37 Common Agile Interview Questions With Example Answers

Updated 21 July 2022

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Agile is a common term used to refer to a repetitive approach to work processes in enterprise development. Many businesses use agile in the workplace as a way to manage projects and adapt quickly to change. By knowing the core agile principles and their importance in project management and software development, you can interview successfully for an agile-focused position. In this article, we provide some common agile interview questions a hiring manager may ask you, some with sample answers, so you can prepare well for your upcoming interview.

30 agile interview questions

Review some of these common agile interview questions so you can prepare your answers prior to your interview:

What do you know about agile testing?
What makes the agile methodology different from other development methodologies?
What is the difference between incremental development and iterative development?
What are burnup and burndown charts in agile?
What are the different burndown charts you may use in agile?
What are the differences between agile and devops?
What is velocity? Explain its purpose in agile.
What are the differences between the agile model and the waterfall model?
What are some disadvantages of the agile model?
What is the difference between agile and scrum?
What are the quality strategies in agile?
When working on agile projects, which tools do you use to take screenshots?
When should you use agile methodology?
What are some of the common challenges in using agile for software development?
Who are the main leads on an agile team?
What are three agile frameworks for product development?
What are the important components of agile?
What are the qualities that a professional agile tester should have?
What do you know about product backlog and sprint backlog?
How would you describe a product roadmap?
What is spike and sprint zero in agile?
What is the purpose of the daily stand-up in agile?
What do you know about epic, user stories and tasks?
Which project management tools can you use in agile?
What are some of the common things in all agile frameworks?
What are some agile estimation techniques?
What is kanban in agile?
What is your familiarity with SAFe agile?
What are the twelve principles of agile?
What are some reasons for the wide acceptance of the agile methodology?

Related: How To Crack a Job Interview

Example agile interview questions and answers

Here are some additional questions and answers you can use for practice before your job interview:

What are the four agile values?

The interviewer may ask this question to test your knowledge of the Agile Manifesto and its key values. You may need to know these if you are going to use the agile methodology for software development. You can list the values in your own words and briefly explain your understanding of them.

Example: "As stated in the Agile Manifesto by the Agile Alliance, there are four agile values. The first states that it is more important to consider the requirements of individuals and their interactions than to stay fixated on following due process and using specific tools. According to the second agile value, creating working software is more important than creating comprehensive documentation.

Per the third agile value, it is more important to achieve customer collaboration than to struggle with contract negotiation. The fourth and final agile value states that it is more important to respond swiftly and efficiently to change than to follow a plan."

What is the meaning of yesterday's weather in agile?

Interviewers often ask this question to find out how much you know about project planning for work productivity. You can briefly explain the meaning of the phrase and give an example of how you may have used it in a work project.

Example: "In an agile project, the team handling the project may use the term yesterday's weather to keep track of its work productivity during a sprint or an iteration. The team keeps metrics of the work it has done so far and reviews these to estimate the work it still has to do. By using the past and present work as predictors of future work, the team can determine how much work it can reasonably undertake in the future and commit only to doing that.

Referring to yesterday's weather can enable the team to plan work projects properly, enhance its productivity and finish tasks on schedule. It can also save on time, money and other resources."

What are the different agile methodologies?

A common question in agile-related interviews, its purpose is usually to test your basic knowledge of agile methodologies. You can mention a few that you know and explain one or two.

Example: "There are different types of agile methodologies you can use in software development and other development projects. One of the best-known ones is scrum. It is a framework within which you can work to find adaptive solutions for various complex problems and deliver high-quality products. Another popular agile methodology is the crystal method. It is a framework that you can use for short-term projects. It takes a flexible and adaptive approach to projects and tries to optimise the workflow with unique and dynamic methods. It generally does not require much documentation.

Other types of agile methodologies are Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), Feature-driven Development (FDD), Dynamic Software Development Method (DSDM), Lean Software Development, DevOps and Disciplined Agile (DA). There are more than 50 agile methodologies, and the list may continue to grow."

How do you select an agile methodology?

The interviewer may ask you this question after asking about the different agile methodologies. The purpose can be to test your practical understanding of using an agile methodology.

Example: "Given that there are over 50 agile methodologies, it can be difficult to pick the right one for a project. What I often do is list the project requirements and review the agile approaches that might be the best fit. It is essential to understand that none of these approaches is likely to give you an exact solution for the problem. You may have to adapt them as you see fit to achieve greater agility."

In your opinion, what skills should an agile tester have?

The purpose of this question is to find out how much you know about agile testing. You can explain what an agile tester does and provide examples of the skills necessary for the role.

Example: "An agile tester carries out software testing using different agile principles for software development. I think it is important to have an in-depth understanding of agile principles and concepts. Since agile testing requires collaboration and interaction with team members and clients, it can be helpful to have excellent communication skills. You may also need comprehension skills to understand customer requirements and know how to prioritise work tasks to fulfil these. Additionally, agile testers have to understand how changing demands can affect the project."

What are the benefits of pair programming?

This agile-related interview question is common in job interviews for software development positions. You can explain what pair programming is and give a few of its benefits.

Example: "Pair programming is the teamwork of two programmers, where one does the coding work and the other reviews it to ensure it is correct and free of errors. There are many benefits to pair programming. The principal one is that it improves the code quality and reduces the chances of making programming mistakes. It also enables both programmers to learn from one another and become better programmers."

What does agile mean to you?

You may receive this interview question, and its purpose is to gauge how beneficial you have found the agile methodology.

Example: "The agile methodology has made a big difference in the way we undertake our product development. Earlier, we used to spend a considerable amount of time planning the project in its entirety. Since we adopted the agile methodology, we do our software development in stages. At each stage, we gather feedback from the customer, and we can then incorporate that into the project work. It is much more convenient to make changes and adjustments in this manner than to complete the entire project and then have to incorporate the changes."

What to expect from an agile interview

When you go for an agile interview, it is most likely to be for a leadership position in information technology. The job may require you to have a sound understanding of the different agile principles, and you may also need to possess the knowledge to implement these for various necessary functions in an enterprise organisation.

To test your knowledge and assess your competency for the position, the interviewer may ask you a range of technical agile questions. It is essential to prepare well for your interview and practise using the STAR methodology for giving clear and concise answers, with examples, to the interview questions you receive about agile and your previous work experience.

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