AL-703-C Agile Software Development - Dec 2025 Question Paper

Under each question, How to answer lists the points an answer should cover, outlined by CampusPrep from the syllabus. Check the details against your textbook.

1. 7 Marks
   aAnalyze the phases involved in the Agile Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). How does feedback at each phase contribute to software quality?
   How to answer

   • Phases of Agile SDLC: concept, iteration planning, design, development, testing, deployment, review/retrospective
   • Iterative-incremental nature and continuous feedback loops
   • How feedback at each phase detects defects early and aligns with customer needs
   • Impact on software quality: adaptability, reduced rework, higher satisfaction
2. 7 Marks
   bDefine the Agile Manifesto and explain its key principles, highlighting their importance in modern software development.
   How to answer

   • Definition of Agile Manifesto: 4 values
   • 12 key principles overview
   • Importance: customer collaboration, responding to change, working software
   • Relevance in modern software development
3. 7 Marks
   aAnalyze the structure of a Scrum Team and discuss its roles and responsibilities.
   How to answer

   • Scrum Team structure: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team
   • Roles and responsibilities of each role
   • Characteristics: cross-functional, self-organizing, small size
   • How roles collaborate to deliver increment
4. 7 Marks
   bExplain the process of creating a product backlog and prioritizing user stories in Agile project planning.
   How to answer

   • Product backlog concept and creation steps
   • User story writing and INVEST criteria
   • Prioritization techniques: MoSCoW, value vs effort, WSJF
   • Role in Agile project planning and continuous refinement
5. 7 Marks
   aDescribe the key Scrum events and their purposes within a sprint cycle.
   How to answer

   • Key Scrum events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective
   • Purpose and timebox of each event
   • Role within sprint cycle for inspection and adaptation
   • Outcome for transparency and continuous improvement
6. 7 Marks
   bDiscuss the characteristics of a good user story and explain how acceptance tests verify these stories.
   How to answer

   • Characteristics of good user story: INVEST, 3Cs
   • Role of acceptance criteria
   • How acceptance tests verify functionality and done-ness
   • Example of user story with acceptance test
7. 7 Marks
   aExplain the Extreme Programming (XP) lifecycle and analyze the significance of pair programming in XP.
   How to answer

   • XP lifecycle phases: planning, design, coding, testing, listening
   • XP values and practices overview
   • Pair programming process and roles
   • Significance: quality, knowledge sharing, reduced defects
8. 7 Marks
   bEvaluate how technical debt affects Agile development and suggest management strategies.
   How to answer

   • Definition of technical debt and its causes
   • Effects on velocity, quality, maintainability in Agile
   • Management strategies: refactoring, backlog prioritization, Definition of Done
   • Balancing speed vs sustainability
9. 7 Marks
   aAnalyze Agile design principles and explain the need for continuous integration using automated build tools.
   How to answer

   • Agile design principles: simplicity, YAGNI, emergent design
   • Continuous integration concept and workflow
   • Role of automated build tools: Jenkins, etc.
   • Need: early defect detection, reduced integration risk
10. 7 Marks
    bDiscuss Test-Driven Development (TDD) and describe challenges faced during implementation.
    How to answer

    • TDD cycle: Red-Green-Refactor
    • Benefits: test coverage, design quality
    • Implementation challenges: mindset, time, legacy code
    • Mitigation approaches
11. 7 Marks
    aEvaluate version control systems in Agile environments and illustrate their significance for team collaboration.
    How to answer

    • Types of version control: centralized vs distributed (Git)
    • Evaluation in Agile context: branching, merging
    • Significance for collaboration, traceability, CI
    • Illustration with Agile team workflow
12. 7 Marks
    bExplain how retrospectives contribute to risk management and continuous improvement in Agile projects.
    How to answer

    • Retrospective purpose and process
    • Link to risk identification and mitigation
    • Contribution to continuous improvement (Kaizen)
    • Examples of action items and follow-up
13. 7 Marks
    aDefine refactoring and discuss common refactoring techniques used in Agile software development.
    How to answer

    • Definition of refactoring and its goals
    • Common techniques: extract method, rename, move, simplify
    • When to refactor in Agile iterations
    • Benefits for code quality and maintainability
14. 7 Marks
    bAnalyze the role of Agile interaction design in improving software quality.
    How to answer

    • Agile interaction design concept: user-centered, iterative
    • Practices: personas, prototyping, usability testing
    • Role in improving usability and software quality
    • Feedback integration in each iteration
15. 14 Marks
    Write short notes on any two of the following:

    1. a)Pair programming : benefits and challenges.
    2. b)Velocity in Extreme Programming and its measurement.
    3. c)Feature Driven Development
    4. d)Agile project monitoring and adapting techniques.
    How to answer

    • Select any two topics for short notes
    • Definition, key points and practices for each
    • Benefits/limitations with example
    • Relevance in Agile context