Scrum Teams figure out their own WIP Limits (Option D):

A fundamental principle of Scrum is self-management. The team collectively decides its WIP limits, adjusting them based on empirical evidence and ongoing learning about their capacity, flow, and delivery capabilities. This decision-making process is a key aspect of the team's autonomy and self-management(

Options A and C are incorrect because WIP limits do not inhibit self-management (A); instead, they enable it. Additionally, a Scrum Master does not define WIP limits (C); the Scrum Team decides them.

Reducing batch size does not always guarantee an increase in overall efficiency. While smaller batch sizes can lead to faster feedback, more frequent deliveries, and reduced risk, there can be situations where reducing the batch size too much results in inefficiencies, such as increased overhead costs or excessive context switching. Thus, the relationship between batch size and efficiency depends on the context, system constraints, and the nature of the work

Work Item Age is the amount of time a work item has been in progress. It acts as a leading indicator for the length of the Scrum Team's feedback loop for that item. If a work item stays in progress for too long, it indicates that feedback is delayed, potentially impacting the team's ability to adapt and respond effectively. Tracking Work Item Age helps the team monitor flow and take timely actions to ensure that feedback loops remain short and effective

1.The Kanban Board Provides Transparency (Option A):

A Kanban board visualizes the flow of work, making it easy for the Scrum Team to see the status of work items, identify bottlenecks, and inspect and adapt their processes. This visual transparency is a fundamental aspect of both Scrum and Kanban and supports the empirical process control central to Scrum(

2.Kanban Helps Achieve Faster, Healthier Flow (Option D):

By focusing on optimizing flow (e.g., reducing Cycle Time and managing Work in Progress), Kanban helps Scrum Teams achieve a faster, more predictable flow of work. This improvement in flow brings more rapid transparency, allowing for more effective inspection and adaptation during Scrum events such as the Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective(

Option B (Kanban metrics are used in the Sprint Review to allow the Product Owner to inspect Throughput and adapt the Scrum Team's Cycle Time) is not necessarily accurate, as the Sprint Review focuses on the product increment and stakeholder feedback, not directly on Kanban metrics.

Option C (Kanban helps Scrum Teams deal with simple and complicated work where empiricism is not necessary) is incorrect because both Kanban and Scrum rely on empiricism (transparency, inspection, and adaptation) to deal with work complexity

Cycle Time in the context of Professional Scrum with Kanban is defined as the time it takes for a single work item to move from the start to the end of a specific process or workflow. This metric is crucial for understanding how efficiently a team can process individual work items through their defined workflow stages.

•Option A describes a broader measurement from the initial concept to customer feedback post-release. This could align more with the concept of Lead Time rather than Cycle Time.

•Option B correctly describes a possible measurement for Cycle Time — the time a work item spends in one specific column (workflow stage). This is in line with the definitions provided in the Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams, where Cycle Time can measure time within distinct parts of the workflow.

•Option D accurately reflects the definition of Cycle Time, which measures the elapsed time from when work starts on an item until it is completed.

•Option C describes "Throughput," which is a measure of the number of items delivered over a specific time period (e.g., daily or weekly). This is not related to Cycle Time but is a separate flow metric often used alongside Cycle Time to understand team performance and capacity better(

Thus, Option C is the correct answer as it does not correctly describe Cycle Time. This explanation is verified with resources from Scrum.org that define Cycle Time within the scope of ProfessionalScrum with Kanban practices.

Supplementing Scrum with Kanban practices encourages team collaboration and swarming. Kanban practices such as visualizing the workflow, limiting WIP, and focusing on flow metrics foster an environment where team members are more likely to collaborate closely to resolve bottlenecks and ensure a steady flow of work. This collaboration, often called "swarming," involves team members working together on fewer items to complete them faster, thereby enhancing team dynamics and efficiency

A Cycle Time scatterplot is the best chart to determine when a single item that has not been started will be finished. This chart shows the distribution of cycle times for completed work items. By analyzing the historical data, you can estimate the likely cycle time for a new item.

Here's how to use the Cycle Time scatterplot:

Identify the average cycle time:Calculate the average cycle time for similar types of work items.

Consider variability:Look at the range of cycle times to understand the variability in delivery times.

Estimate completion time:Based on the average cycle time and variability, estimate when the new item is likely to be completed.

While the other charts (CFD, Throughput run chart, and WIP Aging chart) provide valuable insights into the overall workflow, they are not as effective for predicting the completion time of a single item.

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​.

In Professional Scrum with Kanban, the Work in Progress (WIP) limits are set as a policy to maintain a sustainable flow of work. Urgent work emerging does not automatically warrant changing these WIP limits; instead, the team should first discuss how to accommodate the urgent work within the existing constraints. Modifying WIP limits for urgent work could undermine the benefits of a controlled flow, which is why urgent work should not be a reason to change WIP limits during a Sprint

When Developers add Kanban to Scrum, the way they use the Sprint Goal during their Daily Scrum can change. In traditional Scrum, the Sprint Goal is a shared commitment for the Sprint. However, in Professional Scrum with Kanban, the focus shifts to the flow of work and delivering value incrementally.

While the Sprint Goal still provides direction, the Daily Scrum may involve discussions about:

Progress towards the Sprint Goal:How are we progressing towards the overall goal?

Work in Progress (WIP):Are we adhering to WIP limits?

Blockers and impediments:What is preventing the team from progressing?

Prioritization:Are we working on the highest-value items?

By focusing on these aspects, the team can ensure that they are delivering value continuously and efficiently.

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 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

When Developers limit Work in Progress (WIP) within a Sprint:

1.Developers Stop Beginning Work and Start Finishing Work (Option A):

Limiting WIP encourages the team to focus on completing work that has already been started rather than starting new tasks. This "stop starting, start finishing" approach helps to reduce multitasking and ensures that tasks are completed more efficiently(

2.Self-management Strengthened Due to Increased Transparency (Option C):

Limiting WIP increases transparency by clearly showing what work is in progress and what remains to be done. This heightened visibility encourages the Developers to self-manage more effectively, as they can see what needs attention and make collective decisions about the next steps(

3.Increased Collaboration/Swarming Between Developers (Option D):

With a limited amount of work in progress, Developers are more likely to collaborate or "swarm" on the tasks that are currently active. This can lead to faster completion of tasks, shared knowledge among team members, and a stronger sense of teamwork(

Option B (The amount of work done by the end of the Sprint would be reduced) is not necessarily correct. Limiting WIP does not inherently reduce the amount of work completed; instead, it aims to improve focus, reduce waste, and ensure more consistent delivery.

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