Process
117 bites tagged Process — interview questions with model answers, and 60-second explainers.
Handling uncaughtException and unhandledRejection
Listen on process for uncaughtException and unhandledRejection, log the error, stop accepting new work, drain in-flight requests, then exit non-zero for a supervisor to restart. process-level last-resort error handling.
Key roles in incident response
Incident Commander coordinates and decides but does not fix; Communications Lead handles stakeholders; Operations/SMEs do hands-on diagnosis and remediation. Whether you understand structured incident command.
Writing high-quality postmortem action items
Good action items are specific, assigned to an owner, prioritized, tracked to completion, and ideally prevent recurrence rather than just detect faster. Whether postmortems lead to real change.
How do you run your first production chaos experiment?
Pick a low-risk known weakness, define a measurable hypothesis, brief stakeholders and on-call, run small with an abort, then analyze and fix. End-to-end experiment process and judgment.
Fixing an unmanaged post-mortem action backlog
Generate fewer, higher-leverage items targeting systemic risk; assign owners and dates; integrate into normal planning with explicit prioritization. Making action items actually land.
Review of Reviews (Postmortem Metrics)
A meta-process that audits the quality and follow-through of postmortems themselves, tracking metrics like action-item completion, time-to-close, and recurrence of incidents.
Contributor workflow from proposal to merge
Proposal or RFC, design and core alignment, branch and build with tests and docs, review, then merge and release. Whether you know the end-to-end contributor path. Opening a PR for a new component with no prior alignment.
Process for adding a new component
Triage need, design and spec, build with a11y and tests, document, version, and release. Whether you have a repeatable intake-to-release process. Letting teams build one-offs with no review or shared ownership.
Structuring docs for multiple audiences
Layer docs by audience, give developers API and code, designers usage and design guidelines, PMs principles and coverage, with shared foundations like tokens and accessibility. audience-aware documentation strategy.
Contributing a new component variant
Align with maintainers first, follow guidelines, implement with API and tokens, add stories, docs, and tests, then open a PR for review. understanding of design-system contribution flow.
Governance for design system contributions
A clear intake and proposal step, review by core maintainers plus design, and criteria covering accessibility, API consistency, tokens, tests, and docs. Designing a contribution and review process.
Governance for accessibility regressions
Detection via audits and monitoring, triage with severity and ownership, remediation SLAs, prevention feedback. a repeatable a11y governance loop across consuming products.
First Figma steps to turn a brief into low-fi concepts
This tests whether you structure IA before pixels. Strong answers audit the brief, map flows with simple frames, block out grayscale wireframes at target breakpoints, and annotate for async review. Red flag: jumping straight to components or color.
Blocker vs. Impediment: How do you escalate an impediment?
This tests your proactivity in removing systemic friction. Define a blocker (full stop) vs. an impediment (drag). Explain how you surface impediments in retros, track them in a backlog, and escalate systemic issues to leadership.
Which Scrum event fixes consistently failed Sprints?
Tests your grasp of Scrum's empirical process control. A great answer identifies the Sprint Retrospective as the event for inspecting the *process*, not just the product. It contrasts this with the Sprint Review.
What is SAFe's Architectural Runway and how do you build it?
This tests your grasp of balancing proactive technical investment with agile delivery. Define it as the code and infrastructure for near-term features, built via 'Enabler' stories. The red flag is describing it as a rigid, big design up-front (BDUF) plan.
When Does Cycle Time Begin and End?
This tests your grasp of process metrics. Define Cycle Time as starting when active work begins ('In Progress') and ending when it's 'done' (code complete/merged), not when the ticket was created. A red flag is confusing this with customer-facing Lead Time.
Explain Little's Law and its application in Kanban
Tests your grasp of flow metrics beyond the formula. A great answer defines the law (Lead Time = WIP / Throughput), explains the trade-offs (e.g., more WIP increases lead time), and shows how to set WIP limits.
What is the purpose of a WIP limit in Kanban?
Tests understanding of Kanban flow optimization. A good answer explains that WIP limits force task completion, which improves flow, reduces context switching, and exposes bottlenecks. A red flag is describing it only as a way to prevent team burnout.
Sprint Review vs. Retrospective: Purpose and Participants
This tests your understanding of Scrum's dual feedback loops for product versus process. A great answer defines Review as inspecting the Increment with stakeholders, and Retrospective as inspecting the team's process without them.
Explain backlog refinement: purpose, participants, and outcomes
Tests your grasp of continuous planning for predictability. A good answer defines the purpose (clarify, estimate, prioritize), participants (whole team + PO), and outcomes (a 'Ready' backlog). A red flag is describing it as a one-off pre-sprint meeting.
How would you handle a SAFe rule that hinders agility?
Tests your ability to pragmatically adapt process instead of just complaining. A great answer identifies a specific SAFe rule, explains how it can backfire, and proposes a concrete alternative that still achieves the original goal.
What is the purpose of a shared 'Definition of Done'?
Tests your ability to ensure quality and transparency across multiple teams. A shared 'Definition of Done' is a formal description of quality for the integrated Increment. It ensures all work is combinable and shippable.
What is a Scrum of Scrums, and what do you share there?
Tests your understanding of scaling agile and representing your team's technical risks. A good answer defines it as a coordination meeting, not a status report, and focuses on sharing/receiving info on cross-team dependencies and blockers.
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