Professional Scrum Master The Scrum Team Roles Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An organization is adopting Scrum and suggests forming separate 'front-end' and 'back-end' teams that must coordinate to deliver a single Increment. Why does this organizational structure conflict with the Scrum framework's definition of a Scrum Team?
- It introduces dependencies between teams, which can impede the creation of a 'Done' Increment within a single Sprint. (Correct answer)
- It violates the Scrum Guide's rule that a Scrum Team must be 10 or fewer people.
- It makes it impossible for the Product Owner to manage a single Product Backlog.
- It requires more than one Scrum Master to facilitate communication between the teams.
Correct answer: It introduces dependencies between teams, which can impede the creation of a 'Done' Increment within a single Sprint.
Scrum Teams are designed to be cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create a valuable, 'Done' Increment each Sprint. Creating specialized component teams introduces hand-offs and dependencies, which goes against this principle and can prevent a fully integrated Increment from being completed.
Question 2: Who is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint?
- The Developers, because they perform the hands-on work of building the product.
- The Scrum Master, because they are accountable for the team's effectiveness.
- The Product Owner, because they are accountable for maximizing product value.
- The entire Scrum Team. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The entire Scrum Team.
The Scrum Guide explicitly states, 'The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint.' While each role has specific accountabilities that contribute to this outcome, the creation of the Increment is a shared, collective responsibility.
Question 3: A key stakeholder frequently asks individual Developers to work on 'small, urgent fixes' not in the Sprint Backlog, disrupting progress toward the Sprint Goal. What is the most effective initial action for the Scrum Master?
- Tell the Developers to ignore all requests that do not come through the Product Owner.
- Coach the stakeholder on how their requests impact the team and direct them to collaborate with the Product Owner. (Correct answer)
- Report the stakeholder's disruptive behavior to senior management.
- Allocate a percentage of the Sprint's capacity as a buffer for unplanned work.
Correct answer: Coach the stakeholder on how their requests impact the team and direct them to collaborate with the Product Owner.
A key part of the Scrum Master's role is serving the organization by helping stakeholders understand which interactions with the Scrum Team are helpful and which are not. Coaching the stakeholder is a constructive action that educates them on the Scrum process, respects their position, and reinforces the Product Owner's accountability for the Product Backlog.
Question 4: Which of the following is an exclusive accountability of the Product Owner?
- Writing all the detailed specifications for Product Backlog Items.
- Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal. (Correct answer)
- Creating the plan for the Sprint, known as the Sprint Backlog.
- Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.
Correct answer: Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal.
The Scrum Guide states that the Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes 'Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal.' While other tasks like writing PBIs may be delegated, the accountability for the Product Goal itself rests solely with the Product Owner.
Question 5: During Sprint Planning, the Developers estimate that they can only complete half of the items the Product Owner wants in the Sprint. The Product Owner is concerned about meeting stakeholder expectations. What should the Developers do?
- Agree to take on all the items and work overtime to complete them.
- Allow the Product Owner to select the items for the Sprint Backlog as long as it does not exceed their capacity. (Correct answer)
- Ask the Scrum Master to decide which items are most important.
- Cancel the Sprint and wait for direction from senior management.
Correct answer: Allow the Product Owner to select the items for the Sprint Backlog as long as it does not exceed their capacity.
The Developers are accountable for creating the plan for the Sprint (the Sprint Backlog). They pull work from the Product Backlog based on their forecast of what they can accomplish. While the Product Owner's input on priority is crucial, only the Developers can determine how much work they can take on in a Sprint. They collaborate with the Product Owner, who respects their final selection.
Question 6: What is the primary role of the Scrum Master concerning the Daily Scrum?
- To lead the meeting and gather status updates for a report to the Product Owner.
- To solve any impediments raised by the Developers during the meeting.
- To ensure the event takes place and that the Developers understand its purpose. (Correct answer)
- To ensure every Developer provides an update on what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and any impediments.
Correct answer: To ensure the event takes place and that the Developers understand its purpose.
The Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers. The Scrum Master's role is to ensure the event happens and is positive and productive. They teach the Developers to keep the event within the 15-minute timebox and focused on progress toward the Sprint Goal. The Scrum Master does not run the meeting; they are a coach who enables the team's self-management.
Professional Scrum Master The Scrum Team Roles Questions and Answers
An organization is adopting Scrum and suggests forming separate 'front-end' and 'back-end' teams that must coordinate to deliver a single Increment.
Why does this organizational structure conflict with the Scrum framework's definition of a Scrum Team?