Which option best represents an example of eliminating waste in agile practice?

Which option best represents an example of eliminating waste in agile practice?

• A. Multitasking to maximize time
• B. Too many meetings that plan the next meeting
• C. Forgetting to recycle
• D. Creating a team definition of ready that guides what the team needs before they start work

Answer: (D)

Eliminating waste in agile practice means removing activities that do not add value and hinder flow. Creating a team definition of ready that guides what must be in place before work starts is the best example because it establishes a clear, shared threshold for when work can begin. With defined criteria—such as clarified requirements, dependencies resolved, and acceptance tests understood—the team avoids starting work that is not well understood or blocked, which would otherwise lead to delays, rework, and wasted effort. This upfront clarity smooths the workflow, improves predictability, and keeps the sprint focused on deliverable tasks. By contrast, multitasking increases context-switching and reduces throughput; too many meetings create overhead without delivering value; and forgetting to recycle is unrelated to delivering software efficiently.

Eliminating waste in agile practice means removing activities that do not add value and hinder flow. Creating a team definition of ready that guides what must be in place before work starts is the best example because it establishes a clear, shared threshold for when work can begin. With defined criteria—such as clarified requirements, dependencies resolved, and acceptance tests understood—the team avoids starting work that is not well understood or blocked, which would otherwise lead to delays, rework, and wasted effort. This upfront clarity smooths the workflow, improves predictability, and keeps the sprint focused on deliverable tasks.

By contrast, multitasking increases context-switching and reduces throughput; too many meetings create overhead without delivering value; and forgetting to recycle is unrelated to delivering software efficiently.