PRACTICE QUESTIONS | TRY BEFORE READING THE ANSWERS

Q1. Why is a software company’s purpose not simply “write software”?

Answer: Because software is a means to deliver value to users. Features alone are not useful if they do not solve a real need.

Q2. What three perspectives does a product manager balance?

Answer: Business goals, technical feasibility/effort, and user experience.

Q3. How do sales and customer support help future development?

Answer: They report customer requests, common difficulties, and defects to product, design, and engineering teams.

Q4. What is conceptual integrity?

Answer: A common understanding across the team of what is being built and why.

Q5. Why should an engineer consult a domain expert?

Answer: The domain expert understands real-world workflows and constraints that the engineer may not know.

Q6. What is the risk of undocumented specialized knowledge?

Answer: The team may depend on one person, experience delays, or lose knowledge when that person leaves.

Q7. Name two approaches to reducing knowledge dependency.

Answer: Document decisions; rotate developers or cross-train teammates.

Q8. Why are lines of code a weak productivity measure?

Answer: They do not reveal whether the code meets requirements, integrates with other modules, or helps the team deliver value.

Q9. Are meetings always a waste of coding time?

Answer: No. Meetings can help clarify requirements, align teams, and prevent costly rework; their usefulness depends on purpose and execution.

Q10. What distinguishes macro and micro decisions?

Answer: Macro decisions concern architecture or framework choices; micro decisions concern implementation choices such as algorithms and data structures.

Q11. Write the five rational decision-making steps.

Answer: Identify decision; identify alternatives; consider outcomes; evaluate for context; decide.

Q12. How should an engineer explain the same problem to different audiences?

Answer: Adapt vocabulary and detail to the listener while preserving the correct meaning.

Q13. Why is continuous learning important?

Answer: Tools, technologies, and practices change; engineers must keep their knowledge current.