CST Sprint Planning & Sprint Review 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Scrum Team consistently fails to complete all Sprint Backlog items by the end of each Sprint. As a CST, what is the most important thing to examine first?
- Whether the Scrum Master is enforcing daily standups strictly
- Whether the team's Sprint forecasts are realistic relative to their actual velocity (Correct answer)
- Whether the Product Owner is attending Sprint Planning
- Whether stakeholders are providing timely feedback during the Sprint
Correct answer: Whether the team's Sprint forecasts are realistic relative to their actual velocity
Persistent incomplete Sprints usually signal overcommitment, so examining forecast accuracy against historical velocity is the highest-priority diagnosis.
Question 2: Which outcome is the primary purpose of Sprint Planning?
- A signed commitment from the Development Team to deliver all selected items
- A shared understanding of the Sprint Goal and a plan for the first days of work (Correct answer)
- A detailed project plan approved by the Product Owner and Scrum Master
- An updated release roadmap reflecting the new Sprint's deliverables
Correct answer: A shared understanding of the Sprint Goal and a plan for the first days of work
Sprint Planning produces a Sprint Goal, a set of selected backlog items, and an initial plan—not a binding contract.
Question 3: The Sprint Review reveals that the Increment does not meet stakeholders' expectations despite meeting all acceptance criteria. What does this most likely indicate?
- The Scrum Master failed to facilitate the Sprint Review correctly
- The acceptance criteria did not fully capture stakeholder needs—a Product Backlog refinement gap (Correct answer)
- The Development Team should have worked overtime to exceed the criteria
- Sprint Reviews should be eliminated in favor of more frequent demos
Correct answer: The acceptance criteria did not fully capture stakeholder needs—a Product Backlog refinement gap
A gap between met criteria and stakeholder satisfaction points to incomplete or misaligned acceptance criteria that should be improved through better refinement.
Question 4: How should a Scrum Team handle a Sprint Goal that becomes obsolete midway through a Sprint due to a sudden market change?
- Continue the Sprint regardless; abandon only at Sprint boundary
- The Product Owner may cancel the Sprint if the goal no longer has value (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master cancels the Sprint after consulting the Development Team
- The team selects a new Sprint Goal and continues without cancellation
Correct answer: The Product Owner may cancel the Sprint if the goal no longer has value
Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint when the Sprint Goal is rendered obsolete.
Question 5: During a Sprint Review, the Development Team demonstrates a feature and the Product Owner says it is 'Done.' Two days later a critical bug is found. What should happen?
- The Sprint is retroactively marked as failed
- A new Product Backlog Item is created to address the bug in a future Sprint (Correct answer)
- The Development Team must fix the bug before the next Sprint Review
- The Scrum Master decides whether to roll back the release
Correct answer: A new Product Backlog Item is created to address the bug in a future Sprint
Bugs discovered after a Sprint are handled as new Product Backlog Items, prioritized by the Product Owner for a future Sprint.
Question 6: What is the Scrum Team's primary input when forecasting how much work to select during Sprint Planning?
- The project manager's capacity estimate for the team
- The team's past performance (velocity) and current capacity (Correct answer)
- The Product Owner's preferred delivery date for the release
- The number of Product Backlog Items ready in the top of the backlog
Correct answer: The team's past performance (velocity) and current capacity
Past velocity combined with the team's current capacity (accounting for holidays, absences, etc.) provides the most reliable basis for forecasting.
Question 7: A stakeholder not invited to the Sprint Review contacts the Scrum Master asking for the demo recording. How should the Scrum Master respond?
- Refuse access to protect team privacy
- Coordinate with the Product Owner, who decides how to share Sprint Review outcomes (Correct answer)
- Share the recording directly, as transparency is a Scrum value
- Require the stakeholder to attend in person next Sprint
Correct answer: Coordinate with the Product Owner, who decides how to share Sprint Review outcomes
The Product Owner is accountable for stakeholder engagement and should decide how Sprint Review information is disseminated.
CST Sprint Planning & Sprint Review 3
A Scrum Team consistently fails to complete all Sprint Backlog items by the end of each Sprint.
As a CST, what is the most important thing to examine first?