Agile Software Development Interview Questions

1. What is an Agile Methodology?

Agile methodologies are iterative and incremental, which means it’s known for breaking a project into smaller parts and adjusting to changing requirements.

1. They prioritize flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction.
2. Major companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon use Agile because of its adaptability and customer-focused approach.

2. Explain the difference between the traditional Waterfall model and the Agile model.

Here are some key differences between Traditional Waterfall and Agile Model

3. What are different types of Agile Methodology?

Most Common Type of Agile Methodology are:

• Kanban.
• Scrum.
• Feature-driven development (FDD)
• Behavior-driven development (BDD)
• Lean development.
• Adaptive software development (ASD)
• Crystal.
• Extreme programming (XP)

4. What are the major Agile components?

There are 5 major Agile Components:

• User Story
• Sprints
• Daily Stand-Up meetings
• Kanban Board
• Product Backlog

5. What are Agile frameworks?

Agile framework is like a special roadmap that helps teams and organizations do their work in a smart and effective way. It’s a set of rules and tools for planning, managing, and getting things done. There are two main types of Agile frameworks: one made for teams, like a small group working together, and the other designed to guide big organizations with lots of teams.

6. What is Agile Process?

The Agile process is an iterative and incremental approach, which means it’s known for breaking a project into smaller parts and adjusting to changing requirements. to software development that emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement.

7. What are some important parts of the Agile process?

Important Part of Agile Processes are:

• User Story
• Iterative Development
• Cross-Functional Teams
• Continuous Integration and Delivery
• Daily Stand-up Meetings
• Retrospectives
• Product Backlog
• Burndown Chart
• Agile Tools

8. What are advantages and disadvantages of Agile Process

Below have discuss some advantage and disadvantage of Agile Process

Advantage of Agile Process:

• Agile Process allows flexibility and adaptability.
• It gives Customer Satisfaction by taking regular feedback from user.
• Agile Process Promotes faster delivery by delivering smaller, functional pieces of the project in short iterations.
• It improve quality by continuous testing and integration.
• It Promotes Transparent Progress.

Disadvantage of Agile Process

• The flexibility of Agile can lead to uncertainty in project timelines and scope, making it challenging to create precise plans.
• Continuous customer involvement is crucial, and if customers are not available or engaged, it can slow down the development process.
• Agile places more importance on working software over comprehensive documentation, which may lead to a lack of detailed project documentation.
• The Agile process requires a high level of collaboration and communication, which can be resource-intensive.
• The iterative and adaptive nature of Agile can make it difficult to predict the final outcome.

9. Explain Iterative and Incremental Development in Agile methodology.

Let’s explain each development one by one

Iterative Development Model

Iterative development involves repeating cycles or iterations of the development process. Instead of completing the entire project in one go, the work is divided into smaller parts, and each part goes through the full development cycle. The development cycle, which includes planning, designing, coding, testing, and reviewing, is repeated for each iteration. Feedback from each iteration is used to refine and improve subsequent iterations.

Incremental Development Model

Incremental development is like building something in small steps. You take the work and break it into pieces, called increments. Each piece adds something new to what you already have, like building blocks stacking up. It’s like putting together fully working parts one by one, and each part contributes to the overall creation. The development team adds new features or functionality in a sequential manner, with each increment building upon the previous ones.

10. Explain Agile Testing?

Agile Testing is a type of software testing that follows the principles of agile software development to test the software application. All members of the project team along with the special experts and testers are involved in agile testing.

Agile testing is not a separate phase and it is carried out with all the development phases i.e. requirements, design and coding, and test case generation. Agile testing takes place simultaneously throughout the Development Life Cycle. 

11. What are the principles of Agile Testing?

Here are Some Principals of Agile Testing:

• Continuous Testing: Test early and often throughout the development process.
• Continuous Feedback: Promote continuous communication and feedback between developers, testers, and stakeholders.
• Collaborative Approach: Promote Collaboration between developers, testers, and other team members throughout the project lifecycle.
• Quick Feedback: In Agile, the business team actively participates in each iteration. Ongoing feedback is emphasized, reducing the time to receive feedback on development work.
• High-level Software Quality: Teams prioritize testing to ensure clean and tight code. Regular testing helps identify and address issues and vulnerabilities promptly within the same iteration.
• Less Documentation: Agile teams use a reusable checklist, focusing on current customer needs rather than extensive documentation. The approach centers around agility and responsiveness rather than comprehensive, documented requirements.
• Test-driven Approach: Testers evaluate the product during implementation, aligning with the test-driven development approach. This proactive testing method helps identify and address issues early in the development process.
• Customer Satisfaction: he Agile approach aims to deliver value and meet or exceed customer expectations. Collaboration, ongoing feedback, and a focus on customer needs contribute to higher customer satisfaction.

12. What good qualities an Agile Tester should have?

An Agile Tester plays a important role in the Agile development process, requiring a unique set of skills and qualities to contribute effectively to the team. Here are some good qualities an Agile Tester should possess:

• Adaptability: Agile environments are dynamic, with changing requirements. A good Agile Tester should be flexible and able to adapt quickly to evolving project needs.
• Collaboration: Agile gives importance to teamwork and collaboration. An Agile Tester should work closely with developers, product owners, and other team members to ensure a shared understanding of requirements and deliverables.
• Communication Skills: Clear and effective communication is important. An Agile Tester should be able to articulate testing concepts, report issues, and provide feedback in a way that is easily understood by both technical and non-technical team members.
• Critical Thinking: Agile Testers need to think critically to identify potential issues, assess risks, and propose effective testing strategies.
• Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to analyze problems, troubleshoot issues, and propose solutions is crucial for Agile Testers. They play a key role in ensuring the software functions correctly and meets quality standards.
• Automation Skills: Automation is a key aspect of Agile testing. Test automation skills, including proficiency in testing tools, scripting languages, and frameworks, are valuable for enhancing testing efficiency and effectiveness.

13. What do you mean by Refactoring?

Refactoring in Agile is the process of changing a software system in such a way that it does not alter the function of the code yet improves its internal structure. This allows the program to scale, and reduces further maintenance costs.

14. What is the difference between sprint backlog and product backlog?

Here is the difference between Sprint Backlog and Product Backlog

15. What is Spike and Zero Sprint in Agile?

Let’s Explain Spike and Zero Sprint one by one

Zero Sprint

The term “Zero Sprint” is sometimes used to refer to an initial sprint or iteration that occurs before the official project kick-off. It is a short period where the team sets up the development environment, establishes workflows, and addresses any preliminary tasks necessary for the project’s smooth start.

Spike

A Spike in Agile is a time-limited research and development activity used to investigate and acquire knowledge on a specific aspect of the project. It is frequently used when there is confusion or a desire to understand a technology, sustainability, or potential solution before committing to its adoption.

16. What do you mean by the term “velocity” in Agile?

In Agile, velocity is a metric that measures the amount of work a team can complete in a single sprint. It’s like a team’s “work speed” measured in units like user stories or story points, not hours or days.

17. What are some popular Agile tools?

Some Popular Agile Tools are:

• JIRA
• SLACK
• Maven
• Jenkins
• Docker
• Kubernetes

18. What is the right moment to use the agile model?

There’s no single “right moment” for agile, but it might be a good fit if your project has some of these characteristics:

• Uncertain requirements
• Fast feedback cycles
• Small, collaborative teams
• High complexity or risk

19. What do you mean by Daily Stand-Up meeting?

A Daily Stand-Up meeting in Agile is like a quick huddle where the team gathers to give a brief update on what they’re working on. It’s a short and focused meeting where team members stand up to keep it fast-paced.

Each person talks about three things: what they did yesterday, what they’re doing today, and if they have any blockers or challenges. The goal is to keep everyone on the same page, address issues quickly, and make sure the team is moving forward together.

20. What are the obstacles to the Agile process?

Some of the Common Challenges that could be faced are: 

• Insufficient or inappropriate tools and technologies can impede the effective implementation of Agile practices.
• When customers are not actively involved, it can lead to misunderstandings, delayed feedback, and challenges in delivering a product that aligns with their expectations.
• A team with insufficient skills may struggle to deliver quality work, potentially causing project delays and dissatisfaction among stakeholders.
• Challenges in Designing Systems for Unseen Requirements
• Introducing Agile methodologies may encounter resistance, cultural clashes, or a lack of understanding within existing organizational structures and practices.

21. Differentiate between Agile and Scrum.

Here is difference between Agile and Scrum:

Agile Methodology is a development method in which requirements and solutions evolve in cross-functional teams through collaborative effort. Its approach aligns project and product development with the customer’s requirements and overall company goals. It is a methodology based on iterative development.

Scrum is one of the most popular agile methodologies. Scrum is a lightweight, iterative, and incremental framework. Scrum breaks down the development phases into stages or cycles called “sprints”. The development time for each sprint is maximized and dedicated thereby managing only one sprint at a time. The Scrum team has a scrum master and product owner with constant communication daily.

22. When should you use Waterfall over Scrum?

Waterfall is a suitable approach for companies when they engage in projects with the following characteristics:

• Waterfall is effective for projects where user stories and feature requirements are well-defined.
• Waterfall is beneficial when dealing with larger development teams, surpassing 10 members.
• Waterfall is ideal when there is a pre-existing DevOps stack and the team comprises developers with significant experience in using it.
• Waterfall is preferable when projects involve minimal changes post the initiation of development.
• Waterfall is well-suited when management aims to closely monitor and manage the activities of the development team.

23. How long does the scrum cycle last?

Scrum cycle generally takes two to four weeks in duration and each sprint starts the moment the previous one is completed.

24. What is the scrum of scrums?

Scrum of scrums is a method to scale Scrum to huge groups. In shorts, it includes coordinating the work of various scrum teams working together, by creating a larger scrum crew whose members will be regular, smaller teams.

25. Define epic, User Stories, and Tasks?

Let’s Define each one by one:

1. Epic: Epics is a hierarchy of work, composed of smaller to-dos and user stories, that your team completes over multiple sprints. Within the Agile paradigm, epics are crucial because they give teams a useful, shared vocabulary and method to utilize when organizing their work.
2. User Stories: User stories give the team important context and associate tasks with the value those tasks bring. During a sprint or iteration planning meeting, the team decides what stories they’ll tackle during that sprint. 
3. Tasks: A task is a single unit of work broken down from a user story. A task is usually completed by just one person.

26. What is Test-Driven Development?

Test Driven Development is the process in which test cases are written before the code that validates those cases. It depends on repetition of a very short development cycle. Test driven Development is a technique in which automated Unit test are used to drive the design and free decoupling of dependencies.

27. What is Agile Manifesto? What are its values and principles?

Agile Manifesto provides a foundation for developing software in a way that responds effectively to changing requirements and delivers value to customers. It aims to shift the focus from rigid processes and extensive documentation to individuals and interactions, working software, and customer collaboration.

4 Values of Manifesto for Agile Software Development are:

1. Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools: Focuses on the importance of effective communication and collaboration among team members.
2. Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation: Prioritizes the delivery of functional software as the primary measure of progress.
3. Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation: Encourages customers and stakeholders to have active involvement throughout the development process.
4. Responding to Change over Following a Plan: On changing requirements, embracing flexibility and ability to adapt even late in the development process.

Principles of Manifesto for Agile Software Development

This Agile Manifesto is supported by 12 principles that help to implement the values.

28. What are Burn-up and Burn-down charts in Agile?

Both Burn-up and Burn-down charts are commonly used in Agile projects to visualize progress and track remaining work, but they focus on different things:

Burn-Up Charts in Agile

• Tracks remaining work, shows progress to completion (like bricks left to build a house).
• Useful for deadlines and spotting problems early.

Burn-Down Charts in Agile

• Tracks completed work and total scope, shows overall progress (like built walls of a house).
• Useful for seeing trends and understanding scope changes.

In Contrast:

• Burn-down for remaining work & deadlines.
• Burn-up for overall progress & scope.

29. What are different types of Burn-Down charts?

Here are Some Common Type of Burn-Down Charts:

• Sprint Burn-Down
• Release Burn-Down
• Epic Burn-Down
• Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD)

30. Name three main Agile Frameworks other than Scrum for Product Development.

Three main Agile Frameworks other than Scrum for Product Development are:

• Kanban
• Extreme Programming (XP)
• Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

Agile Software Development is one of the most popular methodologies in the software industry, known for its flexibility, iterative approach, and focus on customer satisfaction. Agile principles include customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery, welcoming changing requirements, delivering working software frequently, and close, daily cooperation between business people and developers. Agile is widely adopted by top companies such as Uber, Airbnb, Google, Netflix, Instagram, Spotify, Amazon, and many more due to its ability to adapt to changing requirements and deliver high-quality software efficiently.

Here, we provide Top Agile Software Development Interview Questions tailored for both freshers and experienced professionals with 3, 5, and 8 years of experience. Here, we cover everything, including Agile principles, Scrum framework, Kanban, Lean, Extreme Programming (XP), Agile metrics, Agile tools, and more, that will surely help you to crack Agile interviews.