A given user story has a description and an acceptance criterion.
Which two other things are needed to mark the story as ready?
Answer : A, D
Priority (A): Before a user story can be marked as ready, it needs to be prioritized. This helps the development team understand the importance of the story relative to other items in the backlog and ensures that the most critical features are addressed first. Reference: Appian Documentation - Managing Backlogs and Prioritization
Estimation (D): Estimation is essential to determine the effort required to implement the user story. It allows the team to plan the sprint effectively, allocate resources, and ensure that the story can be completed within the sprint timeline. Reference: Appian Documentation - Estimation Techniques
Note: Sprint number (B) and developer assignment (C) are important for sprint planning and task allocation but are not required to mark the story as ready.
As an Appian Analyst, which activity are you responsible for during the "optimize" phase of a project?
Answer : D
During the 'optimize' phase of an Appian project, the focus is on evaluating and improving the performance and impact of the application after its release. As an Appian Analyst, your role in this phase involves measuring the impact of the application release, which includes gathering and analyzing data on user adoption, performance metrics, and overall business impact. This data-driven approach helps in identifying areas for improvement and optimization to ensure the application continues to meet business objectives effectively. Reference: Appian Documentation - Application Lifecycle Management
Note: The other options (A, B, C) are typically the responsibilities of other roles in different phases of the project, such as developers or project managers, and not specific to the 'optimize' phase for an Appian Analyst.
According to best practices, which two types of tests should be considered during user acceptance testing (UAT)?
Answer : C, D
Regulation Acceptance Testing (C): During User Acceptance Testing (UAT), it is essential to ensure that the application complies with industry regulations and standards. Regulation acceptance testing focuses on verifying that the system adheres to legal and compliance requirements specific to the industry or region where the application will be used. This ensures that the application meets all necessary regulatory guidelines before going live. Reference: Appian Documentation - Testing and Validation
Functional Testing (D): Functional testing is a critical component of UAT as it verifies that the application's functionality works as expected from the end-user's perspective. This includes validating that all features, workflows, and business processes perform correctly according to the specified requirements. UAT is the final phase where end-users interact with the application to confirm that it meets their needs and performs as intended. Reference: Appian Documentation - Functional Testing
Note: Load testing (A) and platform security testing (B) are important types of tests but are usually conducted during performance and security testing phases rather than UAT. UAT focuses more on ensuring the application meets business requirements and end-user expectations.
Which of the following is a key responsibility of a Product Owner in an Agile project?
Answer : B
What are three of Appian's core capabilities?
Answer : C, D, E
Connecting to Database Management Systems (C): One of Appian's core capabilities is its ability to connect with various database management systems. This allows for seamless data integration, retrieval, and management, enabling applications to interact with databases like Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server, among others. Reference: Appian Documentation - Database Connections
Designing Effective User Interfaces by Combining Available UI Components (D): Appian provides a wide range of UI components that can be combined to design effective and user-friendly interfaces. This capability allows developers to create intuitive and interactive applications that meet user requirements. Reference: Appian Documentation - User Interface Design
Automating Business Processes with Complex Workflow (E): Appian excels in automating business processes, especially those that involve complex workflows. Its workflow automation capabilities allow for the orchestration of tasks, approvals, and other process activities, making it a powerful tool for process-driven applications. Reference: Appian Documentation - Workflow Automation
Note: Building highly-interactive reporting or data exploration applications (A) is possible in Appian, but it's not the platform's primary focus. Accommodating applications that need to run completely offline (B) is not one of Appian's core capabilities, as it is primarily designed for online, connected applications.
A team of employees manages invoice processing and payments for their organization.
Each day, the team receives invoices via email. The team reviews the invoices, sends payments, and logs the payments manually in a shared spreadsheet.
Where is the best opportunity for automation in this manual process?
Answer : D
The best opportunity for automation in the manual process described is to leverage Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and workflow tools. OCR can automatically extract data from the invoices received via email, and the workflow tools can automate the review process, checking the data for accuracy, processing payments, and prompting employees only when exceptions are found.
OCR and Workflow Tools Overview:
OCR technology converts the text in scanned documents or images into machine-readable data, which can be automatically processed.
Workflow tools in Appian can then route the extracted data through a series of steps, automating tasks like data entry, validation, and payment processing.
Automating these steps reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and ensures that invoices are processed more efficiently.
Why Not Other Options?:
A . Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for thank you messages: This is a less critical part of the process and does not significantly reduce manual work.
B . Creating a task for manual input: This still involves manual data entry, which does not fully utilize automation potential.
C . Macro in the shared spreadsheet: This provides minimal automation and doesn't address the root of the problem, which is manual data entry.
References:
Appian Documentation on OCR Integration: OCR in Appian
Appian Workflow Automation Guide: Automating Processes in Appian
By using OCR and workflow tools, the organization can significantly reduce manual processing time and increase the accuracy of invoice handling.
You need to invoke Appian interfaces from an existing web portal.
What is the preferred solution approach?
Answer : B
The preferred solution for invoking Appian interfaces from an existing web portal is to implement an embedded interface approach. Appian provides the ability to embed interfaces (such as forms or dashboards) within other web applications, allowing seamless integration and interaction with Appian functionality from within an existing portal.
Embedded Interface Approach Overview:
Appian interfaces can be embedded in other web applications using iframe technology or JavaScript, allowing users to interact with Appian processes without leaving the existing portal.
This approach is ideal when the goal is to provide Appian functionality within a different user interface while maintaining the user experience of the existing portal.
Why Not Other Options?:
A . Appian Site: While Appian Sites provide a customized user interface within Appian, they do not integrate with external portals.
C . Custom UI instead of Appian UI: Creating a custom UI bypasses the built-in capabilities of Appian, leading to increased development effort and complexity.
D . Headless solution: A headless approach typically involves using Appian as a backend service without a user interface, which is not suitable for this requirement.
References:
Appian Documentation on Embedded Interfaces: Embedding Appian Interfaces
Embedding Appian interfaces ensures a smooth integration of Appian capabilities within the existing web portal, enhancing user experience without disrupting the current workflow.