Are you considering a career in Agile or preparing for an interview in an Agile position? Check out 10 Agile interview questions to help get ready.
Agile methodologies have the power to elevate and reshape project management. Perhaps more than ever, the ability to respond quickly to changes and potential threats is essential across all industries and business types.
Project managers, product owners, developers, and Scrum masters are all in demand. Agile skills are also needed in other positions because they increase transparency and help teams adapt to change more readily while improving quality and engagement.
Are you interviewing for a job that requires at least some proficiency and knowledge of Agile? Preparation is essential. It can help you feel less nervous and deliver the answers that may increase your odds of landing the position. Use this list of Agile interview questions to help guide your interview preparation.
How will you sum up the most important points of Agile? This question allows you to demonstrate your knowledge and critical thinking skills as you briefly give an overview. In short, Agile helps take products and projects from an idea to completion using various interactive development practices and collaboration. The goal is to maintain consistent communication, respond to changing conditions, and ultimately deliver a product of superior quality.
Agile has 12 guiding principles created to support its founders’ core values, which include ‘pillars’ that outline what should be a top priority. For example, the ability to respond to change is paramount over simply following a plan. Similarly, collaborating with customers is a priority over closed-door meetings. The Scrum Alliance identifies the following 12 principles [1]:
Satisfying the customer with early and continuous delivery is the highest priority
Embracing change at every development stage to provide an optimal competitive advantage to customers
Frequent delivery, with short timescales taking priority over longer ones
Collaboration between developers and other teams in the business
Providing an optimal, motivating environment with support and trust in the individuals working on the project
Using face-to-face conversations, which are the ‘most efficient and effective’ way to exchange information within the team and across the project
Progress can be measured primarily by whether the software (or product) works
The project's pace must be sustainable
Prioritising excellent design and technical proficiency
Simplicity is paramount
Self-organising teams produce the best work
Holding regular meetings and evaluations with the opportunity to pivot and adjust as needed for ultimate efficacy
Agile is the overarching project philosophy, while Scrum is one of its methodologies. Scrum offers a straightforward process for the project and structure of the team. Project managers lead Scrum teams, which also contain cross-departmental team members. Scrum teams also include product owners, who take ownership of the product’s value, and Scrum masters, who ensure everyone follows the Scrum methodology.
Scrum methodology consists of short Sprints, or phases, of work. Sprints typically last two to four weeks, and work is ready for client delivery at the end of each sprint. Each Sprint also includes constant feedback, a review of how things went, and the lessons the team learned. The process continues until the team completes the project.
Agile testing describes a software or product testing process for any possible issues. Several Agile testing principles allow testers to pinpoint and resolve problems throughout development. Principles include:
Early and continual testing for optimal progress throughout development
Continual feedback between the team and clients
Teamwork between business analysts, tests, developers, and other departments
Ensure the testing process is flexible so errors can be located and remediated quickly
Minimal documentation, with reusable checklists, preferred over other longer forms
Development is driven by testing throughout the process, allowing timely corrections of any issues
Client and customer involement is a priority throughout the project, with continual communication
Agile is a continuous model used throughout the lifecycle of product development. It's flexible and encourages collaboration, with development divided into Sprints. It makes making changes throughout the process easier and combines numerous projects into the development process. Teams work simultaneously on different project phases, with frequent stakeholder interactions.
The waterfall is more structured, rigid, and linear. Collaboration is limited, and the process does not allow changes once development begins. It provides clear expectations and a concrete plan throughout the project, with deliverables completed at each step before embarking on the next phase and limited client involvement.
Agile can be transformative and highly effective, but it isn’t appropriate for every project. For example, it's typically best for projects without strict requirements and where adaptability is key. Additionally, teams must be self-directed and organised to make projects work well. Other potential drawbacks and benefits include:
Pros:
Fast, efficient product delivery
Easier collaboration and teamwork across departments and with clients
Improved performance and transparency
Less required preparation with greater ability for continual improvement throughout the process
Higher flexibility with a greater focus on production rather than perfection
Cons:
Agile's reliance on feedback and ongoing improvement makes the process less predictable, although it increases product predictability
Less documentation can make billing and record-keeping more challenging
The focus on multiple simultaneous goals can take away from the team's ability to focus on specific goals
Changing management styles can present challenges for leaders and employees
As the name implies, incremental development divides the process into small increments, each building on the previous to progressively add functionalities. Each increment is fully produced and tested before integrating into the project to work cohesively.
In contrast, iterative development breaks development into repeated cycles, with changes made according to the results of the last iteration, allowing the project to evolve as time goes by. Client feedback gets worked into each iterative phase, adding new functionality in each cycle until the team completes the final product.
Backlogs are lists, typically broken into steps, of what the project needs to improve its results or achieve the product's goal. Sprint backlogs are one part of the overall product backlog. They represent the list of tasks or requirements needed for a specific sprint. The development team typically owns this backlog.
The project owner typically owns the product backlog, which typically contains the overall product's complete list of features, requirements, and everything the team must do throughout the development process in a step-by-step format.
Agile has various methodologies, which include Scrum and others. Each has its unique uses. Examples include:
Scrum is one of the most popular methodologies because it allows you to create and test a hypothesis during Sprints, adjust as needed, and combine other frameworks into the development process.
Kanban is a method for visualising workflow and limiting work in progress to allow incoming work to deploy quickly.
Crystal is a methodology that strives to streamline and optimise processes by focusing on the team's unique people, enhancing communication, and encouraging active involvement among team members. It is often used for short-term projects and projects that need faster delivery.
Extreme programming (XP) facilitates software development and creation to improve project quality. For example, it may enhance testing or automation of specific tasks.
Feature-driven development (FDD) typically involves using iterative and incremental models to break down a project based on a product’s features. It helps ensure that teams deliver stable software in a timely fashion.
Prospective employers often ask challenging interview questions to gain perspective on your thought process. Given the numerous metrics, this question may help reveal insight. Be prepared to identify a few metrics you feel are essential and why.
For example, if you're on a Scrum team, Sprint burndowns can help track the work the team completes during each Sprint. This information can help you watch out for teams that are under-performing or over-committing to work. Velocity averages the work teams complete during Sprints, which can help forecast teams' abilities to get through backlogs and track performance consistency.
Research shows that Agile projects are typically more successful than those using Waterfall, with success rates of 64 percent versus 49 percent [2]. Even so, they aren’t without their potential obstacles, which include:
Reluctance to fully empower team members in the process
Ability for constant communication and feedback
Unknown requirements interfering with system design
Adopting Agile methodologies and culture into the existing organisational culture and practices
Agile testing requires a solid foundation in Agile principles. Additionally, it helps to grasp requirements quickly and adapt as requirements change throughout the project’s duration. Besides, it’s helpful to be organised, able to prioritise to keep up with timelines and requirements, and excellent communication to help foster cross-team collaboration.
If you’re new to Agile, consider taking an online course such as Google's Agile Project Management or pursuing the Google Project Management Professional Certificate, both available on Coursera. You may also consider the Scrum Master Certification Specialisation offered by LearnQuest, which prepares you for the role of Scrum Master and helps you learn relevant terminology, methodologies, and how to manage tasks within Sprints.
Alternatively, if you feel your Agile skills and knowledge are solid but want to improve your interviewing skills, try a Guided Project like Preparation for Job Interviews. This Project takes about one hour to complete and provides information on best interviewing practices.
Scrum Alliance. “Agile Manifesto Values and Principles, https://resources.scrumalliance.org/Article/key-values-principles-agile-manifesto.” Accessed 16 December 2024.
Zippia. “16 Amazing Agile Statistics [2022]: What Companies Use Agile Methodology, https://www.zippia.com/advice/agile-statistics/.” Accessed 16 December 2024.
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