SDLC & Agile Interview Questions for SDET

Beknazar
3 min readDec 21, 2023

Hi there! I put together SDLC & Agile interview questions for SDET or Test Automation roles.

Please consider taking my Udemy course Interview Preparation for SDET(Java) if you prefer video sessions with more detailed explanations.

What is SDLC?

The software development lifecycle (SDLC) is the cost-effective and time-efficient process that development teams use to design and build high-quality software.

  • Requirement gathering and planning
  • Design
  • Development
  • Testing
  • Deployment
  • Maintenance

What is the difference between waterfall and agile?

The waterfall model follows a sequential approach to software development. Each phase of the project is completed before moving on to the next, and there’s little to no room for going back to a previous phase once it’s completed.

Agile is an iterative and incremental approach. Projects are broken down into smaller increments, called iterations or sprints, where each iteration results in a potentially shippable product. Agile allows for flexibility and encourages adapting to changes during the development process.

What kind of agile scrum meetings do you have?

Sprint Planning Meeting — during Sprint Planning, we discuss the items from the Product Backlog and decide what can we accomplish in the upcoming Sprint.

Daily Stand-up (Daily Scrum) Meeting — we answer the following questions. What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?

Sprint Review Meeting — at the end of each Sprint, we hold a Sprint Review to demonstrate the work completed during the Sprint to stakeholders.

Sprint Retrospective Meeting — also held at the end of each Sprint, the goal is to identify what went well and what could be improved, leading to actionable improvements for the next Sprint.

What agile artifacts do you know?

Product Backlog — This is a list of all the features, user stories, enhancements, bug fixes, and other items that represent the product’s requirements.

Sprint Backlog — It is a subset of items selected from the Product Backlog for a specific Sprint.

Burndown Chart — It is a graphical representation of the remaining work (usually measured in story points or task hours) over time during a Sprint. It helps the team track their progress and visualize if they are on track to complete the planned work by the end of the Sprint.

Velocity Chart — It shows the amount of work a team can complete in each Sprint, based on the historical data from previous Sprints. It provides an average of the team’s velocity, which can be useful for long-term planning and forecasting.

How long is your sprint?

2 weeks.

What are the challenges of working in an agile environment?

For me the first challenge is changing requirements, frequent changes can be challenging. Another challenge for me is that agile works in Sprints, which sometimes can create time pressure.

How do you estimate your tickets?

I estimate my tickets based on previous tickets I have done.

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