Day 2 revisions/Glossary

Question 1

acceptance criteria

Answer 1

A prioritized list of criteria that the project
product must meet before the customer will
accept it (i.e. measurable definitions of the
attributes required for the set of products to
be acceptable to key stakeholders) (PRINCE2
definition). Acceptance criteria are commonly
used in agile for assessing whether a user story
has been completed.

Question 2

agile behaviours

Answer 2

Those behaviours that are seen as typifying
working in an agile way (e.g. being collaborative,
self-organizing, customer-focused, empowered,
trusting not blaming).

Question 3

agile plans

Answer 3

Agile plans may show features (or sets of
features) in their order and dependencies, and
are likely to have been created collaboratively
by those who will carry out the planned work.
Agile plans tend to be informal or low-tech
at the delivery-team level and this can be highly
effective even though they may be no more
than to-do lists or backlogs. Product-based
planning can still be used at all levels of the
project (including product delivery).

Question 4

Agilometer

Answer 4

The Agilometer is a tool that assesses the
level of risk associated with using agile in
combination with PRINCE2. This allows PRINCE2
to be tailored in such a way that best mitigates
the level of risk. The Agilometer should evolve
to suit the needs of each organization.

Question 5

Backlog

Answer 5

A list of new features for a product. The list
may be made up of user stories which are
structured in a way that describes who wants
the feature and why. It is also a generic term
that can be defined in terms of releases, sprints
and products.

Question 6

Backlog Iten

Answer 6

An entry in a backlog. This may be in the form of a user
story or task and may be held in many forms such as
in a spreadsheet or displayed on a whiteboard.

Question 7

Tolerances

Answer 7

IF it if essential, there is zero tolerance. Fixed

If it is desirable but not essential, there can be Flex (tolerance)

Question 8

Glad! Mad! Sad!

Answer 8

Glad! Sad! Mad!
This is a feedback technique that can be
used by a team in a retrospective. Each team
member writes one or more sticky notes and
puts them into the appropriate column. This
lets everyone else know what made them ‘glad’
during the last timebox, what made them ‘sad’
and what even made them ‘mad’.

Question 9

Kaizen

Answer 9

A Japanese philosophy that literally means
‘good change’ but is widely understood to refer
to continual improvement. It involves everyone
contributing on a regular basis to make many
small beneficial changes that build up over time
to improve the efficiency of the way a team or
organization works.

Question 10

Kanban

Answer 10

A way to improve flow and provoke system
improvement through visualization and
controlling work in progress. Written in
kanji (Chinese characters), it means ‘sign’
or ‘large visual board’. Written in hiragana
(Japanesecharacters) it means ‘signal cards’
(singular or plural). In technical presentations
of the mechanics of Kanban systems it usually
means the latter. Used informally, it refers to
the use of Kanban systems (visual or otherwise)
and the Kanban method.

Question 11

Burndown or Burnup

Answer 11

burn-down chart
A burn-down chart is a run chart of outstanding
work. See also burn chart.

burn-up chart
A burn-up chart is a run chart of completed
work. See also burn chart.

Question 12

Change Authority

Answer 12

A person or group to which the project
board may delegate responsibility for the
consideration of requests for change or offspecifications. The change authority may
be given a change budget and can approve
changes within that budget.

Question 13

Class of service

Answer 13

Broadly defined category for different types of
work. The classes influence selection decisions
because different classes of service are typically
associated with qualitatively different risk
profiles, especially with regard to schedule risk
and the cost of delay. Four generic classes of
service are widely recognized: ‘standard’, ‘fixed
date’, ‘expedite’ and ‘intangible’.

Question 14

Contingency meaning…

Answer 14

Something that is held in reserve, typically
to handle time and cost variances, or risks.
PRINCE2 does not advocate the use of
contingency because estimating variances is
managed by setting tolerances, and risks are
managed through appropriate risk responses
(including the fallback response that is
contingent on the risk occurring).

Question 15

DevOps

Answer 15

A collaborative approach between development
and operations aimed at creating a product or
service where the two types of work and even
the teams merge as much as possible.

Question 16

Configuration Managment

Answer 16

Technical and administrative activities
concerned with the controlled change of a
product.

Question 17

Information radiator

Answer 17

A general term used to describe the use of
walls or boards containing information that
can be readily accessed by people working
on the project. It can contain any information,
although it would typically show such things
as work to do and how work is

A good example of this is a screen on a train platform telling you which platform to go to and what time

Question 18

Kano

Answer 18

A model, developed by Professor Noriaki Kano,
which is used to help understand customer
preferences. The Kano model considers
attributes of a product or service grouped into
areas such as basic factors, excitement factors
and performance factors.

Question 19

lead time/cycle time

Answer 19

These two terms are interpreted differently
by many in the Kanban community (some
see them as representing different things)
but in simple terms they refer to how long a
work item takes to go through the system or
timebox. So although they are often interpreted
differently, they are, in effect, the same thing.

Question 20

Minimum Variable Product MVP

Answer 20

In a PRINCE2 Agile context the term MVP
broadly aligns with the Lean Startup view that
it is a ‘version of the final product which allows
the maximum amount of validated learning
with the least effort’. This should not be
confused with the viability of the project as a
whole. Typically, an MVP would be delivered
as early as possible during the project. It
is important to note that an MVP is about
learning and may not go into operational use;
it may be in the form of a simple experiment or
prototype.

Question 21

MoSCoW

Answer 21

This technique is used to categorize items such
as requirements or tasks into one of the four
following levels of how they relate to a deadline:
* Must have
* Should have
* Could have
* Won’t have for now.

Question 22

Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)

Answer 22

A four-stage cycle for process management,
attributed to W. Edwards Deming. Plan-DoCheck-Act is also called the Deming Cycle. Plan:
design or revise processes that support the IT
services; Do: implement the plan and manage
the processes; Check: measure the processes
and IT services, compare with objectives and
produce reports; Act: plan and implement
changes to improve the processes.

Question 23

Littles Law

Answer 23

L = λW. In simple terms, it is the average
number of items in a system. L is equal to
the average arrival rate, λ, multiplied by the
average time an item spends in the system, W
(assuming that this is over a long enough
period of time and the system is stable).

Question 24

Push System

Answer 24

The act of placing work into a system or activity
without due regard to its available capacity. See
also pull system..

Question 25

requirement

Answer 25

A term to describe what a product does and/or how it will do it. A requirement can be written in the form of a user story if desired and will exist with other requirements in the form of a list.

Question 26

Agilometer

Answer 26

The Agilometer is a tool that assesses the level of risk associated with using agile in combination with PRINCE2. This allows PRINCE2 to be tailored in such a way that best mitigates the level of risk. The Agilometer should evolve to suit the needs of each organization.

Question 27

Communication

Answer 27

Written word isnt valued as a first point of contact. They prefer talking, in perosn or on zoom and email to confrim. Effective communication Communication problems are often difficult between people working on projects. Effective communication is very important when a group of people comes together to create something but fundamental to the Agile way of working. * Forms Communication can take many forms such as data, information, knowledge and can be communicated in many ways such as documents, phone calls, videoconferencing or face-to-face meetings. It can take place between two people or group of people in one or many situations. It’s vital to choose the most effective and productive forms in a project. * Agile approach to communications A small team working in the same room on a product can be highly effective because the communication is fast and clear. People knowing each other or who have worked together for many years can communicate effectively but still have misunderstandings, so if a new project team is gathered to work together on something demanding with lots of uncertainty, communication problems always exists there. For instance, use the right method in many different ways such as using written word in the form of documents and emails, using visualizations in the form of figures, and pictures and verbally using telephone and verbally face to face meetings. The type and frequency needs to be agreed by the project management team as well as the level of formality should be recorded in the communication management approach which could be a formal document or even an information radiator. * Difficulties of written word The biggest problem in communication lies in the fact that people find it relatively difficult to process the large amount of information in the form of written word (big reports). Often parts are not read or misinterpreted. Try to avoid the use of email as an important management tool. Face-to-face meetings is likely to achieve a lot more in a very short span of time. * Getting the right blend Effective communication needs to be organized and planned. Make extensive use of workshops, face-to-face meetings, and visualize in the form of models, prototypes, and information boards.

Question 28

Deliver frequently something of use

Answer 28

Release frequently, constant feedback and up to date with technology. Builds confidence and tests. Release early and frequently A fundamental concept of any Agile method is to frequently deliver something of use that enables early delivery of benefits, allows for feedback, reduces the risk of deliver a wrong product, gives confidence about the project’s progress, and fosters engagement of the project stakeholders. * Fit in with the PRINCE2 processes Release planning should be part of the stage plans and should be synchronized for use in product-based planning. * Into operational use To benefit from early release the products should be operational in use. Please note that there may be other factors such as contractual obligations or the need of other stakeholders, another department or company who can be responsible for the release. * Not into operational use There are still many advantages to delivering something into a staging area before going into operational use. For example, the opportunity to assess progress and the levels of quality being achieved.

Question 29

Spiking

Answer 29

Testing or doing a experiment A temporary piece of work used to understand more about a given situation. It may take the form of a prototype or some research and is often used to reduce uncertainty from a technical or customer viewpoint. Experiments are similar.