Scrum in Sales & Marketing

Correct Answer: Guide the team to respond to changes with minimal impact on the Sprint Goals

As a Scrum Master, the primary duty is to ensure that the team effectively implements scrum principles and values. This involves guiding the team to respond to changes in a manner that has minimal impact on the Sprint Goals, which is why answer 'Guide the team to respond to changes with minimal impact on the Sprint Goals' is correct. Changing team composition (answer 'Change the team composition to match the requirements') would disrupt team dynamics and goes against the Scrum principle of self-organizing teams. On the other hand, Scrum principles mandate stakeholder collaboration, so asking stakeholders to stop changing their minds (answer 'Ask the stakeholders to stop changing their minds') is not a constructive approach. Lastly, scolding the team for not being able to meet changing requirements (answer 'Scold the team for not being able to meet changing requirements') is not conducive to a positive work environment or effective team communication, and goes against the Scrum values of respect and openness.

Correct Answer: Conduct a session on agile practices and scrum framework, emphasizing the purpose of a sprint

In Scrum framework, any product backlog items that are brought into the sprint are intended to be fully developed and potentially shippable by the end of the sprint. Therefore, changes mid-sprint are generally not welcomed because they can disrupt this process and prevent the team from achieving the sprint goal. This is why the ScrumMaster needs to conduct a session on agile practices and scrum framework, emphasizing the purpose of a sprint. It's important for the sales department to understand this because the other proposed solutions do not address the root issue. Ignoring the concerns of the sales department (second answer) does not foster good working relationships and it's not a constructive approach. Allowing them to suggest changes mid-sprint (third answer) would only create further confusion and potential disruption in the team's workflow. Asking the sales department to follow a traditional waterfall model (last answer) is inappropriate since the company has chosen to adopt an agile framework, and it may not be suitable for their needs or goals.

Correct Answer: Facilitate a meeting with the Sales team to discuss ways to improve their estimations and manage changes in Market Trends.

The best course of action for a Scrum Master in this situation would be to facilitate a meeting with the Sales team to discuss ways to improve their estimations and manage changes in Market Trends. As a Scrum Master, it's the responsibility to help the team to navigate in their agility. Taking over the estimations would not be a suitable action, as this goes against Scrum beliefs of self-organizing teams. Similarly, ignoring the situation doesn't contribute to any improvement. Adding more user story points can lead to unachievable sprints and exacerbate the problem because it won't consider delays and adjustments due to market changes.