Professional Scrum Master Scrum Master as Leader Questions and Answers

Question 1

A Scrum Team consistently fails to meet its Sprint Goal because of dependencies on another team that is not using Scrum and frequently delivers their part late.
What is the most effective leadership action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting between the two teams to create a shared understanding and a working agreement.

Answer

Tell the Developers to work harder to overcome the dependency.

Answer

Escalate the issue to senior management and ask them to force the other team to deliver on time.

Answer

Advise the Product Owner to plan for less work in future Sprints to account for the delays.

Question 2

Which of the following actions demonstrates a Scrum Master acting as a leader rather than a manager?

Accepted Answer

Coaching the Developers on how to facilitate their own Daily Scrum effectively.

Answer

Assigning specific Product Backlog Items to each Developer during Sprint Planning.

Answer

Creating a detailed plan for how the Developers will accomplish the Sprint Goal.

Answer

Reporting the team's velocity to stakeholders as a measure of performance.

Question 3

During a Sprint Retrospective, two Developers have a disagreement that becomes a heated argument about a technical approach. The rest of the team falls silent. How should a Scrum Master best demonstrate leadership in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Remind the team of the Scrum Values and facilitate a constructive conversation focused on the issue, not the people.

Answer

End the meeting immediately to let everyone cool down and discuss it later.

Answer

Decide which Developer is correct based on their own technical experience and tell the team how to proceed.

Answer

Take the two Developers aside after the meeting and tell them their behavior was unprofessional.

Question 4

A functional manager, who is not part of the Scrum Team, is consistently giving a Developer tasks that are not in the Sprint Backlog. This is jeopardizing the Sprint Goal. What is the Scrum Master's most appropriate leadership action?

Accepted Answer

Have a conversation with the manager to explain how their actions impact the Scrum Team's focus and the Sprint Goal.

Answer

Tell the Developer to refuse the work from the manager and focus only on the Sprint Backlog.

Answer

Report the manager's behavior to Human Resources for violating Scrum rules.

Answer

Wait for the Sprint Retrospective to see if the Developer brings up the issue with the team.

Question 5

In what primary way does a Scrum Master provide leadership to the wider organization?

Accepted Answer

By planning, instigating, and helping to lead the organization's adoption of Scrum.

Answer

By providing senior management with detailed status reports on the Scrum Team's progress and velocity.

Answer

By acting as the sole communication point between stakeholders and the Developers to prevent distractions.

Answer

By ensuring the team delivers the maximum possible scope in every Sprint to prove Scrum's effectiveness.

Question 6

Which of the following statements best describes the leadership style of a Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

A servant leader who focuses on the needs of the team and the organization to help them achieve their goals.

Answer

A directive leader who assigns tasks and ensures the team follows the plan.

Answer

A laissez-faire leader who observes the team but does not intervene in their process.

Answer

A bureaucratic leader who ensures all organizational rules and processes are strictly followed by the team.

A Scrum Team consistently fails to meet its Sprint Goal because of dependencies on another team that is not using Scrum and frequently delivers their part late.What is the most effective leadership action for the Scrum Master to take?

A Scrum Team consistently fails to meet its Sprint Goal because of dependencies on another team that is not using Scrum and frequently delivers their part late.
What is the most effective leadership action for the Scrum Master to take?