Top Agile Interview Questions & Answers

1. What is Agile?

Agile means “Ability to work quickly” and easily and respond swiftly to change. Agile is a software development methodology that believes every project needs to be handled differently and the existing methods need to be tailored to best suit the project and project requirements.

2. How does Agile differ from traditional project management approaches?

Agile is an iterative and incremental approach to software development that focuses on flexibility and collaboration, unlike traditional Waterfall methods that are more sequential and include various project life cycle phases.

3. What are the core principles of the Agile?

The Agile methodology emphasizes individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, responding to change over processes and tools, comprehensive documentation, contract negotiation, and following a plan.

4. What do you mean by Incremental and Iterative development in Agile?

Iterative is a continuous software development process where the sprints & releases are repeated until the final product is achieved.
In Incremental development, the process is divided into small, workable increments. Each succeeding increment builds on the work completed in the previous increment. Over time, functionalities are added based on everything already created.

5. What are the principles of Agile Testing?

• Continuous testing to ensure product improvement
• Accommodate customer changes
• Continuous feedback to ensure the product meets business needs
• The business team, testing team, and development team must be actively participating and work collectively.
• Documentation must be limited to a specific version.
• Encompassing the user ensures that the finished product meets their specifications.

6. When not to use Agile?

Agile methodology is quite popular and demanding but still, it may not work as intended if a customer is not clear on goals, the project manager or team is inexperienced, or if they do not function well under significant pressure.

• When the project is not very urgent, too complex or novel
• When a team is not self-organizing and lacks skilled developers
• When a customer requires neat documentation of each development cycle
• When a customer is not available for feedback
• When time and budget constrained

7. What are agile frameworks?

Various frameworks follow the Agile process. Some of them are Scum, Kanban, XP (Extreme Programming), Feature-Driven Development (FDD), Lean, Crystal, etc.

8. What is Scrum?

Scrum is an agile framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems of software development. Scrum is an iterative and incremental framework for managing product development.

9. What is Extreme Programming?

Extreme Programming or XP follows agile methodology which places a strong emphasis on engineering best practices like pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration. High-quality software is delivered through a process of regular releases, which is the main goal of the agile process.

10. Explain the key roles of Scrum.

Scrum framework includes roles like Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development and Testing Team. The Product Owner lists the backlog, the Scrum Master assists the Scrum process, and the Development Team creates the product.

11. How is work organized in Agile?

Agile work is often organized into User Stories, which are small, actionable features or requirements written from the perspective of an end user. They help define the scope of work and provide a clear understanding of what needs to be done.

12. What do you mean by User Story and Task in Scrum?

In a sprint, a user story is a list of things or the smallest unit of work that the scrum team must finish. User stories are owned by the project's product owner. Each user story might be subdivided into several tasks.

13. What is an Epic?

An epic story cannot be completed in a single sprint. A single epic could take months to complete. Because a scrum team can't complete an epic in a single sprint, it's broken down into smaller user stories.

14. What is a Product Backlog, and how is it managed in Scrum?

The Product Backlog is a prioritized list of all the features, user stories, and work items that need to be done. It is managed by the Product Owner and is continuously refined and adjusted.

15. Define Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog.

A product backlog is maintained by the project owner that contains every requirement and feature of the product.

A Spring backlog is treated as a product backlog subset that contains requirements and features related to a particular sprint only.

16. What are different ceremonies and their importance in Scrum?

Five main types of Scrum ceremonies serve different purposes throughout a sprint. These are Sprint planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, and Product backlog refinement. Scrum ceremonies can help teams improve their processes, increase efficiency, and create innovative solutions during product development.

17. What is the purpose of Sprint Planning in Scrum?

Sprint Planning is a meeting at the start of each sprint where the Development Team decides what work can be accomplished during that sprint. It sets the sprint goal and selects User Stories to work on.

18. What is the purpose of Sprint Review?

Once a team has completed a sprint, the Scrum team can highlight the value they've added during the sprint through product development during the sprint review. Stakeholders can examine and assess the team's progress, offering feedback about potential areas of improvement. A sprint review usually lasts one hour for every one week in a sprint.

19. What is a retrospective meeting, and why is it important in Agile?

A retrospective meeting is held at the end of each sprint to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. It promotes continuous improvement and team collaboration.

20. How do you handle changes or new requirements during a sprint in Scrum?

In Scrum, changes or new requirements should be added to the Product Backlog. They can be considered for the next sprint, ensuring that the current sprint's work remains focused and uninterrupted.

21. What is Zero sprint in Agile?

A zero sprint can be defined as the pre-step to the first sprint. Things such as setting up the environment to develop, preparing backlog, etc. need to be performed before the start of the initial sprint and can be treated as Sprint zero.

22. Explain what does it mean by product roadmap?

A product roadmap refers to the holistic view of product features, which creates the product vision.

23. What is the burn-down chart?

A product burn-down chart is a tool used by Agile teams that shows how much work remains for the entire project, whereas a sprint burn-down chart shows how much work remains in a specific iteration.

24. What are the advantages of using a burn-down chart in Agile?

A burn-down chart visually represents the progress of work in a sprint. It helps the team track their progress and identify any potential issues early, allowing for adjustments to meet sprint goals.

25. What is the Release burn-down chart?

The graph is set to be a Release burn-down chart when it is used to depict the pending release.

26. What is a defect burn-down chart?

The number of defects identified and removed is represented by the defect burn-down chart.

27. What are some common challenges in implementing Agile in an organization, and how would you address them?

Common challenges include resistance to change, lack of proper training, and misaligned management. These can be addressed through education, coaching, and clear communication about the benefits of Agile.

28. What is the role of the Product Owner, and what qualities should they possess?

The Product Owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog. They should have strong communication skills, domain knowledge, and the ability to make tough decisions.

29. What is the role of the Scrum Master in a Scrum team, and what qualities should they possess?

The Scrum Master is a servant-leader who ensures that the Scrum process is followed, removes impediments, and fosters a collaborative environment. They should possess coaching and facilitation skills, along with a deep understanding of Scrum principles.

30. What does story point mean in the scrum?

The Scrum unit which is used to estimate the effort required to finish or implement a backlog is referred to as a story point in the scrum.

31. How do you measure the success of Agile projects?

Agile projects are evaluated using a range of metrics that concentrate on customer value, team output, and project advancement.

32. Explain the concept of Velocity in Agile.

Velocity is a metric used in Agile to measure the amount of work a team can complete during a single sprint. It is a helpful forecasting tool for future sprints.

33. How is the velocity of the sprint measured?

The velocity of the sprint can be measured by dividing the total story points completed by the number of sprints in which they were completed. For example, if the team has completed a total of 70 points throughout two sprints, the team's velocity would be 35 points per sprint (70 points / 2 sprints).

34. Explain some metrics used in Agile.

The common metrics for Agile are as follows:

• Velocity: It is the average of points from the last 3 to 4 sprints. It is measured with the summation of all the approved story estimates. It provides an idea of progress, capacity, etc.
• Cumulative Flow Diagram: The Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) provides summary information for a project, including work-in-progress, completed tasks, testing, velocity, and the current backlog in a graphical representation.
• Time Coverage: It is the time that is given to code during testing. It is the percentage that is calculated as a factor of the lines of code called by the total number of relative lines of code and the test suite.
• Defect Resolution Time: It is the process through which the members of the working teams detect the bugs and set priorities for defect resolution. It is the method of fixing bugs or defect resolution compromises of multiple processes such as schedule defect fixation, clearing the defect picture, completing defect fixation, generation, and handling resolution reports.
• Sprint Burn Down: Sprint Burn down charts are compulsorily used by Agile teams to graphically depict the rate at which tasks are completed and the amount of work remaining during a defined sprint.

35. What are the essential qualities a good Agile tester should have?

A professional Agile tester should have the following qualities:

• Should quickly understand the necessities.
• The agile tester knows Agile principles and concepts well.
• As requirements change continually, the tester should understand the risks involved in it.
• The ability to communicate among business developers, associates, and testers is a must.

36. Mention the challenges involved in developing Agile Testing.

During Agile software testing, the challenges in agile testing are how to test features rapidly and comprehensively as development velocity increases.

• Frequently changing requirements
• Inadequate Test Coverage
• Continuous Integration
• Slow Feedback
• Less Documentation
• Frequent Regression Cycles

37. How does Agile address the need for documentation?

Agile focuses on working software over comprehensive documentation, but it still encourages the creation of necessary documentation as needed. Documentation is lightweight and should provide value to the team and stakeholders.

38. What is refactoring?

Modifying code without a change in its functionality to improve performance is called refactoring.

39. What does the term impediment mean?

Any obstacles that do not allow a smooth flow of work, which results in the underperformance of the team to perform tasks in a better way is known as an impediment.

40. What are the primary tools used in a Scrum project?

The primary tools used in a Scrum project are:

• JIRA
• Rally
• Version One

41. What are some disadvantages of Agile methodology

• Limited documentation
• Highly skilled and experienced development team required
• Strong understanding of Agile methodology
• Lack of predictability

42. Explain Scrum of Scrums (SoS) and their meeting.

Scrum of Scrums is an agile technique for integrating the work of multiple scrum teams (usually five to nine members each) working on the same project. Scrum of Scrums meeting is a gathering where representatives from various scrum teams share updates on their individual teams' progress. It enables numerous teams to collaborate on the development and delivery of complicated solutions.

43. How do you prioritize User Stories in the Product Backlog?

User Stories can be prioritized based on business value, customer needs, dependencies, and risk. Techniques like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) can be used for prioritization.

44. What is the role of the Daily Standup (Scrum Daily Meeting) in Scrum, and what are its benefits?

The Daily Standup is a short, daily meeting where team members share progress, discuss obstacles, and plan their work for the day. It fosters collaboration, accountability, and transparency within the team.

45. What is the purpose of a Sprint Review in Scrum, and what happens during the meeting?

The Sprint Review is held at the end of a sprint to demonstrate the work completed during the sprint to stakeholders. It's an opportunity for feedback, and the Product Owner determines which items are potentially shippable.

46. When do you utilize the waterfall model instead of scrum?

When the customer needs are straightforward, predictable, well-defined, clear, and unable to change until the project is completed, we can use the waterfall approach instead of the scrum.

47. How do you handle defects found during Agile testing?

Defects found during Agile testing must be addressed progressively to achieve quick resolution. Defects are swiftly reported by testers with thorough information, including instructions for replication, examples of expected and actual behavior, and supporting data. Concerns are prioritized during defect triage meetings based on their importance, seriousness, and urgency.

The team logs and monitors defects, assigning responsibility and keeping track of progress using a defect tracking system. Defects are reproduced and analysed by developers, who then fix the underlying problem and test locally. Testers retest the fix and run regression tests to find any unforeseen effects. The defect is closed after being validated. Throughout the procedure, effective teamwork and communication guarantee prompt resolution and the delivery of high-quality software.

48. How do you ensure test coverage in Agile testing?

In Agile testing, ensuring Test coverage is essential for full validation. In consultation with stakeholders, clear acceptability criteria should be developed. By implementing significant techniques into practice, test coverage in Agile testing may be guaranteed, resulting in the delivery of high-quality software.

• To find important test scenarios, and analyse user stories and requirements.
• To create a wide set of test cases; use a variety of test case design methodologies.
• Set high-risk areas as a priority to efficiently concentrate testing efforts.
• Greater coverage and quicker execution are made possible by test automation.
• Use testing as part of the continuous integration (CI) process to find problems early.
• Investigate potential flaws and usability problems by doing exploratory testing.
• Continuous improvement is made possible through regular test reviews and Agile retrospectives.

49. How do you handle testing in short iterations in Agile?

Agile testing in brief iterations necessitates a concentrated and effective strategy. These techniques allow testing to be efficiently managed throughout brief iterations while retaining the delivery of high-quality software

• Sorting of test cases according to their importance and risk.
• Automate testing to cut down on time-consuming tests and enable quicker response.
• Tests should be integrated across the entire development process for ongoing validation.
• To ensure thorough coverage, coordinate with team members, and be involved in testing activities.
• For more focused testing, divide the work into smaller, more manageable portions.
• Set testing priorities based on risk to guarantee that crucial components are fully validated.
• To find problems early, test gradually as new features are added.
• Agile retrospectives should be conducted to gain input and enhance testing procedures.

50. How does Agile testing support continuous integration and continuous delivery?

Continuous integration in Agile enables developers to merge all code changes automatically and test the changes, as early and often as possible. Agile testing incorporates testing into the development process to support continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). Agile testing ensures that the software is delivered on time, is of a high standard by spotting potential problems and enabling early identification and resolution of concerns, and satisfies the needs of the customer by testing continually throughout the whole development process.