Scrum and Agile Integration

Correct Answer: Introduce focused technical debt stories into the backlog and give them higher priority.

The Scrum Master should introduce focused technical debt stories into the backlog and give them higher priority. This is the best approach as it addresses the problem head-on by acknowledging technical debt and taking steps to resolve it, which will eventually improve the team's velocity. The other answers are wrong because: Micromanaging the team to prevent further technical debt is unlikely to be helpful, as it can hinder creativity and problem-solving abilities of the team, which are crucial in managing technical debt. Ignoring the technical debt and hoping the team will catch up eventually is an irresponsible approach as it allows the problem to persist and potentially worsen. Lastly, working on technical debt only after all functional stories are completed may not be practical or beneficial if the technical debt is impacting the team's performance, and hence should be dealt with as soon as it is identified.

Correct Answer: Identify dependencies and plan for appropriate sequencing or coordination

The best approach is to identify dependencies between user stories and plan for appropriate sequencing or coordination during backlog refinement. This allows the team to understand the relationships between stories and plan their work accordingly, ensuring that dependent stories are completed in the necessary order. Ignoring dependencies altogether may lead to blocked work or delays. Splitting stories to eliminate all dependencies may reduce the value delivered and create artificial constraints. Escalating all dependencies to the product owner shifts the responsibility away from the team and may not lead to timely resolution. By identifying and planning for dependencies, the team can work effectively within the Scrum framework.

Correct Answer: Align their Sprint Review meetings

In a highly integrated project, where coordination between two Scrum teams is necessary, the first step towards better synchronization should be to align their Sprint Review meetings. The Sprint Review is a critical event for inspecting the outcome of the Sprint and determining future adaptations. By aligning these meetings, both teams can ensure they are in sync regarding their progress towards the project goals, facilitating better integration of their work outputs. Aligning Sprint Reviews helps in coordinating efforts without merging the team structures, thus maintaining the agility and autonomy of each Scrum team. The option suggesting to merge the teams into a single Scrum team could potentially lead to unwieldy team sizes, reducing the effectiveness of Scrum practices. The coordination of daily scrums to include members of both teams, while beneficial for day-to-day synchronization, does not address the broader alignment of project milestones and deliverables. Lastly, combining the Product Backlogs for unified prioritization alters the fundamental Scrum principle of having a single product backlog per product; this could blur the focus of each team and complicate backlog management. Therefore, aligning the Sprint Review meetings is the most effective and least invasive method of achieving coordination between the teams.