Scrum PSM-I Dumps

According to the Scrum Guide1, an Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, an Increment must be usable. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism. However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. Therefore, the best description of an increment of working software is additional features in a usable state that complement those delivered in previous iterations.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, the definition of “Done” is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The definition guides the Development Team in creating a “Done” Increment. The definition of “Done” is created by the development organization (or Development Team if none is available from the development organization). The definition of “Done” may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. One aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they improve their definition of “Done” over time. Therefore, one good way for a Scrum Team to ensure security concerns are satisfied is to add security concerns to the definition of “Done”. Another good way is to have the Scrum Team create Product Backlog items for each concern, as they are responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog.

References: Scrum Guide

A cross-functional Development Team is one that includes cross-skilled individuals who are able to contribute to do what is necessary to deliver an increment of software, as stated in the Scrum Guide1: “Cross-functional teams have all competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others not part of the team.”

 According to the Scrum Guide, a Development Team needs a Sprint Goal because it provides guidance and focus for building an Increment that delivers value. The other options are not valid reasons for having a Sprint Goal, as they are either incorrect (such as giving purpose only to Sprint 0 or ensuring implementation of all Product Backlog items) or irrelevant (such as knowing everything from the Product Backlog).

The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The topics that are appropriate for discussion are those that relate to how the team does its work, such as processes, tools, communication, collaboration, quality, etc. The value of work currently represented in the Product Backlog and arranging the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint are not appropriate topics for discussion in a Sprint Retrospective, as they belong to the Sprint Review and Sprint Planning events respectively.

The correct answer is A, because Development Team membership should change as needed, while taking into account a short term reduction in productivity. The Scrum Guide states that “development Teams are cross-functional, with all of the skills as a team necessary to create a product Increment; development Teams are self-organizing. No one (not even the Scrum Master) tells the Development Team how to turn Product Backlog into Increments of potentially releasable functionality.” Therefore, changing Development Team membership may affect their cross-functionality and self-organization in the short term.

The correct answer is B, because a Scrum Master is not the same thing as a traditional PM (Project Manager). The Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values.” Therefore, a Scrum Master is not a manager, but a servant-leader and a coach for the Scrum Team and the organization.

The best two answers are A and B. As a Scrum Team, prioritizing the list and working on them in order is a good technique to tackle the impediments. This way, the team can focus on the most urgent and important issues first and avoid being overwhelmed by the number of impediments. The Scrum Master discusses the impediments with the Scrum Team is also a helpful technique, as it allows the team to share their perspectives, identify the root causes, and come up with possible solutions. The Scrum Master can also coach the team on how to remove or prevent impediments in the future.

According to the Scrum Guide, the action that the Scrum Master should take when the Team decides that a Sprint Retrospective is unnecessary is to begin facilitating productive and useful Sprint Retrospectives. The Sprint Retrospective is an essential event for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring that this event takes place and that positive outcomes are achieved. The other options are not valid actions, as they either imply that the Scrum Master complies with or ignores the decision of the Team (such as complying with it, calling a meeting with senior management, or consulting with the Product Owner), which is not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work. The Scrum Master and Product Owner may attend as observers, but only if it is useful for the Developers.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, an Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, an Increment must be usable. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism. However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. For the purpose of transparency, when does Scrum say a new increment of working software must be available? At the end of every Sprint.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is A, because the Scrum Guide states that “a Sprint can be cancelled before the Sprint time-box is over. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint, although he or she may do so under influence from the stakeholders, the Development Team, or the Scrum Master.” Therefore, a Development Team cannot cancel a Sprint by itself.

The correct answers are A, B, and D, because these techniques would be most helpful in this situation. Consulting with the Development Team may help identify the root causes of the impediments and possible solutions. Prioritizing the list and working on them in order may help reduce the backlog and focus on the most important or urgent issues. Alerting management to the impediments and their impact may help escalate the problems and get support from the organization.

The Development Team must do as much work as it has told the Product Owner will be done for every Product Backlog item it selects in conformance with the definition of “Done”, as stated in the Scrum Guide1: “The Development Team works to forecast the functionality that will be developed during the Sprint. The Product Owner discusses the objective that the Sprint should achieve and the Product Backlog items that, if completed in the Sprint, would achieve the Sprint Goal. The entire Scrum Team collaborates on understanding the work of the Sprint.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Team should make sure that everyone on the team does their tasks for the Sprint, as they are collectively accountable for creating valuable Increments that meet stakeholder needs and expectations. The other options are not valid, as they imply that someone else outside the Scrum Team (such as a project manager) or another role on the Scrum Team (such as the Product Owner or the Scrum Master) is responsible for making sure that everyone does their tasks for the Sprint.

The next Sprint begins immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint, as stated in the Scrum Guide: “Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner is accountable for clearly expressing Product Backlog items, as he or she is responsible for managing and prioritizing the Product Backlog. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the Product Owner can be replaced by a business analyst, or that the Scrum Master or the Developers can express the Product Backlog items.

According to the Scrum Guide1, each Sprint is a project with no more than a one-month horizon. The Sprint Goal gives guidance to why the Scrum Team is building an Increment. The Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint. Therefore, in the first Sprint, as in any other Sprint, the Development Team should develop at least one piece of functionality and create an increment of potentially releasable software. The other options are not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, two things that the Scrum Team should do during the first Sprint are building at least one piece of valuable functionality and creating at least one valuable, useful Increment. These are the goals of every Sprint, regardless of its order. The other options are not things that the Scrum Team should do during the first Sprint, as they are either out of scope (such as defining major product features and a release plan architecture or making a plan for the rest of the project) or unnecessary (such as analyzing, describing, and documenting requirements for subsequent Sprints).

When many Development Teams are working on a single product, the definition of “Done” must be shared by all Development Teams and make their combined work potentially releasable, as stated in [4]: “When multiple teams work together on one product they must mutually define and comply with the same Definition of Done. This makes sure all Increments adhere to a consistent quality level.”

The correct answer is B, because the Scrum Guide states that “at the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be ‘Done,’ which means it must be in useable condition and meet the Scrum Team’s definition of ‘Done’. An increment is a body of inspectable, done work that supports empiricism at the end of the Sprint. The increment is a step toward a vision or goal.” Therefore, all the increments from different Scrum Teams working on the same product should be integrated every Sprint to enable inspection and adaptation by the Product Owner and stakeholders.

According to the Scrum Guide, two activities that a Product Owner may engage in during a Sprint are updating management on what is being worked on and answering questions from the Development Team about items in the current Sprint. These activities are part of the Product Owner’s responsibilities to manage and prioritize the Product Backlog, communicate with stakeholders, and collaborate with the Development Team. The other options are not activities that a Product Owner should engage in during a Sprint, as they are either done by the Scrum Master (such as running the Daily Scrum) or by the Development Team (such as prioritizing their work on the Sprint Backlog).

Correct Answer: C and E

Short Explanation: According to the Scrum Guide 20201, the product has one Product Backlog, which is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team. The Product Backlog is ordered by the Product Owner, who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. There should be only one Product Owner per product, who may represent the desires of a committee in the Product Backlog, but those wanting to change a Product Backlog item’s priority must address the Product Owner1. Having multiple Product Owners or Product Backlogs would create confusion, inconsistency, and waste in the Scrum process.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is allowed to grow and change as more is learned about the product and its customers. The other options are not accurate descriptions of the Product Backlog, as they are either too restrictive (such as providing just enough information or baselining to follow change management processes) or too comprehensive (such as containing all foreseeable tasks and requirements or enabling a complete project plan).

Three statements that are true about Scrum are:

• Each component of Scrum serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum’s success and your usage of Scrum to develop complex products.
• Scrum is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products.
• Scrum is based on empiricism and lean thinking.

These statements are supported by [6]: “Scrum is not a process, technique, or definitive method. Rather, it is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques. … Each component within the framework serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum’s success and usage. … The rules of Scrum bind together events, roles, artifacts, and rules governing their relationships. … The three pillars uphold every implementation of empirical process control: transparency, inspection, and adaptation.”

The correct answer is B, because when multiple teams work together on the same product, they should not maintain separate Product Backlogs. The Scrum Guide states that “multiple Scrum Teams often work together on the same product. One product goal unites them. Therefore, they must mutually define and comply with a definition of ‘Done’ that applies to their combined work product. … Multiple Scrum Teams working on the same product use the same Product Backlog.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, one aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they create a Sprint Goal every Sprint. The Sprint Goal is an objective set for the Sprint that can be met through the implementation of Product Backlog. It provides guidance to the Developers on why it is building the Increment. It also provides a basis for inspecting and adapting during the Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective. The Sprint Goal is created during the Sprint Planning event.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers are accountable for managing the progress of work during a Sprint, as they are responsible for creating a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, or the most junior member of the team are accountable for managing the progress of work, which is not consistent with Scrum.

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint. Development Teams are structured and empowered by the organization to organize and manage their own work. The resulting synergy optimizes the Development Team’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. Cross-functional teams have all competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others not part of the team. The team model in Scrum is designed to optimize flexibility, creativity, and productivity.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is C. The Scrum Team creates the Definition of Done. According to the Scrum Guide1, “The Developers are required to conform to the Definition of Done, which is defined and evolves with the Scrum Team.” The Definition of Done is a commitment by the Developers for the Increment, but it is also a shared understanding within the whole Scrum Team, including the Product Owner and the Scrum Master2. The Scrum Team collaborates to create and update the Definition of Done as needed, based on the product and organizational standards3. The Definition of Done is not imposed by any external authority or individual.

According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Team must release each Increment when it makes sense to do so, based on the value and feedback obtained from stakeholders. The decision to release an Increment is made by the Product Owner, who is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The other options are not valid, as they imply that releasing an Increment is either mandatory (such as after every Sprint), conditional (such as when the product is free of defects), or irrelevant (such as when the Scrum Team finishes their work).

When a Development Team determines that it will not be able to finish the complete forecast, both the Product Owner and the Development Team have to be present when reviewing and adjusting the Sprint work selected, as stated in [6]: “If there is not enough work remaining for all members of a Development Team then they can renegotiate scope with their Product Owner. If there is too much work remaining then they can also renegotiate scope with their Product Owner.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning. The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The Product Owner is part of the Scrum Team and should participate as a Scrum Team member in the Sprint Retrospective.

References: Scrum Guide

A Developer is accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog, and organizing the work required to meet the Sprint Goal, as stated in the Scrum Guide: "Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. The specific skills needed by the Developers are often broad and will vary with the domain of work. However, the Developers are always accountable for:

• Creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog;
• Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done;
• Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal; and,
• Holding each other accountable as professionals."

The Scrum Team consists of three roles: the Scrum Master, who coaches and facilitates the team; the Product Owner, who manages and prioritizes the Product Backlog; and the Development Team, who delivers a potentially releasable Increment at the end of each Sprint. A project manager is not part of the Scrum Team, as Scrum does not recognize titles or sub-teams. None of the above is also not a correct answer, as it implies that there is no Scrum Team at all.

According to the Scrum Guide1, the definition of “Done” is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The definition guides the Development Team in creating a “Done” Increment. The definition of “Done” is created by the development organization (or Development Team if none is available from the development organization). The definition of “Done” may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. One aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they improve their definition of “Done” over time. Therefore, two things that are appropriate for a Scrum Master to do if the Development Team doesn’t have the engineering tools and infrastructure to completely finish each selected Product Backlog item are:

• Coach the Development Team to improve its skills, tools, and infrastructure over time and adjust the Definition of “Done” accordingly.
• Have the Development Team establish a Definition of “Done” that is actually possible to achieve given current circumstances.

The correct answer is D, because one of the services that a Scrum Master can provide in regard to the Daily Scrum is to teach the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15 minute time-box. The Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master ensures that the Development Team has the meeting, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum. The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15-minute time-box.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, during each Daily Scrum, each Developer answers three questions:

• What did I do yesterday that helped meet our Sprint Goal?
• What will I do today to help meet our Sprint Goal?
• Do I see any impediment that prevents me or our Development Team from meeting our Sprint Goal?

The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward achieving their Sprint Goal and producing a usable Increment. The other options are not relevant or appropriate for the Daily Scrum.

References: Scrum Guide

The Scrum Master should ask the person to share the issue with the team as soon as possible, as stated in [5]: “The Scrum Master should encourage transparency and collaboration within the team and with other stakeholders. If there is a concern about data security issues, it should be brought up to the team and discussed openly. The team can then decide how to handle it, whether by creating a Product Backlog item, updating the definition of “Done”, or taking some other action.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers on the Scrum Team should write the user documentation, as they are responsible for creating a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the user documentation can be deferred, ignored, or outsourced, which is not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

The correct answers are B and D, because adding non-functional requirements to the Product Backlog and keeping the Product Owner posted on the expected effort helps prioritize and plan them in alignment with the product vision and goals. Additionally, adding non-functional requirements to the definition of ‘Done’ ensures that they are met every Sprint and do not accumulate technical debt.

References: Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I

According to the Scrum Guide, two valid actions that the Developers can take when they realize that the workload may be greater than their capacity to complete the work are ensuring that the Scrum Team is aware, starting the Sprint, and monitoring progress, and removing or changing selected Product Backlog items. These actions are consistent with Scrum values and principles, such as transparency, adaptation, and collaboration. The other options are not valid actions, as they are either wasteful (such as recruiting additional Developers or canceling the Sprint) or unsustainable (such as working overtime).

 According to the Scrum Guide, the time-boxed events in Scrum are Sprint Retrospective, Sprint Planning, and Daily Scrum. These events have a maximum duration that cannot be exceeded. The other options are not time-boxed events in Scrum, as they are either not part of Scrum (such as Release Planning, Release Retrospective, Sprint Testing, and Sprint 0) or not events at all (such as Definition of Done).

According to the Scrum Guide1, each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt something. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency and is a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The time-boxed events in Scrum are:

• Sprint Planning (eight hours or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Daily Scrum (15 minutes or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Sprint Review (four hours or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Sprint Retrospective (three hours or less for a one-month Sprint)

The other options are not time-boxed events in Scrum.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is B, because there is no role called “Project Manager” in Scrum. The Scrum Guide states that “Scrum recognizes no titles for Development Team members other than Developer, regardless of the work being performed by the person; there are no exceptions to this rule.” Therefore, Scrum has only three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developer.

The correct answer is B. The Scrum Team includes skilled individuals who together have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. According to the Scrum Guide1, “Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value in each Sprint.” This does not mean that every individual has all the skills, but rather that the team as a whole does. Cross-functionality enables the Scrum Team to deliver a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint, without depending on others outside the team.

According to the Scrum Guide, Developers do meet with stakeholders, especially during the Sprint Review and Sprint Planning events. The Product Owner is the primary person who interacts with stakeholders, but Developers also need to communicate with them to understand their needs, expectations, and feedback. The Product Owner may also invite stakeholders to provide clarifications or inputs during the Sprint.

The Product Owner should know the most about the progress toward a business objective or a release, as stated in the Scrum Guide: “The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team. How this is done may vary widely across organizations, Scrum Teams, and individuals.”

The Scrum Master should talk to the IT manager and explain that progress in Scrum comes from inspecting an Increment at the Sprint Review, as stated in [5]: “The Scrum Master should educate the IT manager about how Scrum works and how progress is measured. The Scrum Master should invite the IT manager to attend the Sprint Review where the Development Team demonstrates what was accomplished during the Sprint. The Scrum Master should also explain that status reports are not necessary in Scrum, as transparency is ensured by using artifacts such as Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment.”

According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Team is cross-functional if it includes skilled individuals who together have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. This means that the Developers can work on any aspect of the product without depending on others outside the team. The other options are not valid descriptions of cross-functionality, as they either imply that the Developers work in silos or rely on external people (such as business analysts, architects, testers, or separate teams).

The correct answers are B, C, and D, because moving away from component teams toward feature teams may involve some challenges and trade-offs. Productivity may suffer when making this kind of move, as teams need to learn new skills, coordinate with other teams, and deal with legacy code. Getting support from the business side first helps, as they can provide the vision, value, and feedback for the features. Feature teams have less communication overhead, as they can deliver end-to-end functionality without depending on other teams.

References: [Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I]

According to the Scrum Guide1, each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt something. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency and is a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The time-box for the Sprint Review is four hours for a one-month Sprint.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt something. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency and is a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The time-box for the Daily Scrum is 15 minutes or less for a one-month Sprint. Its location and time remain constant.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is B, because a product Increment does not have to be released to production at the end of each Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “at the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be ‘Done,’ which means it must be in useable condition and meet the Scrum Team’s definition of ‘Done’. An increment is a body of inspectable, done work that supports empiricism at the end of the Sprint. The increment is a step toward a vision or goal.” Therefore, a product Increment must be potentially releasable, but the decision to release it is up to the Product Owner.

The correct answers are A and D, because these ways of creating Development Teams are consistent with Scrum’s values. Allowing existing teams to propose how they would like to organize into the new structure respects their self-organization and empowerment. Bringing all the developers together and letting them self-organize into Development Teams also respects their autonomy and collaboration.

References: [Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I]

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work. The Daily Scrum optimizes the probability that the Developers will meet the Sprint Goal. Every day, the Developers should understand how they intend to work together as a self-organizing team to accomplish the Sprint Goal and create the anticipated Increment by the end of the Sprint. If the frequency of the Daily Scrum were to be lowered to every two or three days, some key concerns would be:

• Opportunities to inspect and adapt the Sprint Backlog are lost, which may result in wasted work or missed dependencies.
• Impediments are raised and resolved more slowly, which may hinder the progress and quality of the work.
• The Sprint plan may become inaccurate, as changes in requirements, risks, or priorities are not reflected in a timely manner.

The other options are not valid concerns, as they are not aligned with Scrum values and principles.

References: Scrum Guide

The best two answers are B and D. These two ways of dealing with regulatory compliance issues are consistent with Scrum’s values and principles, as they allow the Scrum Team to deliver valuable and potentially releasable increments of the product while meeting the necessary standards and regulations. They also enable the Scrum Team to inspect and adapt their compliance strategy based on feedback and changing requirements.

A is not a good answer because it creates a separate silo of responsibility for compliance issues, which can lead to delays, conflicts, and inefficiencies. It also violates the Scrum value of transparency, as the compliance team may not have full visibility into the product development process.

C is not a good answer because it implies a waterfall approach that assumes all the compliance requirements are known and fixed upfront, which is rarely the case. It also reduces the flexibility and responsiveness of the Scrum Team, as they may have to follow a rigid plan that does not reflect the current reality of the product or the market.

According to the Scrum Guide1, Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing activity in which Product Backlog items are reviewed and revised. The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for sizing or estimating it. The Product Owner may influence them by helping them understand and select trade-offs.

According to the Scrum Guide1, an Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, an Increment must be usable. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism. However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. Therefore, in order to produce integrated Increments that are potentially releasable, the best suited structure for Development Teams is to develop functionality from beginning to end throughout all technical layers.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, the definition of “Done” is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The definition guides the Development Team in creating a “Done” Increment. The definition of “Done” is created by the development organization (or Development Team if none is available from the development organization). The definition of “Done” may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. One aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they improve their definition of “Done” over time. Therefore, one reason why the Product Owner wants the Development Team to adhere to its definition of “Done” is to have complete transparency into what has been done at the end of each Sprint.

References: Scrum Guide

The Developers determine how many Product Backlog items they select for a Sprint, as stated in the Scrum Guide: “The Developers select items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint. The Scrum Team may refine these items during this process, which increases understanding and confidence.”

According to the Scrum Guide, two intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum are a shared understanding of the most important work to be undertaken next to achieve the best possible progress toward the Sprint goal, and new impediments for the Scrum Master to take care of. The other options are not intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum, as they are either irrelevant (such as updating a Scrum board) or inappropriate (such as providing an update or a status report).

The correct answer is B, because the guideline that a Scrum Master should give is that estimates are made by the Development Team. The Scrum Guide states that “the number of items selected from the Product Backlog for the Sprint is solely up to the Development Team. Only the Development Team can assess what it can accomplish over the upcoming Sprint.” Therefore, the Development Team should estimate the work in Scrum, using any method or unit they prefer.

The correct answers are B and C, because technical debt impacts transparency in these ways. It leads to false assumptions about the current state of the system, specifically of an Increment being releasable at the end of a Sprint, as it may contain hidden defects or incomplete functionality. It also results in future work being slowed down in unpredictable ways, as development progresses and code is added, the system becomes more difficult to stabilize and maintain.

The correct answer is C, because the Development Team should inform the Product Owner so he/she can work with the CEO. The Scrum Guide states that “only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint, although he or she may do so under influence from the stakeholders, the Development Team, or the Scrum Master.” Therefore, if the CEO wants to add a “very important” item to a Sprint that is in progress, he or she should communicate with the Product Owner, who can then decide whether to cancel or continue the current Sprint.

According to the Scrum Guide1, during each Daily Scrum, each Developer answers three questions:

• What did I do yesterday that helped meet our Sprint Goal?
• What will I do today to help meet our Sprint Goal?
• Do I see any impediment that prevents me or our Development Team from meeting our Sprint Goal?

The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward achieving their Sprint Goal and producing a usable Increment. The Developers can start with any one person and proceed in any order.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, a Development Team is cross-functional if it has all the skills to create a potentially releasable Increment by the end of every Sprint. The other options are not indicators of cross-functionality, as they are either specific practices (such as pair programming or test driven development) or irrelevant factors (such as conflicts within the team or ability to perform every task).

According to the Scrum Guide1, when multiple Scrum Teams are working together on one product, they must coordinate their work with each other. One way to do this is through Nexus, a framework for scaling Scrum. Nexus helps to reduce cross-team dependencies and integration issues by making them more transparent. The key concern when multiple Development Teams are working from the same Product Backlog is minimizing dependencies between teams so that they can deliver an integrated Increment that meets the definition of “Done”.

References: Scrum Guide, Nexus Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, a Sprint can be cancelled before the Sprint time-box is over. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint, although he or she may do so under influence from the stakeholders, the Developers, or the Scrum Master. A Sprint would be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This might occur if the company changes direction or if market or technology conditions change. In general, a Sprint should be cancelled if it no longer makes sense given the circumstances. But, due to the short duration of Sprints, cancellation rarely makes sense.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner has the final say on the order of the Product Backlog, as he or she is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The other roles do not have this authority, although they may provide input and suggestions to the Product Owner.

According to the Scrum Guide, two actions that the Scrum Master should support in this scenario are forecasting the Product Backlog items that are most likely to meet the Sprint Goal and creating the Sprint Backlog, and discussing why this happened and what changes will make it less likely to recur during the next Sprint Retrospective. These actions are consistent with Scrum values and principles, such as empiricism, adaptation, and continuous improvement. The other options are not valid actions, as they are either wasteful (such as canceling the Sprint or continuing the Sprint Planning past its timebox) or ineffective (such as asking everyone to take more time to analyze the Product Backlog).

 According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Team is not only allowed to meet with stakeholders during Sprint Review, but also during Sprint Planning and throughout the Sprint as needed. The Sprint Review is an opportunity for the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to collaborate on what was done in the Sprint and what to do next. However, it is not the only time that stakeholder feedback is welcomed and valued.

The correct answers are B and C, because these are the two primary ways a Scrum Master keeps a Development Team working at its highest level of productivity. The Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master serves the Development Team in several ways, including … removing impediments to the Development Team’s progress; facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and coaching the Development Team in self-organization and cross-functionality.” Therefore, by removing impediments and facilitating decisions, the Scrum Master helps the Development Team focus on their work and deliver value.