PMP · Question #975
Based on a new company policy, an aviation software project has been structured to use an agile approach. The project is subject to industry regulations, which require detailed tracking and archival o
The correct answer is B. Product backlog and definition of done (DoD). To understand the impact of industry regulations requiring detailed tracking and archival of product changes on an agile project, the project manager should focus on the product backlog and the Definition of Done.
Question
Based on a new company policy, an aviation software project has been structured to use an agile approach. The project is subject to industry regulations, which require detailed tracking and archival of product changes. What should the project manager use to understand the impact of compliance on this project?
Options
- AUser stories and release plan
- BProduct backlog and definition of done (DoD)
- CScope of work and product backlog
- DSprint retrospective and release plan
How the community answered
(39 responses)- A8% (3)
- B74% (29)
- C3% (1)
- D15% (6)
Why each option
To understand the impact of industry regulations requiring detailed tracking and archival of product changes on an agile project, the project manager should focus on the product backlog and the Definition of Done.
User stories describe functionality from a user's perspective, and a release plan organizes these, but they don't explicitly define how compliance requirements for tracking and archival will be met at an increment level.
The product backlog is where all work, including regulatory requirements and compliance-related tasks, should be prioritized and managed. The Definition of Done (DoD) explicitly outlines the quality criteria and activities that must be completed for a product increment to be considered "done," which is the ideal place to incorporate regulatory compliance, traceability, and archival requirements.
While the scope of work defines what needs to be done, the product backlog is the agile artifact that embodies the dynamic scope. However, "scope of work" is less specific to agile compliance than the DoD.
Sprint retrospectives focus on process improvement, and release plans detail what will be released, but neither specifies the granular criteria for compliance or "doneness" for individual features.
Concept tested: Agile compliance; Definition of Done
Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-definition-done
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Carlos M.Jun 19, 2026B is the answer. The product backlog gives you visibility into all planned work and changes, which is what regulators care about. The definition of done is where you bake in compliance requirements so nothing gets released without meeting regulatory standards. The other options sound agile but dont directly connect change tracking to quality gates the way the DoD does. Saw this one on my exam last month and the DoD angle is the key.
Viktor S.Jun 21, 2026Agree on B but worth noting the DoD only satisfies auditors if it is actually enforced as a gate, not just written on a wiki page, because a definition of done that nobody checks is just documentation.
Viktor S.Jul 5, 2026B is the right call here. The DoD is where compliance requirements get baked in, so if the regulations demand detailed change tracking and archival, the DoD for every product backlog item has to reflect that. The product backlog itself shows what is being built and prioritized, which together with the DoD tells you exactly where compliance lands on the work. I had this one on my exam last spring and almost went with A because the release plan sounded governance-ish, but the DoD is the mechanism that actually enforces regulatory standards in an agile setup.
Yusuf A.Jul 8, 2026That DoD point lines up with what a senior on my team showed me, but I would add that the product backlog also matters here because compliance requirements often show up as non functional acceptance criteria on individual items, not just in the DoD.
Yusuf A.Jun 30, 2026B on my exam last week, DoD is where compliance lives per my senior.