PMI-ACP Practice Questions #98
A Product Owner is preparing a product roadmap for an e-commerce company planning to roll out new features over the next 12 months. The company aims to improve customer engagement, streamline order processing, and expand into new markets.
To create an effective and realistic product roadmap, the Product Owner should consider which of the following factors?
A. Customer expectations and business goals, Team performance, and Product architecture.
B. Dependencies between features, Market events and rhythms, and Capacity planning.
C. Number of features in the backlog, Individual developer preferences, and Competitor feature set.
D. Past sprint velocity, Stakeholder preferences, and Feature complexity.
Analysis
The question focuses on identifying the most relevant factors when preparing a product roadmap for an e-commerce company planning new feature rollouts over the next 12 months. A product roadmap serves as a strategic guide, aligning business objectives with customer needs, feature dependencies, market conditions, and available development capacity.
The best answer should include factors that impact planning at a high level, such as feature dependencies, market trends, and capacity planning. Elements like individual developer preferences, the sheer number of backlog items, or just sprint velocity are not key inputs for roadmap decisions, as they focus too much on granular execution rather than long-term strategic alignment.
Analysis of Options
A: Customer expectations and business goals, Team performance, and Product architecture.
Customer expectations and business goals are essential for roadmap planning because they define what features are needed to meet user demands and drive business growth. However, “team performance” as a factor is vague—forecasted team capacity is more relevant. Product architecture may be a consideration, but it is not always a primary factor in roadmap decisions unless there are technical constraints. This option contains some relevant elements but lacks a focus on external factors like market events and capacity planning.
B: Dependencies between features, Market events and rhythms, and Capacity planning.
This is the best choice as it covers the most critical aspects of strategic roadmap planning.
- Dependencies between features ensure that functionality is released in a logical sequence, preventing blockers and ensuring smooth user experiences.
- Market events and rhythms account for external factors, such as seasonal shopping trends, industry changes, and competitor launches, all of which impact the roadmap.
- Capacity planning ensures that the team’s development bandwidth is considered when scheduling feature releases, preventing overcommitment and ensuring timely delivery.
C: Number of features in the backlog, Individual developer preferences, and Competitor feature set.
This option is not relevant for roadmap planning. A roadmap is about high-level strategic alignment, not just tracking the number of backlog items. Individual developer preferences should not drive feature prioritization, as product decisions should be based on business and user needs. Competitor analysis may provide insights, but simply copying competitor features without aligning them to customer needs and business goals is not an effective roadmap strategy.
D: Past sprint velocity, Stakeholder preferences, and Feature complexity.
Past sprint velocity can help with capacity forecasting, but roadmaps should not be based purely on past team speed—they must consider market strategy and business goals. Stakeholder preferences are useful, but they must be aligned with user needs and business strategy rather than taken at face value. Feature complexity might influence prioritization, but it should not be the primary driver of roadmap decisions. This option is too focused on internal development factors and lacks strategic market considerations.
Conclusion
The best choice is Option B (Dependencies between features, Market events and rhythms, and Capacity planning) because it provides a comprehensive approach to roadmap planning, ensuring that features are sequenced correctly, aligned with market opportunities, and feasible given team capacity. This aligns with Agile principles of value-driven delivery and iterative planning, ensuring that the product roadmap is both realistic and strategically sound.
PMI – ACP Exam Content Outline Mapping
| Domain | Task |
| Leadership | Promote Shared Vision and Purpose |
| Product | Manage Value Delivery |
Topics Covered:
- Feature dependencies to ensure a logical rollout sequence
- Market events and rhythms for external alignment
- Capacity planning for realistic execution
- Strategic roadmap alignment with business goals and customer needs
- Agile prioritization principles to optimize delivery outcomes
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