Free CSM Scrum Methodology and Framework Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute Event – what feature of the Daily Scrum is a way to reduce complexity?
- The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place every day (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master allocates each person present the same amount of time to speak
- Stakeholders can ask for a daily progress update
- Attending this one meeting means the Developers don't need to talk again that day
Correct answer: The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place every day
Explanation: <br> Holding the Daily Scrum at the same time and place every day reduces complexity by providing consistency and predictability for the Scrum Team. This practice helps streamline communication and ensures that team members know when and where to gather for the daily synchronization meeting, reducing the cognitive load associated with scheduling and logistics.
Question 2: What’s the single biggest factor in enabling a Scrum Team to adapt to change quickly?
- The ability of the Team to self-manage effectively (Correct answer)
- A senior Stakeholder regularly attending the Daily Scrum
- The Product Owner being absent most of the time
- The Scrum Master deciding business value
Correct answer: The ability of the Team to self-manage effectively
Explanation: <br> The ability of the Scrum Team to self-manage effectively is the single biggest factor in enabling the team to adapt to change quickly. Self-managing teams are empowered to make decisions, collaborate, and adjust their approach based on changing requirements or circumstances, promoting agility and responsiveness within the team.
Question 3: Scrum has 3 pillars, Transparency, Inspection and Adaptation. Which of the below statements is FALSE?
- Transparency means we should make work visible to help enable decision-making
- Inspection means that we should frequently and diligently inspect work that should be done by the organization's Project Management Office (PMO). (Correct answer)
- Adaptation means that we should adjust what we are doing or how we do it based on our inspection
- Transparency enables inspection. Inspection enables Adaptation. The events and concept of self-organization enable all three.
Correct answer: Inspection means that we should frequently and diligently inspect work that should be done by the organization's Project Management Office (PMO).
Explanation: <br> The statement is false. While inspection is one of Scrum's pillars, it is not the responsibility of the organization's Project Management Office (PMO) alone. In Scrum, inspection is a collective responsibility of the Scrum Team, involving regular and systematic examination of the product increment, processes, and progress towards the Sprint Goal. This enables the team to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adaptations to enhance product quality and effectiveness.
Question 4: When we say that the Scrum team should be cross-functional what do we mean?
- Collectively, they have all the skills necessary to create value in each sprint (Correct answer)
- Individually, each person has more than one core skill
- The team works across more than one functional area in the organization
- That the team will never have any external dependencies to worry about
Correct answer: Collectively, they have all the skills necessary to create value in each sprint
Explanation: <br> When we say that the Scrum Team should be cross-functional, it means that collectively, the team possesses all the skills necessary to deliver a potentially shippable product increment each Sprint. This includes skills related to design, development, testing, documentation, and any other capabilities required to create value. Having a cross-functional team reduces dependencies and bottlenecks, enabling faster and more efficient delivery.
Question 5: Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach. Why?
- To control risk and to optimize predictability (Correct answer)
- To keep the Scrum Team working hard
- To complete the project quickly
- To fix the budget, the scope and the time to completion
Correct answer: To control risk and to optimize predictability
Explanation: <br> Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to control risk by breaking down the project into smaller, manageable increments called Sprints. This approach allows for frequent inspection and adaptation, optimizing predictability by enabling the team to respond to changes and deliver value incrementally while mitigating risks throughout the project lifecycle.
Question 6: Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts that :
- You must always know the work coming up 5 Sprints ahead
- Experience comes from knowledge
- Knowledge comes from experience (Correct answer)
- Not everyone needs to attend all Scrum Events
Correct answer: Knowledge comes from experience
Explanation: <br> Empiricism, a foundational principle of Scrum, emphasizes that knowledge comes from experience. In the context of Scrum, this means that decisions are based on observation, experimentation, and learning from real-world outcomes rather than speculation or prediction. Empirical process control in Scrum relies on transparency, inspection, and adaptation to continuously improve the product and the process.
Question 7: Which of these is NOT a purpose of the Daily Scrum
- To discuss the performance of a Team Member (Correct answer)
- To inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal
- To adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary
- To adjust the upcoming planned work
Correct answer: To discuss the performance of a Team Member
Explanation: <br> The Daily Scrum is not intended to discuss the performance of individual team members. Instead, its primary purposes are to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal, adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, and adjust the upcoming planned work to maximize the team's effectiveness in achieving the Sprint Goal.
Question 8: In a 4-week Sprint, what is the maximum timebox for the Sprint Review?
- There is no timebox for the Sprint Review
- Four hours (Correct answer)
- Two hours
- Three hours
Correct answer: Four hours
Explanation: <br> The maximum timebox for the Sprint Review in a 4-week Sprint is typically four hours. However, the actual duration may vary depending on factors such as the length of the Sprint and the complexity of the product increment being reviewed. It's important to ensure that the time spent in the Sprint Review is sufficient to accomplish its objectives, including inspecting the product increment and gathering feedback from stakeholders.
Question 9: Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. Which of the below statement is TRUE :
- Scrum cannot be used in a non-complex environment
- Scrum can be used to help with any type of problem, but the most value will come with solving complex problems (Correct answer)
- Being lightweight, Scrum allows us to pick and choose which events, artifacts and roles we adopt
- Scrum gives a full method/process that provides a complete 'how-to' guide
Correct answer: Scrum can be used to help with any type of problem, but the most value will come with solving complex problems
Explanation: <br> Scrum is designed to address complex problems and is applicable in various contexts. While it can be used to tackle any type of problem, its effectiveness is most pronounced in dealing with complex issues where traditional approaches may be inadequate. Scrum's adaptive nature allows teams to respond to changing requirements and deliver value iteratively, making it well-suited for complex and uncertain environments.
Question 10: Which of the following is a key principle of Scrum methodology?
- Detailed upfront planning
- Fixed scope, budget, and timeline
- Embracing change to deliver maximum value (Correct answer)
- Micro-management of team activities
Correct answer: Embracing change to deliver maximum value
Explanation: <br> Scrum methodology emphasizes adapting to change throughout the project lifecycle to maximize the value delivered to the customer. This principle acknowledges that requirements and priorities may evolve, and teams should be flexible and responsive to deliver the most valuable product increment.
Question 11: What is the purpose of the Sprint Review in the Scrum framework?
- To assign tasks for the next Sprint
- To inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary (Correct answer)
- To review and approve changes to the project scope
- To discuss individual team member performance
Correct answer: To inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary
Explanation: <br> The Sprint Review is a Scrum event where the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the product increment resulting from the Sprint and discuss how to adapt the product backlog if needed. It focuses on feedback, collaboration, and alignment to ensure the product increment meets the Sprint Goal and customer expectations.
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute Event – what feature of the Daily Scrum is a way to reduce complexity?