AgilePM-Foundation Agile Project Management (AgilePM v3) Foundation Exam v3 update Question and Answers

Statement 1: Correct. Actively responding to contributions fosters a sense of inclusion and appreciation, which is crucial for engagement and trust during change.

Statement 2: Incorrect. Decisions during change often involve emotional as well as rational considerations, as people’s behaviors and attitudes are not purely logical.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Engaging Stakeholders Emotionally: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 4, Section 4.3.

According to the DSDM principle ‘Never Compromise Quality,’ the overall level of quality to be delivered within the solution should be agreed at the start of the project5. This principle ensures that quality is not compromised to recover from deviations; instead, the scope of the project will be dynamic6.

AgilePM advocates collaboration as a core value, stressing “working together towards a shared goal.” Competence in collaboration grows in cultures that remove fear, encourage learning, and align on purpose. A no-blame culture fosters psychological safety so issues surface early and teams can inspect and adapt without defensiveness. Asking for help is encouraged through active business involvement and empowered, multi-disciplinary teams; it reduces decision latency and improves quality. Setting clear goals—e.g., business outcomes, Definition of Done, and prioritized objectives—creates shared focus, enabling constructive cooperation and trade-offs. By contrast, rewarding individual efforts tends to optimize locally, fragment accountability, and discourage knowledge sharing; AgilePM favors team-based achievement and collective ownership. Agile guidance repeatedly links effective collaboration with facilitation, frequent reviews/demonstrations, and visible progress measures that are team-centered, not individualized. Therefore, the options that genuinely build collaboration are 2, 3, and 4, making D correct.

Encourages Users: Change management focuses on equipping people to adopt and use new ways of working effectively, which maximizes the realization of benefits.

Other Options:

B: Avoiding dis-benefits is part of risk management.

C: Accountability lies with the sponsor, not change management alone.

D: Change management supports outcomes but doesn’t directly produce them.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Role of Change Management in Benefits Realization: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 7, Section 7.4.

Referent Power: This form of power is derived from the personal qualities of the leader, such as charisma, integrity, or ability to inspire, making them a role model for others. AgilePM values leaders who lead by influence rather than authority.

Other Options:

Legitimate: Based on a formal position or title.

Reward: Tied to the ability to offer incentives.

Coercive: Involves using fear or threats, which is not ideal in Agile environments.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Leadership Styles: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 4, Section 4.5.

Statement 1: Incorrect. Engaging people in change is complex and requires tailored strategies. It’s not a simple or routine task.

Statement 2: Incorrect. Change situations vary greatly, and no single formula works universally. Agile emphasizes context-specific approaches.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Engagement Strategies: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 4, Section 4.2.

Simple: The Cynefin framework classifies situations where cause and effect are obvious as "simple," requiring straightforward solutions based on best practices.

Other Options:

Multifaceted: Not a recognized category in Cynefin.

Complex: Refers to situations where cause and effect are not immediately apparent.

Chaotic: Refers to situations with no apparent relationship between cause and effect.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Cynefin Framework for Complexity: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 3, Section 3.3.

Dissatisfaction with the Status Quo: The change formula includes dissatisfaction as a key driver for change. Without sufficient dissatisfaction, the motivation to change is diminished.

Other Options:

B, C, and D: These factors, while important, are not explicitly part of the Beckhard and Harris change formula.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Change Formula Framework: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.5.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (concise, policy-compliant):

Scrum defines four events within the Sprint: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective. When multiple teams collaborate on a common outcome, coordination frequently benefits from an additional, project-level planning event layered around (not replacing) Scrum’s core events. In Agile project environments, a lightweight project planning event brings Product Owner(s), key stakeholders, and representatives from each team together to align intentions, dependencies, and release objectives across teams before teams finalize their own Sprint Plans. This complements, rather than duplicates, each team’s Sprint Planning by creating a shared understanding of priorities and cross-team impacts, enabling teams to enter Sprint Planning with clearer constraints and collaboration points. The Sprint Retrospective focuses on improvement, not forward planning. Hence, the add-on that facilitates cross-team planning is a Project planning event.

DSDM differs from most other Agile approaches because it focuses on the entire project lifecycle456. This includes pre-project, feasibility, foundations, development, and deployment phases, ensuring a comprehensive approach to project management.

Assessing Effectiveness: The measurement methodology helps determine whether communication efforts are achieving their intended goals. Metrics such as engagement levels and feedback are used to refine strategies.

Other Options:

B: Focuses on testing rather than communication.

C: Relates to impact assessment, not methodology.

D: Ensuring understanding is an objective, not a methodology.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Communication Effectiveness: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 4, Section 4.5.

The Post-Project phase in AgilePM is crucial for evaluating the project’s success in terms of the business benefits realized3. It is conducted after the project is completed and focuses on assessing whether the expected benefits outlined at the start of the project have been achieved

Focus on Benefits: Highlighting the benefits of the change makes the desired end state more attractive, increasing buy-in and reducing resistance. This aligns with the Beckhard and Harris change formula, where the perceived benefits of change must outweigh the dissatisfaction with the status quo and the cost of change.

Other Options:

B: Burning platforms address urgency but don’t directly enhance desirability.

C and D: These are practical measures but don’t necessarily increase desirability.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Change Formula Framework: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.5.

The DSDM philosophy emphasizes that the best business value emerges when projects are aligned to clear business goals, deliver frequently, and involve the collaboration of motivated and empowered people1. The eight principles of DSDM support this philosophy and are brought to life by guiding the team in the attitude it must take and the mindset it must adopt to deliver consistently while remaining flexible1. These principles are supported by process, people, products, and practices, which enable organizations to deliver best value business solutions collaboratively1.

Agile delivery expects each increment to be usable, meet the agreed quality bar (Definition of Done), and move the product toward its goal. AgilePM’s incremental, timeboxed approach stresses that every slice should be demonstrably valuable or verifiable, with acceptance criteria satisfied and quality never compromised. However, increments in an evolving solution are typically additive and cumulative; they build upon prior work to extend capability. Requiring that an increment be independent of all others is unnecessary and often impractical for integrated solutions. What matters is that it is coherent, tested, and acceptable to stakeholders within the agreed standards. Thus, options A, C, and D describe standard expectations for an increment in AgilePM/Scrum-aligned practice, whereas B does not. Therefore, B is the correct “NOT” choice.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (paraphrased from AgilePM/Agile standards; exact long extracts cannot be provided):

In AgilePM (and broadly across agile practice), functional requirements describe what the solution should do—capabilities, behaviors, and services. By contrast, non-functional requirements (NFRs) describe how well the solution must perform those functions. NFRs encompass performance, reliability, security, usability, accessibility, supportability, maintainability, and other quality attributes that set objective thresholds (e.g., response times, availability targets, encryption standards). They guide architectural choices, testing strategies, and acceptance criteria, and they are essential to protecting quality during timeboxed delivery and MoSCoW prioritization. Testable acceptance checks can and should be derived from NFRs, but “testable requirements” is not the category name for defining performance levels—the recognized term is Non-Functional Requirements. Therefore, the correct option is B.

Statement 1: Incorrect. Non-verbal communication refers to gestures, facial expressions, and body language, which cannot be captured in written form.

Statement 2: Correct. Actions, such as behavior during change or leading by example, can convey powerful messages without verbal communication.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Non-Verbal Communication in Engagement: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 4, Section 4.4.

When using the Iterative Development technique, each cycle should include Thought, Action, and Control. These components ensure that the development process is systematic and reflective. Thought involves planning and considering the next steps, Action is the implementation of those plans, and Control is the evaluation and adjustment based on feedback and results. This iterative cycle helps in refining the product incrementally and ensures continuous improvement.

Comprehensive and Detailed 150–300 words Explanation (paraphrased from AgilePM/DSDM guidance):

In AgilePM, the Business Sponsor is the project’s ultimate decision-maker and the role accountable for ensuring continued business justification. This includes owning the investment decision, securing and sustaining funding, and maintaining senior-level commitment to the business opportunity. A lack of commitment represents a threat to the viability of the Business Case; managing and mitigating that risk sits squarely with the Sponsor. The Sponsor establishes clear objectives, champions the initiative across the organization, removes high-level impediments, and ensures that governance supports timely decisions. While the Business Visionary articulates and safeguards the solution vision and value outcomes, that role does not control organizational commitment or funding at the enterprise level. Similarly, Business Advisors provide specialist input but do not own commitment or investment risk. Therefore, where commitment to the business opportunity is wavering or unclear, the Business Sponsor is responsible for intervening—reconfirming the Business Case, rallying stakeholder support, and aligning investment, scope and timescales—so the project remains justified and deliverable.

Maintenance is not one of the interest groups into which each DSDM role is grouped1. The recognized interest groups are Business, Solution/Technical, and Management1. These groups represent the different areas of focus within a DSDM project.

In DSDM, each role is grouped into interests such as Business, Solution/Technical, and Management. Maintenance is not one of the interests into which DSDM roles are grouped. The primary focus of DSDM roles is to ensure that the project is delivered successfully by balancing business needs, technical feasibility, and effective management practices.

Supporting and Influencing Local Staff: Line leaders play a vital role in translating the change vision into action at the team level. They understand the specific needs and concerns of their teams and can act as a bridge between staff and senior management.

Other Options:

A: Local decision-making authority is beneficial but not their primary role.

B: Leaders are often deeply impacted by change.

D: Line leaders often juggle multiple responsibilities.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Role of Line Leaders: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 5, Section 5.6.

In DSDM, it is true that one DSDM role does not necessarily mean one person. This allows for flexibility in assigning roles based on the project’s needs and the individuals’ skills and capacities. It is possible for one person to hold multiple roles or for a role to be shared among several people, depending on what is most effective for the project.

In an agile context, the Scrum Master embodies servant leadership, coaching the team and the organization to apply Scrum effectively. Their accountability is to establish and uphold Scrum’s empirical approach—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—by ensuring events, artifacts, and values are understood and used as intended. They remove impediments that hinder flow, facilitate collaboration with stakeholders, and help the team focus on outcomes guided by the Sprint and Product Goals. Crucially, the Scrum Master does not manage scope, schedule, or approve the technical solution; those duties lie with product ownership and technical leadership. Nor do they “maximize value” directly—that accountability belongs to the Product Owner. Instead, the Scrum Master improves the system of work so the team can deliver value predictably and sustainably, fostering continuous improvement and adherence to agreed quality standards (e.g., Definition of Done). This aligns with option A and distinguishes it from the governance or authority-centric responsibilities implied by the other options.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (paraphrased from Agile Project Management guidance):

AgilePM treats risk management as an intrinsic, continuous activity rather than a siloed function. It reduces uncertainty through short timeboxes, early and frequent validation, empowered cross-functional teams, and active business involvement. Collaborative practices—facilitated workshops, visible backlogs, daily coordination, and regular reviews—surface risks early and promote rapid mitigation through transparency. MoSCoW prioritization and incremental delivery protect time and quality, containing exposure while enabling trade-offs when new information emerges. Formal artifacts and governance still exist, but they are lightweight and outcome-oriented, supporting timely decisions instead of creating bureaucracy. Options B and C conflict with AgilePM’s integrated, collaborative stance by proposing rigid or separated processes. Option D contradicts agile values by elevating contracts over customer collaboration. Consequently, the accurate description is A: integrate risk thinking into everyday work, leveraging collaboration and transparency to manage uncertainty.

Discovery: The Continuous Change Management Cycle starts with understanding the current situation, challenges, and opportunities. Discovery ensures that subsequent steps are informed and targeted.

Other Options:

A: Ideas come after discovery.

B: Prioritization occurs after potential solutions are identified.

D: Action follows the planning and prioritization phases.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Continuous Change Management Cycle: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.6.

Engagement: Defined as the process of increasing employee and stakeholder involvement in organizational change, engagement ensures commitment and minimizes resistance. It is a key responsibility of change managers to foster this involvement, as outlined in AgilePM principles.

Other Options:

Change Agent: Refers to individuals or teams driving the change process, not the process itself.

Sponsor: Represents leadership roles advocating for change but is not a mechanism for involvement.

Line Leader: Plays a supportive role in change but does not define engagement itself.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Employee Engagement: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 3, Section 3.2.

In Agile Project Management, product development is primarily concerned with the evolving solution/product—its outcomes, user value, and the means to achieve those outcomes through iterative delivery. Guidance emphasizes shaping features, quality attributes, and acceptance criteria so each increment is fit for purpose. While product work certainly happens in timeboxes, the explicit stewardship of time-based drivers (milestones, budgets, governance checkpoints, wider stakeholder scheduling) sits mainly in project management. AgilePM distinguishes the project context (business case, governance, roadmap, release planning) from the product-focused work (defining and building valuable increments). Hence statement 2 accurately reflects the heart of product development: “focus on what the product is… and how to achieve that.” Statement 1 maps more closely to project-level planning and coordination responsibilities that ensure the environment, cadence, and constraints enable delivery. Agile practice uses timeboxing and MoSCoW prioritization to protect time/cost/quality, but these mechanisms belong to project/delivery management rather than defining the essence of product development. Therefore, only statement 2 is true.

The application of Principle 8, Demonstrate Control, is collectively applied by the whole team4. This principle ensures that there are proper levels of planning, progress measurement, and reporting in place.

The missing word in the sentence is “Champion”. The Business Sponsor is known as the project Champion because they are committed to the solution and the delivery approach34. This role is crucial as it provides the strategic direction and controls the funding/budget for the project1.

The DSDM product that reflects the approach to the management of the project as a whole, considering how the project will be organized and planned from a management perspective, is the Management Approach Definition2. This product outlines the overall strategy for managing the project, including aspects such as roles, responsibilities, and processes, ensuring that the project is aligned with its objectives and can be delivered successfully2.

Comprehensive and Detailed 150–300 words Explanation (paraphrased from Agile Manifesto principles; exact long extracts cannot be provided due to content limits):

The Agile Manifesto values “customer collaboration over contract negotiation.” This does not reject contracts, nor does it insist they be minimized or standardized; it emphasizes that collaboration is usually a more effective driver of value than rigid reliance on contractual terms. In many environments—regulated sectors, outsourced development, or vendor relationships—contracts are necessary and useful. Agile guidance encourages shaping agreements to enable adaptability: focusing on outcomes, shared goals, transparency, and mechanisms for change, rather than locking down detailed scope up front. By recognizing the value of contractual agreements—while prioritizing collaborative behaviors, frequent inspection, and incremental delivery—organizations can balance governance with agility. The practical implication is to design contracts that support iterative delivery, evolving requirements (e.g., via prioritized backlogs), and joint decision-making, rather than treating the contract as the sole arbiter of success. Hence, the statement that most accurately reflects Agile’s stance is that contractual agreements should be considered for their value (option C), with collaboration taking precedence in day-to-day delivery and problem-solving.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (verified, paraphrased from AgilePM principles):

AgilePM promotes incremental and iterative delivery, aiming to deploy usable increments early and often. Regular deployment and demonstration validate fitness for purpose, expose risks sooner, and provide empirical feedback for planning. Early release of increments also tests assumptions about value with real users and stakeholders, informing prioritization (e.g., MoSCoW) and shaping subsequent increments. This approach supports continuous learning, sharper benefits focus, and stronger financial governance, because funding and scope decisions can be based on evidence from working solution slices rather than predictions. Hence, both statements accurately reflect agile project delivery.

Statement 1: Correct. Leading by example is crucial for inspiring trust and alignment with the change vision. Symbolic actions by leaders play a significant role in fostering engagement.

Statement 2: Incorrect. Change influence is not limited to leaders; team members and change agents can also drive and inspire change.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Role of Leadership in Change: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.2.

When initially creating MoSCoW priorities in AgilePM, the primary focus is on Timebox priorities. This approach ensures that each Timebox (a fixed period during which specific tasks must be completed) has clear and prioritized objectives. The MoSCoW method (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have this time) helps the team to deliver the most critical features within the given timeframe, thereby optimizing the value delivered in each iteration. This prioritization ensures that essential functionalities are completed first, making the project adaptable and resilient to changes.

This wording aligns with Scrum. Scrum explicitly defines a small set of events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) and artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment) that are interconnected and each serve a clear purpose. Scrum theory emphasizes empiricism supported by three pillars—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—often likened to a three-legged stool: remove a leg and the system becomes unstable. Likewise, removing or watering down any Scrum event or artifact reduces transparency and weakens inspection/adaptation, undermining outcomes. AgilePM has products/roles/phases rather than this specific “events + artifacts” construct, and “all Agile approaches” is too broad. Therefore, the missing framework is Scrum.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (paraphrased from Agile Project Management guidance):

Agile thinking emphasizes customer value, empirical evidence, collaboration, and transparency. Option A reflects progressive elaboration and just-in-time refinement—good agile practice. Option B suggests a typical, lightweight cadence for readiness (often the Sprint prior), which is acceptable when driven by context and team capacity rather than rigid rule. Option C captures the essence of flow through small, frequent, validated increments. Option D, however, bypasses value-based prioritization, team forecasting, and collaborative decision-making by selecting the next Sprint’s work purely on sponsor preference. Agile approaches (e.g., MoSCoW prioritization, product goals, acceptance criteria) rely on shared, objective value measures, not unilateral authority, to maximize outcomes. Therefore, D does not demonstrate agile thinking.

DSDM recognizes two styles of Timebox: a structured Timebox and a free format Timebox1. The structured Timebox is the original DSDM-style Timebox, which provides a standard, repeatable internal structure to a Timebox. The free format Timebox allows more flexibility

Adjourning: This stage occurs when a team disbands after achieving its objectives. Members reflect on their accomplishments and prepare to move on, often with a sense of closure and satisfaction.

Other Stages:

Forming: Initial stage where the team is being established.

Storming: Involves conflict as roles and expectations are clarified.

Performing: High-functioning stage focused on productivity.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Team Development Stages: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 5, Section 5.4.

The AgilePM lifecycle typically includes Pre-Project, Feasibility, Foundations, Evolutionary Development/Realization, Deployment, and Post-Project (benefits). Feasibility is designed as a lightweight, optional phase to confirm there is a sensible case to proceed before deeper investment. In some contexts—when viability is already established, or scope and constraints are straightforward—Feasibility may be skipped or greatly abbreviated, moving directly to Foundations, where the approach, governance, and baselines are established. By contrast, Foundations is expected for alignment and control, and Realization (timeboxed delivery) is where the solution is built; these are not optional if you are proceeding with delivery. Thus, Feasibility is the optional phase.

Financial: A measurable increase in sales reflects improved financial performance, making it a financial metric. Financial views in a change delivery scorecard often include profitability, revenue growth, and ROI—all of which are influenced by sales increases.

Customer, Internal, Learning & Growth: These are equally important views but do not directly relate to sales performance. For instance:

Customer View: Focuses on customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Internal View: Addresses process efficiency.

Learning & Growth View: Pertains to employee development and organizational innovation.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Scorecard and Value Metrics: AgilePM Handbook, Section 2.5.3.

Action Phase: Breaking change actions into smaller, manageable tasks happens during the Action step, where detailed plans are implemented. This ensures smoother execution and tracking of progress.

Other Options:

Discovery: Focuses on understanding the current situation.

Ideas: Involves generating potential solutions.

Prioritization: Helps decide which tasks or changes to focus on.

Key AgilePM Concepts Referenced:

Continuous Change Management Cycle: AgilePM Handbook, Chapter 6, Section 6.6.

Comprehensive and Detailed 150–300 words Explanation (paraphrased from Agile Manifesto & AgilePM alignment):

The Agile Manifesto states four value pairings that guide agile delivery. Three relevant to this question are: “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools,” “Customer collaboration over contract negotiation,” and “Responding to change over following a plan.” These emphasize people-centric collaboration, close partnership with customers, and adaptability through iterative inspection and adaptation. The fourth statement in the options is incorrect: the Manifesto values “working software over comprehensive documentation,” not the reverse. AgilePM aligns with these values by encouraging active business involvement, timeboxing, incremental delivery, and MoSCoW prioritization—mechanisms that maximize collaboration, transparency, and the ability to change course based on real feedback. Documentation, plans, and contracts still exist but are framed to enable collaboration and change rather than constrain them. Therefore, the correct set of values among the options is 1, 2, and 3, making A correct.