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Shared Responsibility

5 minutes 5 Questions

Shared responsibility refers to the collective accountability of a cross-functional team in Scrum. It means every member is responsible for the team's success and each one's actions can impact the final result. This concept emphasizes collaboration and mutual commitment towards achieving a common goal. Shared responsibility also includes two aspects: shared problem-solving and shared decision-making. When a problem arises, the team works together to solve it using their diverse skills and expertise. Similarly, decision-making processes are collaborative, ensuring all voices are heard. Leveraging shared responsibility in Scrum teams can lead to a more supportive work environment, higher productivity rates, and increased team agility.

Guide: Shared Responsibility in Cross-Functional Teams in Scrum

Shared Responsibility is an important characteristic of successful cross-functional teams in Scrum. It implies that all team members are equally responsible for the success or failure of a project.

It's important because it fosters a sense of collective ownership and collaboration. Every team member feels equally invested in the tasks at hand, which encourages a supportive, collaborative work culture.

Shared responsibility works by ensuring that the team as a whole is accountable for the outcome of a project, not just an individual. While in traditional project management an individual's responsibilities, roles, and functions are defined, in cross-functional Scrum teams, assignation of specific tasks to positions is less rigid. The team shares tasks based on competence and capabilities.

Exam tips: Answering Questions on Shared Responsibility:
1. Understand the concept: Be clear on the concept of shared responsibility in cross-functional scrum teams.
2. Use examples: Using real-life examples to explain your understanding can earn you extra marks.
3. Define its importance: Clearly state why shared responsibility is vital for a cross-functional Scrum team.
4. Explain how it works: Be prepared to explain how shared responsibility works in a Scrum setting.
5. Know the benefits: Explaining the benefits of shared responsibility will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the concept.

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CSM - Cross-functional Teams in Scrum Example Questions

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Question 1

A team in your company is working on a software project. There is a disagreement on the team about how to allocate tasks. What is the best approach for shared responsibility?

Correct Answer: Have the team work together to identify and allocate tasks based on each team member's strengths and abilities.

The correct answer promotes shared responsibility by allowing the team to work together to identify and allocate tasks. This approach encourages collaboration, communication and helps the team leverage each member's strengths.

Question 2

During a daily stand-up meeting, one of the team members is not finished with their task which is blocking the progress of another team member. What is the best action to take?

Correct Answer: Discuss the issue with the team and identify solutions to unblock the progress.

The correct answer promotes shared responsibility by discussing the issue with the team, identifying constraints, and collaboratively finding a solution. It encourages the team to work together to resolve issues, rather than relying on individuals or leaving things unresolved.

Question 3

The product owner is not able to prioritize the product backlog items due to a personal emergency. What is the best shared responsibility approach to handle this situation?

Correct Answer: The Scrum Master should facilitate a meeting and the team should collectively prioritize the product backlog items as per their understanding.

In Scrum, the Product Owner is typically responsible for prioritizing the product backlog. However, in the event the Product Owner is not able to, it is the responsibility of the Scrum Master to facilitate the team to collectively prioritize the backlog based on their understanding. This shares the responsibility among the team members, ensuring that work continues efficiently. The option suggesting 'The Scrum Master should prioritize the backlog alone' is not correct as the Scrum Master's role is to facilitate and coach, not dictate priorities. The option suggesting 'The team should continue working without prioritizing the backlog' is incorrect as well. Prioritizing the backlog is crucial for ensuring that the team works on the most important tasks first. And finally, the option 'The product owner's role should be temporarily assigned to a team member' is incorrect because it contradicts the Scrum principle of a dedicated Product Owner and assumes that any team member could easily fill this role.

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