- Leadership and Communication
- Can you share a time when you entered a chaotic situation and had to implement a new solution that reorganized the team and brought order?
- How did you manage buy-in and pushback from the team and stake holders on the changes you deployed?
- Problem-Solving and Adaptability
- If you find yourself managing a project that is running late, what are the first and last changes you would make to your project management strategy to get it back on track?
- Can you tell me about a time where you made a decision to pivot to keep a project on track?
- Technical and Business Acumen
- What defines a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for you, and how do you determine what features are in or out of scope when creating an MVP?
- Can you provide an example where you had to make a tough decision on what to include or exclude in a project’s delivery.
- Planning and Organization
- What is a recent evolution you’ve made in the way you manage tasks and resources or your own personal responsibilities?
- What prompted you to make this change?
1. Velocity (Story Points Completed)
Question:
How do you track the number of story points your team completes during a sprint, and how do you use this data to adjust future sprint goals?
Follow-up:
Can you describe a situation where tracking story points helped you improve the team’s sprint planning process?
Good Answer:
I use a tool like Jira to track story points across sprints. After each sprint, I review the team’s velocity to identify trends. If we consistently fall short, I assess whether tasks are underestimated or if the team is overburdened. I use this data to adjust future sprint planning and improve our estimations.
Bad Answer:
We don’t really track story points closely. I just assign tasks and see what gets done by the end of the sprint.
2. Code Quality (Defect Density)
Question:
How do you measure the number of bugs introduced per unit of code, and how do you ensure that defect density remains low?
Follow-up:
Can you provide an example of how you reduced the defect density in a past project?
Good Answer:
I monitor the number of bugs through our bug tracking system and correlate it with the size of code commits. Automated tests help us catch issues early. Additionally, regular code reviews prevent high defect density. In one project, we reduced bug rates by implementing mandatory peer reviews and unit testing.
Bad Answer:
I don’t have a specific way to track bugs relative to code. I just rely on testers to find issues during QA.
3. Cycle Time
Question:
How do you track and reduce the time it takes to complete tasks from start to finish?
Follow-up:
Can you describe how you handled a situation where long cycle times affected project delivery?
Good Answer:
We use Jira to track each task’s cycle time. If cycle times are long, I investigate where the bottlenecks occur, like code reviews or testing, and work to streamline the process. In one case, we reduced cycle time by adding more developers to handle review backlogs.
Bad Answer:
I don’t track cycle time specifically. As long as the tasks get done eventually, I don’t worry about how long it takes.
4. Automated Test Coverage
Question:
What methods do you use to ensure that a significant percentage of your codebase is covered by automated tests?
Follow-up:
Can you share an example of how increased test coverage improved the stability of a project?
Good Answer:
I ensure that we write unit tests for all core functionality. We track coverage percentages using tools like NUnit or Unity’s built-in test framework. In one project, increasing test coverage from 50% to 85% drastically reduced the number of bugs during the final testing phase.
Bad Answer:
We don’t use automated tests that much. I rely more on manual testing to find issues.
5. Peer Code Review Participation
Question:
How do you ensure that your team regularly participates in code reviews, and what role do code reviews play in your process?
Follow-up:
Can you describe a time when code reviews significantly improved the quality of a feature or system?
Good Answer:
We use Git and require at least two team members to review every pull request. Code reviews are essential to maintaining high-quality code and avoiding technical debt. In a past project, code reviews caught a performance issue early on that would have been costly to fix later.
Bad Answer:
We don’t have a formal code review process. If someone wants feedback, they just ask another developer to look at their code.
6. Task Completion Rate
Question:
How do you track the completion rate of tasks assigned during sprints or milestones, and how do you ensure that tasks are completed on time?
Follow-up:
Can you give an example of how monitoring task completion rates helped improve team performance?
Good Answer:
I track task completion rates using a project management tool like Jira. If completion rates drop, I assess whether tasks are underestimated or if there are external blockers. In one case, I noticed a drop in completion rate and found that developers were being pulled into too many meetings, so we cut down on meetings and refocused efforts.
Bad Answer:
I don’t track task completion rates too closely. As long as the project is moving forward, I don’t worry about individual tasks.
7. Release Frequency
Question:
How do you measure and manage the frequency of your team’s releases, and how does it affect overall project progress?
Follow-up:
Can you describe how frequent releases benefited a project or how a lack of releases caused issues?
Good Answer:
We aim for regular releases, at least biweekly. Frequent releases allow us to get feedback early and avoid large, unmanageable updates. In a past project, regular releases allowed us to identify bugs and user issues early, reducing rework later in the project.
Bad Answer:
We don’t have a set release schedule. I prefer to wait until a major milestone is ready and then release everything at once.
8. Customer/Client Feedback
Question:
How do you gather and incorporate feedback from customers or stakeholders during development?
Follow-up:
Can you give an example of how feedback from a client or user changed the direction of a project?
Good Answer:
We gather feedback through regular client demos and user testing. I incorporate this feedback into sprint planning and adjust priorities as needed. In one project, feedback revealed usability issues that we hadn’t anticipated, so we added an onboarding tutorial to improve the user experience.
Bad Answer:
I don’t usually gather feedback until the end of the project. I believe in delivering a finished product before asking for input.
9. Team Collaboration and Engagement
Question:
What tools or processes do you use to foster team collaboration, and how do you measure engagement?
Follow-up:
Can you describe a time when strong team collaboration led to the successful completion of a challenging project?
Good Answer:
We use tools like Slack and Confluence to keep communication open. I track engagement through meeting participation and collaboration in code reviews. In a past project, weekly brainstorming sessions brought the team together and resulted in a creative solution to a performance issue.
Bad Answer:
I leave collaboration up to the team. I don’t actively track or encourage it unless I see a specific problem.
10. Resource Allocation Efficiency
Question:
How do you ensure that your team’s time and resources are allocated efficiently to high-priority tasks?
Follow-up:
Can you describe how you improved resource allocation in a past project to meet deadlines?
Good Answer:
I prioritize tasks based on the project’s critical path and ensure that the team focuses on high-impact work. In one project, we noticed that too many resources were spent on low-priority tasks. By shifting resources to the critical features, we managed to meet our deadlines.
Bad Answer:
I don’t spend much time thinking about resource allocation. The team works on tasks as they come up.