Software Quality Assurance Practice Exam

What Agile methodology focuses on measuring the rate of the development process?

1. Feature driven development

2. Dynamic system development method

3. Velocity tracking

4. Essential unified process

The correct answer is: Velocity tracking

Velocity tracking is a fundamental Agile methodology that emphasizes measuring the speed at which a team delivers usable features or functionality during a development cycle, typically measured in points, stories, or tasks over a set period, such as a sprint. This measurement is essential because it helps teams assess their capacity for future work, enabling more accurate planning and forecasting. The focus on velocity allows teams to understand their performance trends, which can reveal how changes in team composition, processes, or workload affect overall productivity. By continuously tracking and analyzing this metric, teams can adapt their strategies to improve efficiency and effectiveness in delivering software. In contrast, other methodologies and practices mentioned do not center around measuring the rate of development in the same way. Feature Driven Development, for instance, is focused on delivering features based on client demands, while the Dynamic Systems Development Method emphasizes iterative development but doesn't specifically address velocity as a core metric. The Essential Unified Process is more aligned with iterative development practices than direct measurement of development speed. Thus, velocity tracking stands out as the methodology that specifically targets the measurement of the development process rate.