Professional Scrum Master The Scrum Team Roles 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The Scrum Master is asked to prepare a project plan with fixed milestones for senior leadership. How should the Scrum Master respond?
- Create the plan since leadership's needs are paramount
- Decline entirely as planning is not part of the Scrum Master role
- Help leadership understand empiricism and how Scrum creates transparency through Sprints and forecasts (Correct answer)
- Delegate the planning task to the Product Owner
Correct answer: Help leadership understand empiricism and how Scrum creates transparency through Sprints and forecasts
The Scrum Master serves the organization by coaching on empiricism and helping leadership understand how Scrum provides transparency through incremental delivery rather than fixed plans.
Question 2: Which Scrum Team member is responsible for facilitating the Sprint Retrospective?
- The Product Owner, since they drive continuous improvement
- The most senior Developer on the team
- The Scrum Master, who ensures the event is productive and positive (Correct answer)
- The team rotates facilitation each Sprint
Correct answer: The Scrum Master, who ensures the event is productive and positive
The Scrum Master is accountable for the effectiveness of the Sprint Retrospective and typically facilitates it.
Question 3: A stakeholder tells a Developer directly to add a feature to the current Sprint. What should the Developer do?
- Add it if it seems like a high-value feature
- Direct the stakeholder to the Product Owner and not add it without Product Owner approval (Correct answer)
- Ask the Scrum Master whether to add it
- Add it only if it does not affect the Sprint Goal
Correct answer: Direct the stakeholder to the Product Owner and not add it without Product Owner approval
All requests must flow through the Product Owner, who manages the Product Backlog; Developers should not accept direct scope additions from stakeholders.
Question 4: What happens when a Developer is unable to complete their Sprint Backlog items by the end of the Sprint?
- The Sprint is extended until all items are complete
- Incomplete items are returned to the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to re-prioritize (Correct answer)
- The Developer must work overtime in the next Sprint to finish the items
- The Scrum Master reports the failure to management
Correct answer: Incomplete items are returned to the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to re-prioritize
Unfinished Sprint Backlog items are returned to the Product Backlog, where the Product Owner decides their priority in future Sprints.
Question 5: How does the Scrum Master serve the Product Owner?
- By writing Product Backlog items on behalf of the Product Owner
- By coaching on effective Product Backlog management and helping communicate product goals (Correct answer)
- By prioritizing the Product Backlog when the Product Owner is unavailable
- By acting as a liaison between the Product Owner and Developers
Correct answer: By coaching on effective Product Backlog management and helping communicate product goals
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by coaching on effective Product Goal and Product Backlog management techniques and facilitating stakeholder collaboration.
Question 6: A Scrum Team has five members, all of whom are Developers. Who should serve as the Scrum Master?
- The most experienced Developer automatically becomes the Scrum Master
- One of the Developers can take on the Scrum Master role in addition to development work (Correct answer)
- The organization must hire a dedicated Scrum Master
- The Product Owner should also serve as Scrum Master for small teams
Correct answer: One of the Developers can take on the Scrum Master role in addition to development work
The Scrum Guide allows a Developer to also serve as the Scrum Master, though it is noted that this can be difficult and requires clear focus on the Scrum Master accountabilities.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the relationship between the Scrum Master and the organization?
- The Scrum Master reports directly to senior management about team performance
- The Scrum Master leads Scrum adoption and helps the organization understand and enact Scrum (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master is only accountable to the Scrum Team, not the broader organization
- The Scrum Master advocates for the organization's needs within the Scrum Team
Correct answer: The Scrum Master leads Scrum adoption and helps the organization understand and enact Scrum
The Scrum Master serves the organization by leading, training, and coaching Scrum adoption and by helping employees and stakeholders understand empirical product development.
Professional Scrum Master The Scrum Team Roles 5
The Scrum Master is asked to prepare a project plan with fixed milestones for senior leadership.
How should the Scrum Master respond?