PMI-ACP Practice Questions #8
An organization transitioning to an agile framework as a strategy for achieving faster time-to-market mandates that daily coordination meetings occur at 9 AM. How should the Agile practitioner respond?
A. Explain to management that team ground rules are owned by the team.
B. Explain to management that agile ways of working promote empowerment, so the team should decide the meeting time collaboratively.
C. Suggest that management discuss the timing with all team leads before making a decision.
D. Advise management to set the meeting time based on workload and the team’s geographic distribution.
Analysis
The scenario describes an organization transitioning to Agile, where management mandates that daily coordination meetings must occur at 9 AM. This directive contradicts Agile principles of self-organization and team empowerment, as Agile teams should have the autonomy to decide when and how they collaborate.
As an Agile practitioner, the goal is to educate management on Agile principles while maintaining a constructive and diplomatic approach. The response should emphasize that empowered teams are more engaged, productive, and adaptable, rather than simply following top-down mandates. The best approach is to explain Agile values to management in a respectful and persuasive manner.
Analysis of Options
A: Explain to management that team ground rules are owned by the team.
This aligns with Agile principles, as teams should define their own working agreements, including meeting schedules. However, this response might come across as too direct or confrontational, potentially alienating management rather than guiding them toward an Agile mindset. A more diplomatic explanation would be more effective.
B: Explain to management that Agile ways of working promote empowerment, so the team should decide the meeting time collaboratively.
This is the best choice because it conveys the same message as Option A but in a more constructive manner. Instead of bluntly stating that the team owns the decision, this option explains the rationale behind team empowerment—that self-organizing teams are more engaged and productive. It also promotes collaborative decision-making, reinforcing Agile values without sounding defiant or dismissive toward management.
C: Suggest that management discuss the timing with all team leads before making a decision.
This keeps the decision-making with management but suggests consulting team leads before finalizing the time. While involving team leads is better than an outright mandate, this option does not fully align with Agile principles, as it still centralizes decision-making at the leadership level rather than empowering the teams.
D: Advise management to set the meeting time based on workload and the team’s geographic distribution.
This also keeps decision-making in the hands of management, merely offering criteria to consider when setting the time. While workload and geographic distribution are important factors, Agile promotes team-driven decision-making over management-driven scheduling. This approach does not fully embrace Agile principles of trust, autonomy, and self-organization.
Conclusion
The correct answer is Option B: Explain to management that Agile ways of working promote empowerment, so the team should decide the meeting time collaboratively.
This approach effectively educates management about Agile principles while maintaining a diplomatic tone, ensuring that the transition to Agile fosters self-organizing, engaged, and high-performing teams. It reinforces the Agile mindset while avoiding unnecessary conflict, making it the best choice.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Leadership | Empower Teams |
Topics Covered:
- Promoting team empowerment and self-organization.
- Educating management on Agile principles.
- Encouraging collaborative decision-making.
- Fostering autonomy in Agile teams.
- Balancing Agile adoption with organizational alignment.
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