PMI-ACP Practice Questions #19
As an Agile Practitioner, you are leading a newly formed team working on a project with tight deadlines for releases. Most team members are new to Agile practices and lack the experience needed to effectively prioritize tasks and manage dependencies. Despite initial training, the team struggles to self-organize and frequently encounters delays due to rework and unclear workflows. What is the best way to address this situation?
A. Assign specific roles and responsibilities to team members and oversee their work to ensure adherence to the project timeline and Agile practices.
B. Switch temporarily to a predictive approach to provide the team with a more structured workflow.
C. Allow the team to continue learning through trial and error, encouraging them to reflect on their challenges during retrospectives and gradually improve their workflows.
D. Conduct regular coaching sessions to reinforce Agile principles and practices while actively facilitating task prioritization and dependency management during team meetings.
Analysis
This scenario presents a newly formed Agile team that is struggling with prioritization, dependency management, and self-organization despite initial training. The tight deadlines add pressure, making it necessary to balance support with team empowerment.
The Agile Practitioner must find a pragmatic approach that helps the team gain confidence and self-organizing abilities over time, without reverting to traditional command-and-control structures or abandoning Agile principles. The best approach is to provide coaching and facilitation to help the team develop effective workflows.
Analysis of Options
A: Assign specific roles and responsibilities to team members and oversee their work to ensure adherence to the project timeline and Agile practices.
- This option introduces a traditional, hierarchical structure which is not aligned with Agile principles.
- While assigning roles may provide short-term structure, it can lead to long-term dysfunction, preventing the team from becoming self-organizing.
- Agile teams should have shared accountability rather than relying on a manager to oversee their work.
- This is not the right approach.
B: Switch temporarily to a predictive approach to provide the team with a more structured workflow.
- This goes against the core Agile philosophy of iterative development and adaptability.
- Transitioning to a predictive (waterfall-style) approach because the team is struggling with Agile practices would create confusion and make it difficult to return to Agile later.
- A temporary shift to a predictive approach does not solve the underlying problem of Agile maturity—it simply postpones it.
- This is not a viable option.
C: Allow the team to continue learning through trial and error, encouraging them to reflect on their challenges during retrospectives and gradually improve their workflows.
- This option promotes team empowerment, which is a core Agile principle.
- However, it does not provide enough structure or guidance for a team that is clearly struggling with self-organization.
- The team needs support beyond retrospectives, particularly with prioritization and dependency management.
- While it is better than Options A and B, it is not the most effective solution for this situation.
D: Conduct regular coaching sessions to reinforce Agile principles and practices while actively facilitating task prioritization and dependency management during team meetings.
- This is the best option.
- The team needs coaching and facilitation to develop Agile maturity without creating long-term dependency on the Agile Practitioner.
- Coaching helps the team develop self-organizing skills, while facilitation ensures that workflows and prioritization improve without resorting to micromanagement.
- This approach strikes the right balance between support and empowerment, ensuring the team is prepared to manage themselves effectively in the future.
- This aligns with the Servant Leadership model, reinforcing Agile principles while helping the team succeed.
Conclusion
The correct answer is Option D: Conduct regular coaching sessions to reinforce Agile principles and practices while actively facilitating task prioritization and dependency management during team meetings.
This approach ensures that the team gradually becomes self-organizing while receiving the necessary support to overcome initial struggles. Coaching helps build Agile maturity, and active facilitation ensures that workflows improve without imposing rigid structures or reverting to traditional methods.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Mindset | Embrace Agile Mindset |
| Leadership | Empower Teams |
Topics Covered:
- Encouraging team self-organization despite tight deadlines
- Providing coaching and mentorship to strengthen Agile maturity
- Guiding the team in prioritization and dependency management
- Balancing team autonomy with necessary facilitation
- Promoting continuous learning through iterative improvements
- Fostering an environment of trust and empowerment for the team
- Supporting the team in adapting Agile practices effectively
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