The Business Ambassador assigned to the project is only available 2 days a
week. The Project Manager has stated that the Investigation stage for each
Timebox should, where possible, be planned around the availability of the
Business Ambassador.
Is this an appropriate application of the DSDM lifecycle?
In the context of the DSDM lifecycle, the Investigation stage of a Timebox is crucial for understanding and defining the work to be done, which often necessitates close collaboration with business representatives such as the Business Ambassador. This role is integral in ensuring that the project's outputs align with business needs and priorities. Planning the Investigation stage around the Business Ambassador's availability facilitates this essential engagement, making it a suitable application of the DSDM lifecycle. This approach ensures that the project benefits from the Business Ambassador's insights and guidance during critical early phases, contributing to a stronger alignment between project deliverables and business requirements.
Reference: The Agile Project Management (AgilePM) framework, which incorporates DSDM principles, emphasizes the importance of collaboration between the project team and business stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. The involvement of the Business Ambassador during the Investigation stage is particularly valuable for clarifying requirements, setting priorities, and ensuring that the project remains focused on delivering business value, in line with Agile and DSDM practices.
An external web developer is to be contracted to create the new coffee bar
insurance area on the existing web site. The chosen web developer will only
agree to work on a 'fixed price for a fixed specification' contract.
What action should the Project Manager take?
Dividing the work into smaller, well-defined component parts is a strategic approach when dealing with fixed-price contracts within an Agile framework. This method allows for greater flexibility and adaptability, as each component can be specified in detail, making it clear what the external web developer is responsible for delivering. This approach aligns with Agile principles by enabling incremental development and delivery, allowing for adjustments and refinements to be made as the project progresses and more information becomes available.
In Agile Project Management, particularly when incorporating external resources or contractors, breaking down the project into smaller, manageable parts is a common practice. This not only facilitates better control and tracking of progress but also ensures that the project remains adaptable, with the capacity to respond to changes in requirements or priorities. This approach is in line with Agile methodologies that emphasize iterative development, customer collaboration, and responding to change over following a fixed plan.
Answer the following questions about the acceptance criteria within the project.
Decide whether the approach to setting and using acceptance criteria has been applied appropriately and select the response that supports your decision.
When specifying high-level prioritised requirements during Foundations, the Business Visionary has suggested that acceptance criteria for the requirement to "temporarily weatherproof the roof" should NOT be set until Solution Development Timebox A.
Is this an appropriate approach to setting high-level acceptance criteria?
C . No, because by the end of Foundations the quality expectations and overall acceptance criteria for at least the first increment should have been set, and high-level acceptance criteria set for later increments.
Rationale:
In Agile Project Management, it's important to establish high-level acceptance criteria early in the project to guide development and ensure that the solution meets the business needs and quality expectations. The Foundations phase is when the project's scope, objectives, and methods are defined, including the acceptance criteria for the first increment and at a high level for subsequent increments. This ensures that everyone has a clear understanding of what 'done' looks like before development begins, reducing the risk of misalignment and rework.
Xan Insurance Company operates from one location - a large, open-plan
office in the centre of a city. Those employees that will be working within the
Solution Development Team are all based in this office but work at different
ends of the office in separate departments.
What action should the Project Manager suggest to ensure the most effective
collaboration of the Solution Development Team?
The most effective action the Project Manager can suggest to ensure the most effective collaboration of the Solution Development Team is:
C . Relocate these employees to a new project area, with a number of desks where the Solution Development Team can sit together.
Co-locating team members in a shared space is a well-established practice in Agile environments to enhance communication, collaboration, and team dynamics. By having the Solution Development Team sit together, the Project Manager can facilitate more efficient face-to-face interactions, quick resolution of issues, and a better sense of team unity. This approach leverages the benefits of immediate communication and collaborative problem-solving, which are key in Agile project management. Even though the team members are currently in the same office, their separation into different ends of the office could hinder spontaneous communication and collaboration. Creating a dedicated project area for the team can significantly improve their ability to work together effectively.
Which 2 statements represent appropriate entries for the plan for Post-Project
activities?
For the XAN Insurance Company Web Project, the plan for Post-Project activities should include actions and measures that will be undertaken after the project's deliverables have been implemented to ensure sustained benefits, monitor performance, and facilitate continuous improvement.
Selected Statements for the Plan for Post-Project Activities:
D . A report showing the number of application forms completed online through the website for coffee shop insurance policies will be produced weekly.
E . Once the new system has been deployed, the time it takes to process sales online will be compared with the time it takes to process new policies sold through telephone sales.
D . Producing a weekly report on the number of application forms completed online is a clear post-project activity. It provides ongoing monitoring of the project's impact and the effectiveness of the online system in attracting coffee shop insurance policies.
E . Comparing the processing times of online sales to telephone sales after the new system's deployment is an essential post-project activity. It evaluates the efficiency and effectiveness of the new online system, offering insights into improvements and adjustments that may be needed.
Why Other Statements Are Excluded:
A . Creating a company-wide email to show the number of policies sold by each sales assistant weekly is more related to internal sales performance monitoring and motivation rather than a specific post-project activity tied to the project's objectives.
B . Circulating a copy of the revised sales procedure before product deployment is a preparation step for the transition to the new system, rather than a post-project activity.
C . The Project Manager attending Daily Stand-up meetings is part of the ongoing project management and team coordination activities during the project, not a post-project activity.