CST Sprint Planning & Sprint Review 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Product Owner arrives at Sprint Planning with a prioritized Product Backlog but has not refined any items with the Development Team beforehand. What is the most likely outcome?
- Sprint Planning will be cancelled by the Scrum Master
- The team may struggle to create a realistic Sprint Goal and forecast (Correct answer)
- The team must accept the top items regardless of clarity
- The Scrum Master should refine the backlog on behalf of the team
Correct answer: The team may struggle to create a realistic Sprint Goal and forecast
Without prior refinement, backlog items may lack sufficient detail for the team to confidently forecast and commit to a Sprint Goal.
Question 2: During Sprint Planning Part 2, the Development Team realizes the Sprint Goal requires more capacity than available. What should happen?
- The Scrum Master extends the Sprint length to accommodate the work
- The team negotiates with the Product Owner to reduce scope while preserving the Sprint Goal (Correct answer)
- The Product Owner selects items for the team to remove from the Sprint
- The team accepts the overcommitment and works overtime
Correct answer: The team negotiates with the Product Owner to reduce scope while preserving the Sprint Goal
The Development Team and Product Owner collaborate to adjust scope so the Sprint Goal remains achievable within the Sprint timebox.
Question 3: Which statement best describes the relationship between the Sprint Goal and the Sprint Backlog?
- The Sprint Goal is derived from the Sprint Backlog after all items are selected
- The Sprint Backlog is selected and created to achieve the Sprint Goal (Correct answer)
- They are independent artifacts managed by different Scrum roles
- The Sprint Goal replaces the Sprint Backlog for experienced teams
Correct answer: The Sprint Backlog is selected and created to achieve the Sprint Goal
The Sprint Goal is created first to provide purpose, and the Sprint Backlog is then assembled to fulfill that goal.
Question 4: At Sprint Review, a key stakeholder demands a feature be added immediately to the current Sprint that just ended. How should the Scrum Team respond?
- The Development Team pauses to implement it before the retrospective
- The Product Owner adds it to the Product Backlog for consideration in future Sprint Planning (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master approves it as a Sprint Review action item
- The team extends the Sprint by one day to accommodate the request
Correct answer: The Product Owner adds it to the Product Backlog for consideration in future Sprint Planning
New requests go to the Product Backlog, where the Product Owner can prioritize them for a future Sprint.
Question 5: What does it mean for a Sprint Planning meeting to be 'timeboxed' to eight hours for a four-week Sprint?
- The meeting must use all eight hours regardless of progress
- The meeting should not exceed eight hours, ending when the timebox expires (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master may extend the meeting if the team is still planning
- Each team member is allowed two hours of individual planning time
Correct answer: The meeting should not exceed eight hours, ending when the timebox expires
Timeboxing means the event has a maximum duration and ends at or before that limit, encouraging focus and efficiency.
Question 6: A Development Team member suggests inviting the entire engineering department to the Sprint Review to maximize transparency. What is the Scrum Guide's guidance on Sprint Review attendance?
- Only the Scrum Team attends; external guests are prohibited
- The Scrum Team and invited stakeholders attend; the list is determined by the Product Owner (Correct answer)
- Attendance is mandatory for all stakeholders listed in the project charter
- The Scrum Master controls attendance to prevent disruption
Correct answer: The Scrum Team and invited stakeholders attend; the list is determined by the Product Owner
The Product Owner is responsible for inviting the right stakeholders to the Sprint Review to maximize useful feedback.
Question 7: During Sprint Planning, the Development Team breaks selected Product Backlog items into tasks. These tasks are best described as:
- New Product Backlog Items that the Product Owner must approve
- The Development Team's internal plan for achieving the Sprint Backlog items (Correct answer)
- Commitments made to stakeholders during Sprint Review
- Requirements imposed by the Scrum Master to track daily progress
Correct answer: The Development Team's internal plan for achieving the Sprint Backlog items
Tasks are the Development Team's own decomposition to organize their work; they belong to the team, not to external parties.
CST Sprint Planning & Sprint Review 2
A Product Owner arrives at Sprint Planning with a prioritized Product Backlog but has not refined any items with the Development Team beforehand.
What is the most likely outcome?