Scrum Team Role

Correct Answer: Explain to the Product Owner that task assignment is a team decision and should be self-organized.

The best course of action in this situation is to explain to the Product Owner that task assignment is a team decision and should be self-organized. This is because, in Scrum, the team is self-organizing and no one, not even the Product Owner, should assign tasks to team members. This enables the team to manage their work efficiently and promotes a feeling of ownership and responsibility. On the other hand, asking the team members to ignore the Product Owner's instructions is not a good solution because it can create conflict and does not address the root problem. Taking over the task assignment process to avoid interference from the Product Owner is also not ideal because it goes against the principles of Scrum where the team should be self-organizing. Reporting the issue to the senior management could be a possible action if the Product Owner continues to influence the team after being explained about the Scrum rules, but should not be the first course of action as it may escalate the situation unnecessarily.

Correct Answer: Discuss with the team about how to make the stand-ups more efficient and consider limiting the time for each individual's update.

In Scrum, daily stand-ups are crucial meetings that provide transparency and alignment within the team. They should be efficient and take only a short amount of time, typically 15 minutes. The best action for a Scrum Master when the team feels that daily stand-ups are taking too much time is to discuss with the team about how to make the stand-ups more efficient and consider limiting the time for each individual's update. This allows the team to address its challenges while still maintaining the positive benefits of the daily stand-up. The other options are not appropriate for the following reasons: Eliminating the daily stand-ups completely would remove a key element of Scrum, leading to loss of coordination and transparency within the team. Ignoring the team’s concerns and continuing with the long stand-ups does not adhere to the agile principle of valuing individuals and interactions. Deciding to only hold stand-ups once a week significantly reduces this important feedback loop and misses fulfilling the purpose of daily synchronization.

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion and help the team come to a consensus.

The best approach for a Scrum Master dealing with conflicts within a team is to facilitate a discussion and help the team reach a consensus. This approach upholds the values of Scrum which includes commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect. The Scrum Master's role is to facilitate the Scrum process, not to make decisions for the team (which disqualifies 'Impose your own decision on the team'). Letting the team handle their conflicts without interference repudiates the Scrum Master's role as a facilitator and may lead to unproductive conflicts. Asking the product owner to make the decision brings similar issues, the product owner's primary role is to provide the vision, not to micromanage the team's decision making.