PRINCE2 Agile Foundation Practice Questions

What is a reason explaining why the user story is a poor application of the 'protect the level of quality' target?

1. It includes necessary outcomes only

2. It lacks appropriate functions and acceptance criteria

3. It is too detailed for the current stage

4. It does not align with project objectives

The correct answer is: It lacks appropriate functions and acceptance criteria

The selection of the reason indicating that the user story lacks appropriate functions and acceptance criteria is crucial in the context of maintaining quality standards within a project. User stories are intended to capture requirements from an end-user perspective, and part of this requirement includes defining what constitutes success through acceptance criteria. When a user story is deficient in these areas, it becomes difficult for the team to understand what is expected in terms of functionality. This lack of clarity can lead to the development of features that do not meet the user's needs or expectations, ultimately resulting in a product that fails to deliver the desired quality. The acceptance criteria serve as a benchmark for the quality of the work completed, allowing the team to ascertain whether the outcomes are satisfactory before they are deemed complete. Hence, without proper acceptance criteria, achieving the targeted level of quality becomes challenging. In contrast, having necessary outcomes alone, excessive detail at an early stage, or a misalignment with project objectives, while important factors, do not directly address the immediate impact on the level of quality as effectively as the absence of appropriate functions and acceptance criteria does. Being able to validate user stories effectively through well-defined acceptance criteria ensures that the project maintains focus on delivering quality results.