Roughly half of the PMP exam covers agile and hybrid ways of working. Many candidates who've only used traditional, plan-driven methods find these questions tricky, because the "obvious" predictive answer is often wrong. These ten rules will help you choose the best answer.
The 10 rules
- The team decides how to do the work. In agile, the project manager (or Scrum Master) is a servant leader who coaches and removes obstacles. They don't assign tasks to individuals.
- The product owner orders the backlog. Priorities come from value to the customer, not from the project manager or the most senior stakeholder.
- Don't change the sprint mid-way. New requests go into the backlog for a future sprint, unless the sprint goal itself has become obsolete.
- Remove impediments fast. If the team is blocked, the servant leader takes ownership of clearing it, and escalates when it's beyond their control.
- Retrospectives must lead to action. Pick one or two improvements, give them owners and check them next time.
- Show working results. Stakeholders see progress in sprint reviews and demos of working increments, not in long status documents.
- Welcome change, but manage it. Agile embraces change through the backlog. It doesn't mean adding everything immediately.
- Deliver value early. Prefer an MVP or a small release that real users can try over one big launch at the end.
- Hybrid is normal. Use predictive planning for stable, regulated or contract parts, and iterative delivery where requirements will change. Tailor the approach to the project.
- Coach before you escalate. For team conflicts and dips in performance, the first step is usually a private conversation and coaching, not HR or the sponsor.
Know these agile terms
- Definition of done: the shared checklist an increment must meet. Disagreements about "done" are a common exam scenario.
- Velocity: how much work the team completes per iteration, used for the team's own forecasting, never to compare teams.
- Burndown and burnup charts: burndown shows work remaining. Burnup shows work completed and makes scope changes visible.
- Kanban and WIP limits: limiting work in progress speeds up flow and exposes bottlenecks.
How to spot the best answer
When two options both sound reasonable, prefer the one that is more collaborative, more transparent and closer to delivering value. Be suspicious of answers where the project manager acts alone, hides information, or follows a rigid process when the situation calls for adapting.
Practise it
Read the free chapters on value-based delivery and leading the project team, then test yourself with the free 180-question PMP mock exam. Going deep on agile? Compare PMP and PMI-ACP.