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optional · CSS study notes

Agile Software Development (2017)

CSS CS Optional — Paper-I, Section-B, Topic V. Own syllabus line item — not a subtype of process models.

🔑 Agile Manifesto — 4 Values

  1. Individuals & interactions over processes and tools
  2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
  3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
  4. Responding to change over following a fixed plan

📌 5 Frameworks to Name (FPSC has asked for 5 by name)

  • Scrum — fixed sprints, Product Backlog, Scrum Master, Product Owner, daily stand-ups.
  • XP (Extreme Programming) — pair programming, TDD, continuous integration, frequent releases.
  • Kanban — visual board, WIP limits, continuous flow.
  • Crystal — scaled by team size/criticality, people over process.
  • Lean — eliminate waste, decide late, deliver fast.
  • FDD — organizes around a prioritized feature list.

📌 Why Frequent Customer Interaction Matters

  • Validates direction early (before effort is wasted)
  • Requirements can evolve without being "failures"
  • Reduces cost of change (2-week sprint fix ≪ 12-month Waterfall fix)
  • Mechanism: sprint reviews/demos + Product Owner role

🔥 Past Papers

  • 2023 Q6(c) — describe 5 agile frameworks (6 marks)
  • 2024 & 2025 — direct Agile MCQ
  • 2026 Q6(c) — why Agile needs frequent customer interaction

⚠️ MCQ Trap

  • "Iterative cycles + continuous development" = Agile, never Waterfall.

📜 Past-Paper Questions & MCQs (CSS 2016–2026)

2018 · Paper-I · Q7(c) · 4 marks

Q. Agile development values responding to change over following a plan. Discuss three issues a software engineer should be mindful of when adopting this approach.

Ans.

  • Scope creep and unclear scope: constant changes can make the project grow beyond budget and time without a fixed end.
  • Weak documentation: minimal documents make knowledge transfer, maintenance and audits difficult.
  • Customer dependence: the approach needs continuous customer involvement. If the customer is unavailable or unsure, progress suffers.
  • Also: hard to estimate cost and schedule, architecture may degrade without design discipline, and it suits small co-located teams better than large distributed ones.

2023 · Paper-I · Q6(c) · 6 marks

Q. Briefly describe five agile software development frameworks.

Ans.

  • Scrum: work is done in fixed-length sprints (2–4 weeks) with roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Team), a product backlog and daily stand-ups.
  • Extreme Programming (XP): pair programming, test-driven development, continuous integration and small releases.
  • Kanban: a visual board (To Do, Doing, Done) that limits work in progress and improves flow.
  • Lean software development: remove waste, deliver fast, and build quality in.
  • Feature-Driven Development (FDD) (or Crystal, or DSDM): the project is built feature by feature in short iterations.

2026 · Paper-I · Q6(c) · 8 marks

Q. Why do Agile projects need frequent customer interaction?

Ans.

  • Requirements change and are often unclear at the start. Regular conversations keep the team building the right thing.
  • Early feedback: the customer reviews working software every sprint, so errors and misunderstandings are caught early, when they are cheap to fix.
  • Prioritisation: the customer decides which features bring the most value, so the backlog is always ordered by business value.
  • Reduced risk and waste: no long period of building something nobody wants.
  • Trust and satisfaction: the customer is a partner and feels ownership of the product.
  • Adapting to change: market or business changes are fed into the next iteration immediately.

MCQs

2024 P-I · Q5. Which of the following is NOT an agile software development methodology?

  • (A) Scrum
  • (B) Waterfall ✅
  • (C) Kanban
  • (D) None of these
  • Answer: (B) Waterfall.
  • Why: Waterfall is the traditional sequential model. Scrum and Kanban are agile frameworks that work in short iterations or a continuous flow.

2025 P-I · Q5. Which software development model uses iterative cycles and continuous development?

  • (A) Agile model ✅
  • (B) Spiral model
  • (C) V-model
  • (D) None of these
  • Answer: (A) Agile model.
  • Why: agile delivers working software in short iterations and keeps developing continuously with feedback. The V-model is sequential with a test phase for each stage, and the spiral model is iterative but risk-driven and slower, with long cycles.

2026 P-I · Q14. You are leading an Agile team developing a mobile app. What is the primary focus?

  • (A) Detailed upfront planning
  • (B) Strict adherence to initial requirements
  • (C) Both (A) and (B)
  • (D) Iterative development and customer feedback ✅
  • Answer: (D).
  • Why: the Agile Manifesto values responding to change over following a plan, so teams build in short iterations and adjust to customer feedback. Detailed upfront planning and fixed requirements are traits of Waterfall.

2026 P-I · Q19. A project is behind schedule. What is a likely Agile response?

  • (A) Add more developers
  • (B) Work longer hours
  • (C) Both (A) and (B)
  • (D) Review scope and priorities with the team ✅
  • Answer: (D).
  • Why: Agile keeps the time box fixed and adjusts the scope, dropping or postponing lower-priority items with the team and the product owner. Adding people late (Brooks's law) or forcing overtime is unsustainable and goes against agile principles.