Which of the following MOST accurately describes DevOps?
Answer : D
DevOps is not simply a team, methodology, or standard. The PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6 materials define DevOps as a ''cultural and professional movement'' that stresses communication, collaboration, integration, and automation to improve workflow between software developers and IT operations professionals. The cultural transformation is fundamental, emphasizing shared responsibilities, breaking down silos, and fostering continuous improvement. Reference: DevOps Foundation v3.6 syllabus section 1.1; State of DevOps Report; 'The Phoenix Project'.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of DevOps?
Answer : C
A fast flow of unplanned work into production is not a characteristic of DevOps. In fact, DevOps practices strive to minimize unplanned work (like emergency changes or outages) through automation, testing, collaboration, and rigorous change control. The other options---ensuring organizational success, working toward a common goal, and world-class stability/reliability---are all key DevOps characteristics. Reference: DevOps Foundation v3.6 syllabus section 1.4; State of DevOps Report.
What is NOT a type of IT work?
Answer : D
Manufacturing is not a type of IT work in DevOps. DevOps classifies IT work as:
Business projects: New value-creating work.
Planned work: Routine, repeatable tasks (maintenance, upgrades).
Unplanned work: Incidents, emergencies, support.
Extract-style reference: ''IT work includes business projects, planned work, and unplanned work. Manufacturing is an analogy for flow, but not a category of IT work itself.'' --- The Phoenix Project PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6: Recognizes these three categories to manage and improve IT workloads.
Which of The Three Ways increases the flow of work from left to right?
Answer : A
The ''Three Ways'' are foundational principles in DevOps:
The First Way focuses on increasing the flow of work from left (development) to right (operations). It is about optimizing the entire system for fast delivery, limiting bottlenecks, and enabling a rapid flow of features and fixes to customers.
The Second Way is about amplifying feedback loops so corrections can be made early.
The Third Way emphasizes continual learning and experimentation.
Extract-style reference: ''The First Way emphasizes the performance of the entire system, as opposed to the performance of a specific silo of work or department. The goal is to maximize the flow of work (value) from Development to Operations to the customer.'' --- Gene Kim, The Phoenix Project / DevOps Handbook PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6 highlights this in the section on 'Principles and Practices,' emphasizing The First Way as critical to accelerating flow.
An organization is using ChatOps to improve communication and collaboration.
How can this organization transfer incident-related data from its chat client to its IT service management tool?
Answer : C
ChatOps is the integration of chat platforms with tools and workflows, allowing teams to manage operations and incidents directly through chat.
Using an API (Application Programming Interface) is the correct, scalable way to transfer incident-related data automatically from chat clients to ITSM (IT Service Management) tools, preserving traceability and reducing manual errors.
Why not manual cut/paste? Manual processes are error-prone and slow; DevOps aims for automation and integration.
Extract-style reference: ''APIs enable seamless transfer of information between ChatOps platforms and ITSM tools, supporting automation, accuracy, and auditability in incident management.'' --- DevOps Handbook; ChatOps: Managing Operations and Collaboration in the Cloud, Jason Hand PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6: Promotes APIs for integration, automation, and collaboration.
Which of the following are benefits of automation?
Answer : D
Automation brings multiple key benefits in DevOps:
Higher quality: Automated tests and deployments catch errors earlier, reduce human error, and ensure consistency.
Faster recovery: Automated monitoring and remediation help restore services quickly after incidents.
Other options either decrease quality, increase errors, or make releases less predictable---contradicting DevOps goals.
Extract-style reference: ''Automation reduces errors, increases quality, accelerates lead time, and shortens recovery by ensuring repeatable, reliable processes.'' --- DevOps Handbook PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6: Automation is a pillar of DevOps, referenced throughout the syllabus as a key driver for speed and reliability.
Which two measures together BEST show shared success across technology teams?
Answer : A
The two best measures to show shared success across technology teams are throughput and stability:
Throughput (deployment frequency, lead time): Measures how fast teams deliver value.
Stability (change failure rate, MTTR): Measures how reliably systems operate.
Why these two? Focusing on both ensures teams deliver quickly and safely. High throughput without stability causes outages; stability without throughput slows business.
Other options:
Deployment frequency + change lead/cycle time: Both are throughput measures, missing stability.
MTTR + change failure rate: Both are stability, missing throughput.
Employee retention and NPS: People measures, not delivery.
Extract-style reference: ''High performers in DevOps exhibit both high throughput (deployments per day) and high stability (low failure rates, fast recovery), proving it's possible to achieve both.'' --- Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps, Ch. 2 PeopleCert DevOps Foundation v3.6: Shared success is about flow and reliability, not just one or the other.