Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) Interview Questions

Anyone who wants to validate their knowledge of how Scrum Teams may utilize Scrum with Kanban to enhance value creation and delivery can take the Professional ScrumTM with Kanban level I (PSK I) assessment. The Professional Scrum with Kanban subject areas are the foundation of the PSK I assessment: The Scrum Framework, Kanban Practices, and Agile Metrics
The following subjects are covered in the Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) Exam:

Learning about Dispelling Common Myths
Understanding Professional Scrum
Overview of Kanban Theory, Principles and Practices
Kanban in Practice
Scrum with Kanban

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) advance questions

What is Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) and how does it differ from traditional Scrum and Kanban methodologies?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) is a hybrid approach to software development that combines the best practices of both Scrum and Kanban methodologies.

Scrum is a framework for Agile software development that emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and continuous improvement. It uses sprints to structure work and deliver value to customers more quickly and frequently.

Kanban, on the other hand, is a visual management system for work that emphasizes the flow of work and helps teams manage work in progress (WIP) and prioritize work items.

In PSK, teams use the visual management tools of Kanban to manage work and the sprint-based delivery model of Scrum to focus their work and deliver value to customers more quickly. This allows teams to create a flexible and adaptive process that can be tailored to their specific needs and constraints.

Compared to traditional Scrum, PSK places less emphasis on prescriptive roles, ceremonies, and rules, and provides teams with more flexibility in terms of how they manage their work. Compared to traditional Kanban, PSK provides teams with a more structured and focused approach to delivery, helping them to deliver value more quickly and efficiently.

Overall, PSK provides a hybrid approach to software development that allows teams to use the best practices of both Scrum and Kanban to create a flexible, adaptive, and efficient process for delivering value to their customers.

Can you describe a scenario where you used PSK in a real-world project?

Imagine a software development team working on a project to build a new e-commerce platform. They have decided to use PSK to manage their work, because they need a flexible and adaptive process that will allow them to deliver value to their customers quickly and efficiently.

The team starts by setting up a Kanban board to visualize their work. They use sticky notes to represent work items, such as user stories, and move them through different stages of the process, from “To Do” to “In Progress” to “Done”.

They also establish a set of policies and practices to manage work in progress (WIP) and prioritize work items. For example, they limit the number of items that can be in progress at any given time, and use a “pull” system to ensure that work is started only when the team has capacity.

As the project progresses, the team uses Scrum-style sprints to focus their work and deliver value to their customers more quickly. They hold daily stand-up meetings to stay aligned and identify any obstacles that need to be removed.

Throughout the project, the team uses PSK to continuously evaluate and improve their process. They regularly review their Kanban board and identify areas where they can make improvements, such as streamlining their work flow or reducing the time it takes to complete work items.

In this way, the team uses PSK to create a flexible and adaptive process that allows them to deliver high-quality software to their customers in a timely and efficient manner. They use the power of both Kanban and Scrum to manage their work and continuously improve their process, making it an effective and efficient tool for delivering value to their customers.

How do you integrate PSK with Agile, DevOps, and other software development methodologies?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) can be integrated with other software development methodologies, such as Agile and DevOps, in several ways:

PSK aligns with Agile principles: PSK is based on Agile principles and values, and aligns well with Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban. Teams can use PSK to implement Agile practices in a flexible and adaptive way, tailoring their process to meet the specific needs of their organization.
DevOps integration: PSK can be integrated with DevOps practices, such as continuous integration and continuous delivery, to ensure that software is delivered to customers quickly and reliably. By using PSK, teams can streamline their development process and reduce the time it takes to get new features and improvements into the hands of customers.
Hybrid approaches: PSK supports hybrid approaches, combining elements of both Agile and traditional project management methodologies. This allows teams to create a process that works best for their specific situation, taking into account the needs of their organization, the type of work they are doing, and the tools and technologies they are using.
Process improvement: PSK provides a framework for continuous improvement, allowing teams to regularly evaluate and adjust their process to ensure that it is working effectively and efficiently. By integrating PSK with other methodologies, teams can identify areas for improvement and make changes that will help them to deliver value to their customers more effectively.

By integrating PSK with other software development methodologies, teams can create a process that works well for their specific needs and helps them to deliver high-quality software to their customers in a timely and efficient manner.

How do you use PSK to manage work in progress (WIP) and prioritize work items?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) provides several mechanisms for managing work in progress (WIP) and prioritizing work items:

Work-item visualization: PSK uses visualizations such as Kanban boards and Scrum boards to help teams track the flow of work and prioritize work items. This allows teams to quickly see which items are ready to be worked on, and to prioritize their efforts accordingly.
Limit WIP: PSK encourages teams to limit their WIP by setting explicit constraints on the number of items that can be in progress at any given time. This helps to focus teams on delivering a smaller number of high-priority items, and to avoid getting bogged down in too much work at once.
Continuous improvement: PSK is designed to be an adaptive, flexible process that supports continuous improvement. Teams can use this approach to identify and prioritize work items that are most important, and to adjust their process as needed to ensure that they are delivering the most value to their customers.
Prioritization techniques: PSK provides several techniques for prioritizing work items, including MoSCoW prioritization, KANBAN cards, and others. These techniques help teams to identify the most important work items and to prioritize their efforts accordingly.

By using these and other techniques, PSK can help teams to manage their WIP and prioritize work items effectively, ensuring that they are delivering high-value software to their customers in a timely and efficient manner.

How do you use PSK to identify and mitigate risks in a software development project?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) can be used to identify and mitigate risks in a software development project in several ways:

Regular retrospectives: PSK encourages the use of regular retrospectives, where team members can reflect on their experiences and identify areas for improvement. This can help to identify and mitigate risks, by bringing potential issues to the surface early, and allowing teams to take proactive steps to address them.
Visualization: PSK makes use of visualization tools, such as Kanban boards and Scrum boards, to help teams track the flow of work and identify areas of risk. This allows teams to quickly spot potential issues, such as bottlenecks in the workflow, and take action to address them.
Continuous improvement: PSK is designed to be an adaptive, flexible process that supports continuous improvement. Teams can use this approach to identify and mitigate risks, by making small, incremental changes to their process that help to minimize the impact of potential risks.
Collaboration: PSK encourages cross-functional collaboration and communication, which can help teams to identify and mitigate risks by bringing together expertise from different areas of the organization. This can help teams to understand the full context of a risk, and take a more informed and effective approach to mitigating it.

By using these and other techniques, PSK can help teams to identify and mitigate risks in a software development project, and increase the chances of delivering high-quality software on time and within budget.

Can you describe a time when you had to make a change to the PSK process and how you handled it?

When making a change to the Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) process, it’s important to follow a structured approach to ensure that the change is effective and does not disrupt the flow of work. Here’s an example of how a change to the PSK process could be handled:

Identify the need for change: The first step in making a change to the PSK process is to identify the need for change. This could be due to changes in customer requirements, improvements in technology, or other factors that impact the delivery of value to customers.
Engage stakeholders: Before making any changes to the PSK process, it’s important to engage stakeholders and understand their perspectives. This could include cross-functional teams, customers, and other stakeholders who will be impacted by the change.
Define the change: Once the need for change has been identified and stakeholders have been engaged, the next step is to define the change. This should include a clear understanding of what the change is, why it’s necessary, and what the expected outcomes are.
Implement the change: Once the change has been defined, the next step is to implement it. This may involve updating processes, creating new work items, or making other changes to the PSK process as necessary.
Monitor and evaluate: After the change has been implemented, it’s important to monitor and evaluate its impact. This could involve tracking metrics such as lead time, cycle time, and customer satisfaction, and making adjustments to the change as necessary to ensure that it’s delivering the desired outcomes.

By following this structured approach, organizations can make changes to the PSK process effectively and efficiently, without disrupting the flow of work and delivery of value to customers.

How do you use PSK to foster collaboration and communication between cross-functional teams?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) helps foster collaboration and communication between cross-functional teams by promoting transparency and continuous improvement. Here are some ways in which PSK can be used to foster collaboration and communication between cross-functional teams:

Visualization of work items: PSK uses visualization tools such as Kanban boards and Scrum boards to show the flow of work items and the status of each item. This visualization helps cross-functional teams see the progress of work and collaborate to resolve any issues that arise.
Daily Scrum meetings: PSK includes daily Scrum meetings in which team members discuss the progress of work items, identify any obstacles, and collaborate to find solutions. This regular check-in helps teams stay aligned and improves communication between team members.
Regular retrospectives: PSK includes regular retrospectives in which teams reflect on their process and identify areas for improvement. This continuous improvement approach encourages collaboration between team members and helps teams continuously improve their processes to better meet the needs of customers.
Cross-functional teams: PSK emphasizes the importance of cross-functional teams, including individuals with diverse skills and perspectives. This diverse team composition encourages collaboration and communication between team members, leading to better outcomes and more effective delivery of value to customers.

By using these and other aspects of PSK, organizations can foster collaboration and communication between cross-functional teams, leading to improved outcomes and better delivery of value to customers.

How do you measure the success of a PSK implementation?

Measuring the success of a Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) implementation involves evaluating the outcomes and benefits of the implementation. Here are some metrics that can be used to measure the success of a PSK implementation:

Customer satisfaction: This can be measured through customer feedback, surveys, and customer satisfaction scores. High customer satisfaction indicates that the PSK implementation is delivering value to customers.
Lead time and cycle time: These metrics measure the time it takes for a work item to move from being identified to being delivered to the customer. Decreases in lead time and cycle time indicate an improvement in the PSK process and a more efficient delivery of value to customers.
Work in progress (WIP): This metric measures the number of work items in progress at any given time. A reduction in WIP indicates an improvement in the PSK process and a more efficient delivery of value to customers.
Delivery rate: This metric measures the rate at which work items are delivered to customers. An increase in the delivery rate indicates that the PSK implementation is delivering value to customers more efficiently.
Defect rate: This metric measures the rate of defects in the work items delivered to customers. A reduction in the defect rate indicates an improvement in the quality of the work items delivered to customers.

By using these metrics and others, organizations can measure the success of their PSK implementation and continuously improve the process to deliver value to customers in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Can you discuss your experience with PSK visualization tools, such as Kanban boards and Scrum boards?

Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) combines the benefits of both Scrum and Kanban methodologies, including the use of visualization tools. Visualization tools, such as Kanban boards and Scrum boards, are a key part of PSK and are used to manage work items and prioritize tasks.

Kanban boards are used to visualize the flow of work items and provide a visual representation of the status of each item. They are typically used to manage work in progress (WIP) and to prioritize tasks.

Scrum boards, on the other hand, are used to manage the sprint backlog and to track the progress of each task. They are typically used in Scrum methodology and provide a visual representation of the sprint backlog and the status of each item.

In PSK, both Kanban boards and Scrum boards can be used to manage the work items and prioritize tasks, depending on the needs and goals of the organization. By combining the benefits of both visualization tools, organizations can ensure that they are delivering value to their customers in the most effective and efficient way possible.

How do you continuously improve the PSK process to ensure its effectiveness and efficiency in delivering value to customers?

Continuous improvement is a key aspect of Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK) and is essential for ensuring its effectiveness and efficiency in delivering value to customers. Here are some ways to continuously improve the PSK process:

Regular retrospectives: Conduct regular retrospectives to identify areas for improvement and make changes to the PSK process. This can be done at the end of each sprint or on a regular basis, such as monthly or quarterly.
Feedback from stakeholders: Encourage and gather feedback from stakeholders, including customers, developers, and team members, to continuously improve the PSK process.
Data-driven decision making: Use data and metrics, such as lead time, cycle time, and work in progress, to drive decision making and continuously improve the PSK process.
Experiments and continuous learning: Encourage a culture of experimentation and continuous learning by trying new techniques and methods, and iterating on what works best.
Regular process audits: Regularly audit the PSK process to ensure it is being followed correctly and effectively, and make any necessary changes.
Collaboration and teamwork: Foster collaboration and teamwork within the development team and across different teams and departments to continuously improve the PSK process.

By continuously improving the PSK process, organizations can ensure that they are delivering value to their customers in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Basic questions - Professional Scrum with Kanban (PSK)

1.) What is the definition of velocity?

The speed at which the team advances from one sprint to the next.

2.) What are the differences between Agile and Lean?

Agile emphasizes making software development more flexible by delivering smaller chunks of work more frequently, whereas lean emphasizes making the entire process sustainable through continuous improvement.

The build-measure-learn model is used in Lean. Kanban is the preferred method of working for Lean.

3.) What is Kanban, and how does it work?

At each stage of the software development cycle, a Kanban is similar to a flashcard that contains all of the information about the status of your work and the work that has to be done on the product. It categorizes your work into three categories: TO DO, WORK IN PROGRESS, and DONE.

4.) What are the benefits of Kanban?

Kanban has a number of advantages.

It aids a company’s cost-cutting efforts.
It creates a work environment that can quickly adjust to changes.
It makes it easier to achieve and maintain quality control.
Allows the team to achieve its full potential.
When priorities shift, Kanban is the most effective method.
Because of the lower cycle times, it can offer features faster.

Remove the activities that cause the team or organization the least amount of concern or none at all.
Rapid feedback loops boost the likelihood of team members becoming more motivated, empowered, and top performers.

5.) List out some of the major differences between Scrum and Kanban?

Scrum	Kanban
You have to do daily standup meeting iteration is a part of ScrumTask is designed and structured in such a way that it fits within iteration board is reset at every sprint process involves three people scrum master, product owner, and scrum team retrospective is required	A daily stand-up meeting is not requiredIteration can be used as optional; it can be even driven. There is no size limit for the taskBoard is more or less remains the same. There are no defined rules retrospective is not required

6.) What is the basis of Kanban’s operation?

Kanban works on three principles, they are-

It is beneficial to imagine the task you are working on and the objects in relation to one another.
It assists teams in balancing their workflows so that they do not commit to needless or overburdening tasks.
It selects the most prioritized task from the backlog when any job is complete.

7.) In gaming, what kind of Kanban board is utilize for testing and programming?

Heijunka boards are frequently use by game developers. The advantage of the Heijunka board is that, unlike a traditional scrum design board, it allows all members of the team to work individually. This reduces team redundancy and eliminates the need for the team to wait for another unit to complete their assignment.

8.) What services does an online Kanban board offer?

It allows you to see what employees are working on in real-time and helps you visualize, optimize, and govern your workflow.
It aids in the restriction of work in progress in order to avoid bottlenecks.
It facilitates real-time collaboration among team members.
It’s easier to keep track of several projects on one board when you use the horizontal swimlanes.

9.) What information is provided by Kanban analytics?

Kanban analytics gives information about the process as well as the identification and elimination of bottlenecks.
Enhances and tracks work efficiency
Provides an estimate of how long it will take to complete the task To gain a rapid overview of the project’s status, use breakdown charts.
Cycle time is measure using a cumulative flow diagram.

10.) In Kanban, what information does the time tracker provide?

The time tracker provides a detailed breakdown of the work completed at that particular point in time. It is beneficial in a variety of ways, including

Reports on time spent on a project, a user, or a task
Detailed reports on the work that has been complete
Time entries that are easy to manage
Tracking time is simple.

11.) What are the characteristics of Kanban’s online documents?

You can accomplish stuff like this with Kanban’s online document features.

Documents can be pin to tasks and then upload to your cloud storage.
On Google Drive, you can collaborate in real-time.
Box, Onedrive, and Dropbox file links

12.) What role does Kanban play in project management?

You may organize your work into projects with Kanban’s guidance.
Form project teams.
People should be invite to join the team.
Using online Kanban boards, share and collaborate on tasks.

13.) What do you mean by “Power-Ups” in Kanban? What are the many kinds of “Power-Ups?”

Power-ups in Kanban allow you to personalize your board according to your needs. It adds a wide range of functionality to your Kanban board, such as

Card block
Card aging
Developer tools
Team activity widget
Task navigator
Auto-assign
Add task box
Calendar widget
Web attachment

14.) Explain how to use Kanban to link cards together.

There are two ways to bind cards together in Kanban.

Tags can be use to connect two cards: You must first make cards and link them using the same tag (for example, guru99), after which you may search all tasks linked using the search option.
Using a distinct URL: Each card in Kanban has its own URL, which you can copy and paste into the external link sections of other cards.

15.) What should you do with the Kanban items that don’t pass the test?

It’s critical for developers to understand the difference between a fail and returned test case and a test case that’s ready to be test. You may split the READY option in Kanban into two categories to differentiate this to the developer. a) Reopen; b) Prepare Test cases that have fail will be in the re-open option status, while new test cases that have yet to be test should be in the ready option.

16.) What is the most effective method for tracking progress when using Kanban?

Cumulative Flow Diagram is the greatest approach to track progress when using Kanban. For Kanban teams, it substitutes the burndown/burnup chart.

17.) How do you release using Kanban?

Kanban focuses on how to manage the flow of work rather than how to complete tasks. However, there are a few measures that can aid with Kanban work or product release. They really are.

Kanban releases should be scheduled every two weeks.
Inform the business unit about releasing the product or work to avoid too many sticky notes in the “done” section and to keep the process running smoothly.
Early release of a high-priority item that is urgently required

18.) Can track tickets be used to produce Kanban labels?

Yes, JimFlow, an open-source solution that can interface with Trac Tickets, makes it possible. There are a few advantages to it, including as

It prints tickets straight from the ticketing system.
It works with flow boards that have columns.
It can take images at predetermined intervals.
It can build a digital representation of the board based on the ticket title and kind.
On movement, update the ticket in the ticket system.

19.) What are the advantages of Scrumban versus Kanban?

Scrumban’s advantages are as follows:

There is no need to plan ahead of time.
Unlike Kanban, it involves a team concept.
In comparison to Kanban, it involves sprinting and increases team productivity.
There are no changes that can be made to the Sprint Backlog.

20.) What is the difference between cycle time and throughput?

Cycle time is used to calculate productivity.

The length of time it takes to complete a process is referred to as the cycle time.
The sum of a process’s output in a certain period of time is known as throughput.

21.) How does Kanban help with Lean development by improving focus and reducing waste?

Kanban provides the ability to shift the team’s emphasis. The job items are first and foremost arranged in priority order. By decreasing context switching, ad-hoc work item assignment is reduced, while productivity and quality are maintained.
Higher management appreciates going out of your way to provide work items, but it’s not sustainable, according to Lean. As a result, such behavior is discouraged.
Instead, a work-in-progress restriction is imposed so that the team does not overcommit and does not take on more work items based on personal requests.
Any new work will have to be prioritized in light of the ongoing projects.

22.) What is value stream mapping and how does it work?

Hand-offs and waiting for the correct resources or allocation waste a lot of time in the processing pipeline. This lengthens the processing time.
As a result, the value stream mapping concept needs you to construct a visual flow of orders from the beginning to the end, including all stages.
Anything that is required to get the goods to the client is listed in order, along with wait times and processing timeframes.
Finally, the authorities examine the full value map and pinpoint the locations with the greatest influence. As a result, processing times have improved in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, HR, and so on. Toyota used this concept.

23.) In value stream mapping, which of the following is an important concept? Visualization, time limitations for work in progress, and velocity calculations?

Because value stream mapping relies on providing a diagrammatic depiction of the full processing line from start to finish with wait times, lead times, and processing times, and attempts to reduce wastage, visualization is the proper response.

24.) What are a few of the advantages of value stream mapping?

Aids in the identification of system bottlenecks and the creation of a sense of teamwork among team members in order to improve the system as a whole.
Aids in the visualization of difficulties
Aids in identifying inefficiencies, locating them, and determining how to address them.

25.) What are the advantages of using an online Kanban board?

It allows you to see what employees are working on in real-time and helps you visualize, optimize, and govern your workflow.
It aids in the restriction of work in progress in order to avoid bottlenecks.
It facilitates real-time collaboration among team members.
It’s easier to keep track of several projects on one board when you use the horizontal swim lanes.

26.) Can track tickets be use to produce Kanban labels?

Yes, JimFlow, an open-source solution that can interface with Trac Tickets, makes it possible. It has a number of advantages, including:

It prints tickets straight from the ticketing system.
It works with flow boards that have columns.
It can take images at predetermined intervals.

It can generate a digital replica of the board based on the ticket title and kind.
It can also update tickets in the ticket system based on movement.

27.) What are some of the Lean tools that can be use?

Kanban
5S
JIT [Just in Time]

28.) What is blocker clustering, and how does it work?

Blocker clustering is a method for grouping blockers on a graph into clusters and then analyzing them. On the X-axis, the graph lists all of the reasons, while the Y-axis shows the impact.

The blockers and blockages are mark by a DOT on the chart, and we can determine the key reasons for blockers in order of intensity by using this data. As a result, it makes logical to tackle them first. This is known as the clustering of blockers.

29.) Explain how to use Kanban to link cards together.

There are two ways to bind cards together in Kanban:

Tags can be use to connect two cards: You must first create cards and link them using the same tag, after which you may search all related tasks using the search option.
Using a distinct URL: Each Kanban card has its own URL, which you may copy and paste into the external link boxes of another card.

30.) In Kanban, what information does the time tracker provide?

Time Tracker gives you a complete breakdown of the work you’ve done up to that point in time. It is beneficial in a variety of ways, including:

Reports on time spent on a project, a user, or a task
Detailed reports on the work that has been complete
Time entries that are easy to manage
Tracking time is simple.