Scrum and Critical Path Method (CPM) Integration

Correct Answer: Plan sprint reviews to reassess the critical path and adjust the backlog accordingly.

Integrating Scrum with the Critical Path Method (CPM) for managing project dependencies and minimizing risks of delays requires strategic planning that aligns with Agile principles. The best action is to plan sprint reviews to reassess the critical path and adjust the backlog accordingly. This approach is most aligned with Agile and Scrum methodologies, promoting flexibility and continuous adjustment based on project realities and progress. It ensures that the most critical tasks, as identified by CPM, are prioritized and addressed in a timely manner within the sprints. Distributing tasks among more team members does not directly address the underlying issue of task dependency and may result in inefficiencies or reduced quality due to task fragmentation. While using velocity tracking for tasks can help predict and allocate resources, it does not specifically address how to alter the project plan based on critical path analysis. Finally, incorporating a buffer after each sprint may provide a cushion for delays but does not proactively manage or mitigate task dependencies identified by CPM, potentially leading to prolonged project durations.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to continuously revisit and update CPM during Scrum ceremonies to understand project variations.

The best approach as a Scrum Master would be to encourage the team to continuously revisit and update the CPM during Scrum ceremonies to understand project variations. This helps in aligning scrum methodology with CPM for efficient project management. The other answers are not ideal because ignoring the CPM, updating it only at the end of the project, or not involving the team in its update would lead to decreased visibility, tracking, and input in project variations, which is against the principles of Scrum.

Correct Answer: Focus on tasks A, B and C as they directly influence the project completion time.

The best course of action will be to focus on tasks A, B and C. In the Critical Path Method (CPM), the critical path is the longest sequence of activities in a project plan which must be completed on time for the project to complete on its due date. Therefore, any delay in the tasks (here tasks A, B and C) on the critical path directly influences the project completion time. The other alternatives are incorrect because ignoring tasks on the critical path or focusing on non-critical tasks will not effectively address the delay. Changing the entire project plan may also be unnecessary and could lead to further complications. Hence, the most direct and effective action is to concentrate efforts on tasks A, B, and C.