Professional Scrum Master Scrum Theory and Principles Questions and Answers

Question 1

Scrum is founded on empiricism. Which of the following best describes the three pillars of empirical process control?

Accepted Answer

Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation

Answer

Scrum theory is based on empiricism, which asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. The three pillars of empiricism are Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation. Transparency ensures all aspects of the process are visible to everyone involved. Inspection involves frequently checking progress toward a goal to detect undesirable variances. Adaptation is the process of adjusting to minimize any further deviation if inspection reveals something is outside acceptable limits.

Question 2

A Scrum Team is in the middle of a Sprint. The Developers realize they have overestimated their capacity and will not be able to complete all the items in the Sprint Backlog. One of the five Scrum Values is particularly important to guide their next action. Which value is it?

Accepted Answer

Openness

Answer

Openness is the key value here. The Scrum Team and its stakeholders must be open about the work and the challenges. By being open about the impediment (overestimation), the team can inspect the situation and adapt their plan, perhaps by collaborating with the Product Owner to renegotiate the scope of the Sprint. While other values are important, Openness directly addresses the need to make challenges transparent.

Question 3

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the relationship between the Scrum Values and the pillars of empiricism?

Accepted Answer

Embodying the Scrum Values helps bring the pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation to life, building trust.

Answer

The Scrum Guide states that when the Scrum Values (Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, and Respect) are embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life, building trust. The values are not a replacement but a foundation that enables empiricism to function effectively.

Question 4

During a Sprint Retrospective, a team member is hesitant to discuss a significant conflict that occurred with another team member, fearing it might cause tension. By not raising this issue, the team is failing to uphold which pillar of empiricism?

Accepted Answer

Transparency

Answer

By not discussing the conflict, the team member is withholding important information about the team's process and dynamics. This directly impacts Transparency. Without transparency, the team cannot properly inspect the issue or adapt their way of working to prevent it from happening again. True inspection requires all relevant information to be visible to the team.

Question 5

Scrum theory is designed to optimize predictability and control risk in complex product development. It does this by rejecting traditional, predictive approaches in favor of what kind of approach?

Accepted Answer

An iterative, incremental, and empirical approach

Answer

Scrum is founded on empirical process control theory, or empiricism. It uses an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and control risk. Rather than detailed upfront planning, Scrum relies on learning through experience and adapting based on frequent feedback loops, which is the essence of an empirical approach.

Professional Scrum Master Practice Test

Professional Scrum Master Practice Test

Professional Scrum Master Scrum Theory and Principles Questions and Answers