PSPO Release Planning and Forecasting 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Who decides when a product is released to customers in Scrum?
- The Developers, based on technical readiness
- The Product Owner, based on value and business readiness (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master, based on process compliance
- Stakeholders, based on contractual commitments
Correct answer: The Product Owner, based on value and business readiness
The Product Owner decides when to release, as they are accountable for maximizing value and determining when sufficient value exists to warrant a release.
Question 2: What does 'potentially releasable' mean in Scrum?
- The product has passed all tests but still needs PO approval
- The Increment meets the Definition of Done and could be released if the Product Owner chooses (Correct answer)
- The product is scheduled for release at Sprint end automatically
- A release candidate approved by stakeholders
Correct answer: The Increment meets the Definition of Done and could be released if the Product Owner chooses
Potentially releasable means the Increment satisfies the Definition of Done and is technically fit for release; the Product Owner decides whether to actually release it.
Question 3: What is velocity, and how can a Product Owner use it for release planning?
- The speed of individual Developers
- The average amount of work a team completes per Sprint, used to forecast when backlog items will be done (Correct answer)
- A measurement of code quality per Sprint
- A metric defined by the Scrum Master
Correct answer: The average amount of work a team completes per Sprint, used to forecast when backlog items will be done
Velocity measures the team's throughput per Sprint, enabling the Product Owner to create rough forecasts of when features or releases might be ready.
Question 4: Why should velocity be used with caution in release forecasting?
- Because it is defined by management, not the team
- Because it is a lagging, variable metric that cannot guarantee future performance (Correct answer)
- Because Scrum prohibits using velocity for planning
- Because only the Scrum Master is authorized to interpret velocity
Correct answer: Because it is a lagging, variable metric that cannot guarantee future performance
Velocity varies Sprint to Sprint based on team factors and item complexity, making it a useful trend indicator but not a precise predictive tool.
Question 5: What is a release plan in Scrum, and how does it differ from the Sprint Backlog?
- They are identical; the Sprint Backlog is the release plan
- A release plan is a higher-level forecast of which features will be available by a certain date; the Sprint Backlog is the team's detailed Sprint-level plan (Correct answer)
- A release plan is owned by project managers, not the PO
- Scrum prohibits release plans as they conflict with agility
Correct answer: A release plan is a higher-level forecast of which features will be available by a certain date; the Sprint Backlog is the team's detailed Sprint-level plan
A release plan provides a strategic forecast for stakeholders, while the Sprint Backlog is the team's tactical, Sprint-level work plan.
Question 6: How does the Product Owner balance a fixed release date with a variable scope?
- By forcing the team to deliver all planned features on time
- By adjusting scope to protect quality and the release date, delivering the highest-value items first (Correct answer)
- By extending the release date whenever the team falls behind
- By reducing the Definition of Done to ensure delivery
Correct answer: By adjusting scope to protect quality and the release date, delivering the highest-value items first
Prioritizing high-value items ensures that if scope must be cut to meet a date, the most important value is delivered, a key PSPO practice.
PSPO Release Planning and Forecasting 1
Who decides when a product is released to customers in Scrum?