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PMP Exаm 4

Question 12 of 180 Question ID: 7000116

As part of continuous improvement efforts, a project manager wants to determine the process efficiency of the current
iteration.

What should the project manager do?

A Count the number of work items that are currently being worked on

B Calculate the ratio between value-adding time and non-value-adding time

C Measure the amount of time it takes the team to complete a task

D Compare the number of items arriving at the queue to those that leave it

J Question answered incorrectly

Hint:

Process efficiency is a metric used to optimize the flow of work.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Process efficiency is a ratio used in lean systems to optimize the flow of work. Since agile projects, like the one implied by the
scenario, promote lean methods to develop project deliverables, applying the process efficiency metric may help the team
analyze and optimize the process they use to produce product increments. Process efficiency calculates the ratio between
value-adding time and non-value-adding time. For example, work items that are not actively being worked on (in other words,
items that are waiting) increase the non-value-adding time. On the other hand, work items that are actively being worked on,
such as items in development, testing, integration, deployment, etc., represent value-adding time. Dividing the value-adding
time by the non-value-adding time would provide the ratio that represents process efficiency.

Details for Each Option:

A Count the number of work items that are currently being worked on
Incorrect. The number of work items that are currently being worked on represents the work in progress (WIP).
Typically, WIP alone is less useful than WIP limits. WIP limits refer to the maximum number of items allowed to be
worked on at any given time in a specific column of the task board. Process efficiency is calculated differently.
 B Calculate the ratio between value-adding time and non-value-adding time
Correct. Process efficiency is a ratio used in lean systems to optimize the flow of work. This metric is often used in agile
projects, like the one implied by the scenario, to calculate the ratio between value-adding time and non-value-adding
time. This choice accurately describes process efficiency, making it the best answer to the question asked.

C Measure the amount of time it takes the team to complete a task

Incorrect. The amount of time it takes the team to complete a task is known as cycle time. The shorter the cycle time,
the more productive the project team. Teams working on adaptive (agile) projects, like the one suggested by the
scenario, use this metric to predict the possible rate of work that can be completed by the team in the future.

D Compare the number of items arriving at the queue to those that leave it
Incorrect. This answer choice describes the queue size. The queue size tracks the number of items in a queue, for
example, in a specific column of the Kanban board (a task board). This metric refers to the Little's Law that compares
the work items' rate of arrival in the queue and the work items' rate of completion from the queue.

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