PMI-ACP Practice Questions #86
Your Agile team is working on a travel booking platform. During backlog refinement, the team estimates the following stories:
- Story A: “As a frequent flyer, I want to search for flights by destination and date.” (Estimated at 3 story points)
- Story B: “As a frequent flyer, I want to receive email notifications when flight prices drop.” (Estimated at 5 story points)
- Story C: “As a frequent flyer, I want to book flights and apply promotional discount codes.” (Estimated at 8 story points)
During the discussion, one team member argues that Story B should be smaller than Story A, as it seems simpler. However, another team member highlights the complexity of integrating third-party APIs for flight price alerts, making it more effort-intensive.
As an Agile Project Manager, what should you do?
A. Apply your expert judgment, as it is quite visible that Story B is smaller than Story A, and instruct the team to estimate it below 3.
B. Let the team discuss the complexity, effort, and uncertainty before agreeing on the story point estimate for Story B.
C. Ask the team member advocating for a higher estimate to list down technical tasks and effort needed for Story B so you can decide.
D. Take a vote from the team on the story point for B and decide based on the majority opinion.
Analysis
The Agile team is estimating user stories for a travel booking platform. During backlog refinement, a disagreement arises over the estimation of Story B. One team member believes it should be smaller than Story A, while another highlights its complexity due to third-party API integration. As an Agile Project Manager, the best approach is to ensure the team collaborates and reaches a consensus on estimation rather than making unilateral decisions. Agile encourages self-organizing teams, where story estimation is done collectively based on effort, complexity, and uncertainty. The focus should be on facilitating discussion rather than imposing a decision.
Analysis of Options
A: Apply your expert judgment, as it is quite visible that Story B is smaller than Story A, and instruct the team to estimate it below 3.
This is incorrect because Agile estimation is a team-driven process. The Agile Project Manager should not dictate estimates, as the team members are the ones implementing the work and have a better understanding of the complexity. Agile emphasizes collaboration and shared decision-making rather than top-down directives.
B: Let the team discuss the complexity, effort, and uncertainty before agreeing on the story point estimate for Story B.
This is the correct approach. Allowing the team to discuss complexity, effort, and uncertainty fosters collaboration and leads to a more accurate estimate. Agile estimation techniques such as Planning Poker rely on team discussion and consensus rather than managerial intervention. Ensuring the team aligns on their understanding of the work helps create a shared perspective on the effort involved.
C: Ask the team member advocating for a higher estimate to list down technical tasks and effort needed for Story B so you can decide.
This is incorrect because Agile estimation does not require breaking down a story into detailed tasks before estimating. While understanding technical challenges is useful, the decision should not be made by the project manager. Estimation is a collective effort where the team reaches a consensus rather than relying on a single person’s breakdown of tasks.
D: Take a vote from the team on the story point for B and decide based on the majority opinion.
This is not the best approach because Agile estimation is based on consensus rather than majority voting. The team should discuss the story in detail and align on the estimation, rather than making it a democratic decision without proper discussion. Agile estimation techniques focus on refining understanding rather than simply counting votes.
Conclusion
The best approach is Option B, as it ensures the team discusses the complexity, effort, and uncertainty before finalizing the story point estimate. This aligns with Agile principles of self-organizing teams and consensus-based estimation. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because they either involve managerial interference, unnecessary task breakdowns, or voting-based decisions rather than collaborative estimation.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Product | Refine Product Backlog |
Topics Covered:
- Team discussion for estimating complexity, effort, and uncertainty
- Consensus-based estimation (e.g., Planning Poker)
- Self-organizing teams making collective decisions
- Avoiding top-down estimation
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