Top Agile Scrum Interview Questions and Answers
Different types of questions can be asked in an interview to validate a person who claims to be an Agile Scrum Master. Some of these questions can have a fixed answer whereas many questions do not have a specific answer.
This is because it varies according to the work culture of a firm and the perspective that a candidate has about the situation. Here are some of the top Agile Scrum questions and answers that would prepare you for an interview.
Define Agile software development.
Agile consists of different approaches that are used in software development to create effective solutions for the requirements of the customer. These solutions are created through a continuous collaboration between different teams of an organization.
Explain the key differences between Agile and Waterfall.
Agile is an iterative development program that encourages a team to work on different stages of software programs such as design, structuring, development, and software testing simultaneously. It is vastly different from the Waterfall model that uses a traditional approach to project development.
In Waterfall project management, one phase or stage of the project is completed and the next stage is commenced only after that. The feedback is retrieved after the completion of the project whereas Agile involves taking feedback consistently by using feedback loops.
Describe the job roles of a product owner and a Scrum Master.
Product Owner – A product owner is a person who is held accountable for enhancing the value of products that are developed by a Scrum team. A product owner can modify the sequence of items in the product backlog which cannot be done by any other person in the Scrum team.
Scrum Master – Scrum Master is the person who is held accountable for monitoring and handling the Scrum processes and meetings. It is his job to motivate and encourage his team to ensure that deadlines are followed and quality is maintained.
Are Agile and Scrum different from each other?
Yes, Scrum is a subset of Agile whereas Agile involves various iterative approaches that are used for software development. Scrum consists of specific rules and values that are to be used while following Agile software development. Agile includes many other development methodologies such as Kanban, FDD, XP, etc. apart from Scrum.
How does the Agile software development model benefit to the end-user as compared to the waterfall model?
The waterfall model is a traditional development model in which the feedback is collected from the customer or end-user only once the product is developed. On the other hand, Agile works in shorter cycles and enables a team to take responses and feedback from the end-user at several points during the product development cycle.
Who is accountable for the deliverable in Scrum?
No particular person or entity is responsible for the deliverable in Scrum. Therefore, neither the product owner nor the Scrum Master is held accountable and it is the team who is held accountable for the deliverable.
When should the Waterfall model be preferred over Scrum and vice versa?
A Waterfall development model can be used when the requirements are predictable, non-complex, defined, and when they are not subject to any change.
On the other hand, Scrum should be preferred over the Waterfall development model when the project is complex and the requirements are subject to frequent changes.
Moreover, Scrum can be used when the projects are completed within a strict deadline, and when the software is to be developed from scratch.
Are there any projects where Scrum cannot be implemented? If yes, give us an example.
Scrum can be used in all sorts of projects. It is not only implemented in software development projects but it is also ideal for engineering, mechanical, and other projects.
What is a daily stand-up? Explain its importance in Agile.
The team working on the principles of Agile should meet once every day to answer these three questions.
- What was your yesterday’s work?
- Are there any plans for today?
- Are you facing any blocks of issues while completing your assigned tasks?
This is a type of Scrum ceremony that does not have to be longer than 15 minutes. It is just a way to get the team members energized and to help them in maintaining their focus each day.
What is the full form of DoD? How can we achieve it?
DoD is the abbreviated form of Definition of Done. It can be achieved only after accomplishing these things:
Completion of QA (Quality Analysis)
- The story is developed and completed.
- The story satisfies all the criteria and is worthy to be accepted.
- The regression that revolves around the story is also done.
- The developed feature is ready to be deployed.
What does the story point include?
The story point includes different types of efforts that are taken to complete the story. It comprises of the efforts taken for development, efforts are taken for resolving dependencies, efforts taken for testing, and all other efforts as well.
What is the biggest advantage of using Scrum?
The biggest advantage of using Scrum is that feedback from the end-user can be obtained during the early phases of development. Moreover, it produces MVP i.e. Minimal Viable Product to the stakeholders of the project.
These were some of the top and most probable questions that can be asked in an Agile Scrum Interview. Go through all these questions but try to answer them in your own words during an interview.
