Product Backlog

Correct Answer: Allocate time for addressing technical debt in the Backlog and support the team for better estimation practices

As a Scrum Master, guiding the team for better estimation practices and allocating time for addressing technical debt in the Product Backlog would be the best possible recommendation. This strategy helps in proper planning and ensures that the technical debt won't pile up, endangering future development. Ignoring the technical debt does not make it go away but rather accumulates it, making it much harder to handle in the future. Handling tech debt in a completely different project would cause confusions and inconsistencies. Asking the team to work extra hours to tackle the technical debt is against the Agile principles as it could lead to team burnout and reduce the efficiency of the team in the long run.

Correct Answer: Guide the Product Owner towards effective techniques for ordering the Product Backlog

In Scrum framework, the Scrum Master's role includes helping the Product Owner to understand how to arrange the Product Backlog efficiently to maximize value. This is done by offering comprehension and practices in Agile Product Management. Rather than ordering the backlog themselves, which steps on the Product Owner's responsibilities and could create a misalignment between what the team is working on and what the stakeholders need, the Scrum Master helps the Product Owner to clarify their priorities. Letting the development team choose items according to their preference may lead to priority items being left on the backlog, while focusing only on the top items is not practicable because priorities might change over the course of the project.

Correct Answer: The Scrum Master should work with the Product Owner and stakeholders to manage their input and communicate how changes can impact the team's work

The Scrum Master's role in this situation is to protect the team from disturbances while helping manage the process. Therefore, the Scrum Master should work with the Product Owner and stakeholders to manage their input and communicate how changes can impact the team's work. This is based on the core Scrum principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, which are meant to ensure everyone has a clear understanding of the work to be done. This answer respects these principles while helping to maintain the team's morale and focus. The other options are not appropriate for a Scrum Master: denying any future changes from stakeholders would hinder the collaborative spirit of Scrum, letting the team adjust without intervening doesn't provide them the protection they need, and asking the team to work overtime to accommodate changes goes against sustainable development, which is one of the Agile Manifesto values.