Free PMI-ACP® Exam Sample Question 72

An agile team is estimating the level of effort necessary to complete their user stories. They decide to make the assumption that the team members will not have any interruptions to project work and will be productive 100% of the time. Which of the following is the team using?

A. Real time
B. Relative size  
C. Ideal size
D. Ideal time

HINT: Which option can be used to estimate the time required to complete a user story when working exclusively on the user story?

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Correct Answer: D

Answer and Explanations:

Answer A: Incorrect. Real time, which is sometimes called real days or actual days, refers to the actual time during each day that the team members are available and are productively working on specific agile project tasks. Real time takes into account the reality that the team will not be productive 100% of the time.

Answer B: Incorrect. Relative size is the recommended 'sizing unit' to use for requirements size estimation on an agile project. This sizing unit allows for the estimation of the 'level of effort' a user story will take to complete, relative to the other user stories that will be performed on an agile project. The question describes a different method of estimating the level of effort.

Answer C: Incorrect. ‘Ideal size’ is a made up term and not a recognized sizing unit for estimating the level effort required to complete a task necessary to complete a user story.

Answer D: Correct. Ideal time is where the assumption is made that the agile project team members will have no interruptions in their work, such as checking email or attending meetings and will be 100% productive every hour of every day.

Exam Reference: Agile Estimating and Planning, Mike Cohn, 2005