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Frequent Verification and Validation

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In the context of value-driven delivery, verification and validation are essential for ensuring that the product is not only being built correctly (verification) but is also the right product being built (validation). Frequent verification and validation ensure that any deviation from the desired values can be spotted and dealt with promptly. It keeps the development strictly aligned with the customer's needs and desires. It also provides early value realizations and minimizes waste by catching errors and deviations early.

Guide to Frequent Verification and Validation (PMI-ACP Exam)

Verification and validation is an essential part of value-driven delivery in project management. It involves checking the system and process at different phases of a project lifecycle to ensure that it is functioning as intended. It is also about guaranteeing that the end product respects clients' and stakeholders' requirements.

Importance of Frequent Verification and Validation:
Performing verification and validation at regular intervals leads to early problem detection and timely solutions. It helps in avoiding costly errors in the later stages of development and ensures customer satisfaction.

How it Works:
Verification takes place in the initial parts of the project, where the system and process are reviewed against the planned objectives. Validation, on the other hand, is carried out in the later stages, testing the final product against its intended use.

Answering Exam Questions:
When answering questions in exams about this concept, remember to differentiate verification from validation and describe in detail their respective roles in the project lifecycle. Understand the importance of frequency in these checks as they lead to early error detection and rectification.

Exam Tips:
1. Understand the definitions and roles of verification and validation.
2. Highlight the importance of 'frequency' in these processes.
3. Apply a practical approach, mention real-life scenarios where frequent checks helped in maintaining project quality.

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PMI-ACP - Value-Driven Delivery Example Questions

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Question 1

You are an Agile Practitioner in a large organization. The organization is trying to move towards practicing frequent verifications and validations, however, the teams are resistant as they see this as added overhead. What strategy could help the teams see the value in frequent verification and validation?

Correct Answer: Show the teams how verification and validation can help them find problems and address them earlier when it is cheaper to fix.

The best strategy to help teams understand the value of frequent verification and validation is to 'Show the teams how verification and validation can help them find problems and address them earlier when it is cheaper to fix.' This reason is based on one of the key concepts of Agile practices, 'early and frequent feedback'. The result of this is early defect detection so that corrections can be made when it is much cheaper to fix. The other options are not plausible because insisting, ignoring concerns or hosting a celebration does not necessarily address the teams' reluctance, provide a useful teaching opportunity, nor represent the Agile values of collaboration and iterative progress.

Question 2

You are a Scrum Master for a well-established tech start-up. Your team values verification and validation but often skips it when tasks start piling up. This lead to a significant increase in recode work. What is the most effective way to ensure frequent verification and validation?

Correct Answer: Implement verification and validation as mandatory parts of the Definition of Done

The most effective way to ensure frequent verification and validation in a Scrum team is to implement them as mandatory parts of the Definition of Done. When this step is included as a requirement for every task, the team will not skip over these critical stages, thus drastically reducing recode work. Other answers are sub-optimal because performing verification and validation only at the end of a sprint could lead to the accumulation of errors that could take significant time to fix at once. Eliminating these tasks entirely would likely lead to even more issues and recode work. Lastly, allocating specific days for these tasks might disrupt the continuous integration and flow of work if those days clash with other commitments.

Question 3

You are a Scrum Master for a software development team. The team is falling behind schedule and is concerned about not meeting their commitments. You suggest irregular mini reviews of each unit of work to promote frequent verification and validation. What is the advantage of this approach?

Correct Answer: It allows the team to identify and fix errors early, thus preventing potential major setbacks in the future.

The best answer is 'It allows the team to identify and fix errors early, thus preventing potential major setbacks in the future.' This approach is advantageous because frequent, smaller reviews enable problems to be discovered and addressed sooner, which can save time and resources in the long run; rather than potentially having to resolve larger, more complex issues later which may have compounded over time without earlier detection. The other answers are incorrect. 'It gives the team a chance to take frequent breaks from their work' is not relevant because the aim of reviews is not rest, but progress verification. 'It reduces the amount of work the team has to do' is also incorrect because regular reviews do not lessen the workload but rather help manage it more effectively. Lastly, 'It ensures all team members are constantly busy' is not the purpose of these mini reviews, their main goal is to ensure quality control and efficient progress.

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