Back to Scrum Ceremonies

Scrum Retrospective Meeting

5 minutes 5 Questions

The Scrum Retrospective is the final ceremony in a sprint. This is a meeting where the Scrum team comes together to reflect on the sprint that has just finished and suggests improvements for the future. The purpose of this ceremony is to make continuous process improvements by examining what worked well and what didn’t. It’s structured in a way to allow open, constructive, and objective discussions about the team’s process. Topics such as team communication, tools, quality, scope management, and deadline issues are often discussed. The Scrum master plays a facilitating role here, addressing any negative issues raised and promoting positive interaction to help the team improve moving forward.

Scrum Retrospective Meeting Guide and Exam Tips

The Scrum Retrospective Meeting, part of Scrum ceremonies, is crucial because of its role in continuous improvement. This ceremony is the opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint.

What is it?
The Scrum Retrospective Meeting is a meeting that occurs at the end of every Sprint where the Scrum Team reflects on the past Sprint, discussing what went well and what needs improvement. It is comprised of the Scrum Master, Product Owner and Development Team.

How it works?
The Scrum Team discusses what they did well, what they learned, what they should do differently and what they still do not understand. The Scrum Master facilitates this meeting to ensure that the conversation remains productive and focused on the Sprint objective. This meeting should result in an actionable plan for the next Sprint.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Scrum Retrospective Meeting
Understand the purpose and participants of the meeting. Remember that the main goal is to create an improvement plan for the next Sprint. Emphasize on the facilitator's role (Scrum Master) in keeping the meeting focused on the Sprint objective. Examples from real-life Scrum Retrospectives could be useful for practical understanding. Finally, focusing on the concept of continuous improvement is key for answering questions about Scrum Retrospective Meeting in an exam.

Test mode:
Start practice test
CSM - Scrum Ceremonies Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)

Question 1

The team is often late to the retrospective and the meeting always starts late. How should the Scrum Master address this?

Correct Answer: Re-enforce the importance of punctuality and accountability in the Agile team

The Scrum Master's role includes ensuring team members understand the importance of meetings like retrospectives. Regular and timely attendance allows for constant, consistent improvement. Therefore, re-emphasizing the import of punctuality and accountability to the Agile team is the best course of action. Starting the meeting later 'to accommodate latecomers' isn't going to solve the punctuality problem but might actually enforce a bad habit. Besides, it's important to remember that in Agile teams we respect everyone's time and commitment. The option 'penalizing team members who are late for the retro' does not align with the Agile principles of respect and trust. Finally, 'ignoring the issue' would hamper efficiency and eliminate the opportunity for the team to improve their practices, which goes against the Agile theme of continuous improvement.

Question 2

In a Scrum Retrospective, which activity best encourages team reflection for continuous improvement while avoiding direct criticism?

Correct Answer: Encouraging the use of 'I' statements to express personal observations.

The best activity for encouraging team reflection while avoiding direct criticism in a Scrum Retrospective is encouraging the use of 'I' statements to express personal observations. This approach promotes a positive and constructive retrospective by focusing on personal experiences and observations rather than direct criticism of others, which can lead to a defensive atmosphere. It enables team members to share their perspectives without assigning blame, fostering an environment where continuous improvement is the focus. The other options are less effective because focusing discussions on individual performances, allowing anonymous feedback, and reviewing contribution metrics can inadvertently promote a culture of blame and comparison among team members. These methods could potentially harm team cohesion and detract from the retrospective's goal of collaborative improvement.

Question 3

During the Retrospective, the team identifies a process improvement but seems hesitant to implement it. What should the Scrum Master do?

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion on the potential benefits and challenges, and encourage the team to decide on a small experiment

As a Scrum Master, the best approach is to facilitate a discussion with the team about the potential benefits and challenges of implementing the process improvement. The Scrum Master should encourage the team to decide on a small experiment to test the improvement. This approach aligns with the Scrum values of openness, respect, and courage, as it involves the team in the decision-making process and promotes continuous improvement through experimentation. Implementing the improvement immediately without team input goes against the collaborative nature of Scrum. Conducting a detailed risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis may be unnecessary and time-consuming for a small experiment. Escalating the decision to management undermines the team's self-organization and autonomy.

Go Premium

Certified ScrumMaster Preparation Package (2024)

  • 3861 Superior-grade Certified ScrumMaster practice questions.
  • Accelerated Mastery: Deep dive into critical topics to fast-track your mastery.
  • Unlock Effortless CSM preparation: 5 full exams.
  • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: Full refund with no questions if unsatisfied.
  • Bonus: If you upgrade now you get upgraded access to all courses
  • Risk-Free Decision: Start with a 7-day free trial - get premium features at no cost!
More Scrum Retrospective Meeting questions
10 questions (total)
Start 10 question test