PMI-ACP Practice Questions #39
Our team is facing delays in project delivery due to a specific step in the workflow consistently performing slower than others, creating a bottleneck. You want to apply an approach that identifies and addresses this constraint to optimize the entire system’s performance. Which of the following steps would be the most effective?
A. Conduct a retrospective with the team and create improvement backlog items.
B. Identify the bottleneck, exploit it to maximize its capacity, and then subordinate other processes to it.
C. Visualize the workflow on a Kanban board and establish explicit policies for each step.
D. Apply small batch sizes and focus on frequent delivery.
Analysis
The question presents a scenario where a specific step in the workflow consistently performs slower than others, creating a bottleneck and delaying project delivery. The focus is on identifying and addressing this constraint to optimize the system’s overall performance. The correct approach should align with the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which emphasizes identifying bottlenecks, maximizing their capacity, and adjusting other processes accordingly.
Analysis of Options
A: Conduct a retrospective with the team and create improvement backlog items.
While retrospectives are a common Agile practice for continuous improvement, they do not specifically focus on identifying and addressing bottlenecks. Retrospectives may help uncover general inefficiencies, but they do not apply a structured approach to managing constraints, making this option less effective in solving the core problem.
B: Identify the bottleneck, exploit it to maximize its capacity, and then subordinate other processes to it.
This option aligns directly with the Theory of Constraints. The TOC approach involves identifying the slowest step (bottleneck), making the most of its capacity, and ensuring that all other processes support its efficiency. This method is designed specifically to optimize system performance by resolving constraints, making this the most suitable answer.
C: Visualize the workflow on a Kanban board and establish explicit policies for each step.
Visualizing the workflow using Kanban is useful for tracking work in progress (WIP) and managing flow, but it does not directly address the root cause of the bottleneck. Kanban helps visualize bottlenecks, but the question specifically asks for an approach that actively resolves the constraint, making this option insufficient.
D: Apply small batch sizes and focus on frequent delivery.
Reducing batch sizes and increasing delivery frequency can help improve flow efficiency, but it does not specifically target or resolve bottlenecks. While a lean principle, this approach does not apply the structured method needed to manage constraints, making it a less effective choice.
Conclusion
The correct answer is Option B: Identify the bottleneck, exploit it to maximize its capacity, and then subordinate other processes to it, as it directly follows the Theory of Constraints (TOC), which is the most effective approach for optimizing system performance in this scenario.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Mindset | Embrace Agile Mindset |
Topics Covered:
- Identifying Bottlenecks: Recognizing workflow constraints to optimize system performance.
- Theory of Constraints (TOC): Applying TOC principles to maximize capacity and improve efficiency.
- Workflow Optimization: Adjusting processes to support bottleneck resolution.
- Continuous Improvement: Systematically addressing constraints for better project delivery.
- Managing Work in Progress (WIP): Balancing workflow to prevent system overload.
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