PMP · Question #553
An organization is transitioning to agile delivery, and a new team has been assembled. A project is not going well because the variation of the team velocity is very high and every sprint delivers…
The correct answer is B. Recommend a different estimation method in the retrospective. For a new agile team struggling with high velocity variation and under-delivery, a new project lead should recommend exploring different estimation methods in the retrospective.
Question
An organization is transitioning to agile delivery, and a new team has been assembled. A project is not going well because the variation of the team velocity is very high and every sprint delivers less than committed. A new project lead with a strong technical background has been assigned to the project. What should the project lead do?
Options
- AAsk that estimations be provided only by senior developers.
- BRecommend a different estimation method in the retrospective.
- CAllocate more time for estimation in the sprint planning.
- DReview and update the estimations in the daily standup.
How the community answered
(56 responses)- A11% (6)
- B80% (45)
- C5% (3)
- D4% (2)
Why each option
For a new agile team struggling with high velocity variation and under-delivery, a new project lead should recommend exploring different estimation methods in the retrospective.
Limiting estimations to only senior developers undermines the principle of whole-team ownership and self-organization in agile, potentially leading to less accurate estimates due to a lack of diverse perspectives.
High velocity variation and consistent under-delivery indicate issues with the team's estimation process or accuracy. The retrospective is the appropriate agile event for the team to inspect its processes, including estimation, and adapt. A project lead with a strong technical background can guide the team to explore and adopt more effective estimation techniques to improve predictability and delivery.
Allocating more time for estimation doesn't guarantee improved accuracy if the underlying method is flawed or the team isn't skilled in its application; the focus should be on method effectiveness.
Reviewing and updating estimations during a daily standup is too disruptive; the daily standup is for quick progress updates and impediment identification, not detailed re-estimation of sprint backlog items.
Concept tested: Agile estimation and continuous improvement
Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-retrospective
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Carlos M.Apr 21, 2026B is correct. The retrospective is exactly where you fix process problems like bad estimation, and high velocity variance points straight to the estimation method being the issue. PMP loves the retrospective as the answer for anything that needs a process adjustment. D is a trap because standups are for syncing, not re-estimating, and A just creates a knowledge silo which agile hates.
Wei W.Apr 1, 2026B is correct. Estimation issues belong in the retrospective where the team self-organizes around a fix.
Mei-Ling H.Apr 7, 2026B is correct because estimation issues belong in the retrospective where the team can inspect and adapt together. C is tempting since more planning time sounds helpful, but the real problem is the method itself, not the time spent, and D is wrong because daily standups are for synchronization, not re-estimation.
Samuel O.Mar 25, 2026Going with D here. When velocity is all over the place and the team keeps missing commitments, the lead needs to get visibility into estimates early and often, and the standup is exactly where you catch divergence from the plan before the sprint goes sideways. I have seen too many sprints fail because nobody adjusted mid-flight when the work was clearly trending off estimate.
Mei-Ling H.Mar 26, 2026B is correct here. The stem says velocity varies and commitments are missed, which points to the team needing help with estimation itself, not just visibility at standup. Samuel latched onto the standup as a visibility fix, but the real issue is that estimates are unreliable, so the lead should focus on improving how the team estimates work.