Impediments Handling

5 minutes 5 Questions

Impediments handling refers to spotting, tracking, and resolving any hindrances that can affect the progress of the Sprint. During daily scrum meetings, team members can discuss any problems they’re facing, which are then taken care of by the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master protects the team from an…

Impediments Handling in PSM I Examination

The study topic 'Impediments Handling' is a significant factor in Professional Scrum Master (PSM I) Examination.

What is Impediments Handling?
Impediments are obstacles that prevent the team from achieving its sprint goals. They could be internal or external - ranging from team conflicts to organizational processes. Impediments Handling refers to the process of identifying, prioritizing, and resolving these obstacles.

Why is it important?
Understanding how to handle impediments efficiently is crucial to improving a Development Team's productivity and overall project success. It ensures that any barriers to progress are promptly dealt with, allowing the team to focus on delivering high-quality software increment.

How does it work?
The Scrum Master plays a pivotal role in Impediments Handling. They assist the team in identifying impediments, guiding them in finding solutions and resolving any blocks. This often involves fostering a culture of open communication, providing appropriate tools and techniques, and facilitating team collaboration.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Impediments Handling
1. Always approach these questions from a Scrum Master's perspective. Your primary role is to facilitate and not to solve problems directly.
2. Remember that impediments can be anything that hinders the team's progress. They may not always be immediately obvious. Understanding the broader context can be beneficial.
3. Some questions may present scenarios where you are required to prioritize multiple impediments. Utilize the Product and Sprint Backlogs to assist in prioritizing these.
4. Your knowledge of Scrum theory, principles, roles, and events will be tested in these questions. Be thorough with the Scrum Guide.

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PSM I - Impediments Handling Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Impediments Handling

Question 1

The development team reports that they are constantly waiting for access to a shared development environment, causing delays in the project. As a Scrum Master, what would be your next action?

Instruct the team to document the delays and their impacts meticulously, creating a detailed report for management, arguing the case for additional resources or environments to mitigate such issues in the future. This report should outline the specific delays, their direct impact on the project timelines, and proposed solutions for consideration. By compiling such evidence, the hope is that management will understand the severity and recurrent nature of the problem, prompting them to allocate the necessary resources to avoid similar issues. Advise the team to adapt by working around the limitations of the shared development environment temporarily. Coordinate with stakeholders to secure timely access to the necessary development environment for the team. Organize a team-building activity to improve morale and indirectly address the issue through enhanced team dynamics.

Correct Answer: Coordinate with stakeholders to secure timely access to the necessary development environment for the team.

The correct approach, as a Scrum Master, involves removing impediments or facilitating the removal of impediments. This can be done by liaising with relevant stakeholders or departments to ensure the development team has the necessary resources, in this case, timely access to the development environment, to maintain their productivity. Other options, while related to team dynamics or project management strategies, either do not directly solve the problem or divert from the direct responsibilities of the Scrum Master in impediment removal. The most effective action is proactive, involves direct engagement with the problem at hand, and seeks a timely and practical solution.

Question 2

The team has identified a major technical issue that is making it impossible to continue work on a significant part of the project. What is the Scrum Master's best course of action?

Advise the team to conduct a Spike to investigate the issue further, allocating most of the Sprint's capacity to this research, without immediate notification to the product owner. Suggest that the team focus on other backlog items that are not affected by the technical issue until the next Sprint Planning. Encourage the team to collaborate on a solution and communicate the impact to the product owner and stakeholders for transparency. Direct the team to pause all work until the Scrum Master has devised a plan to address the issue.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to collaborate on a solution and communicate the impact to the product owner and stakeholders for transparency.

The Scrum Master's role is to serve the team by removing impediments and facilitating its progress. The correct answer involves collaboration and transparency, which are key Scrum values. Encouraging the team to work together on the problem and keeping the product owner and stakeholders informed maintains agility and openness. The wrong answers either suggest a unilateral approach, delay the necessary communication, or misalign team focus, which can lead to further issues and lack of transparency.

Question 3

Your team's productivity is consistently impacted by infrastructural issues in the organization (like faulty hardware). What should the Scrum Master do?

Advise the development team to identify workarounds or temporary solutions until the infrastructural problems can be resolved. Organize a team-building exercise to improve morale and indirectly address the productivity issues caused by infrastructural problems. Escalate the issues to management or the appropriate parties in the organization to seek resolution and support. Initiate a project-wide risk assessment to document the infrastructural issues and their impact, developing a comprehensive report for stakeholder review.

Correct Answer: Escalate the issues to management or the appropriate parties in the organization to seek resolution and support.

The Scrum Master's role involves addressing impediments that prevent the team from working effectively. Escalating infrastructural issues to management or the appropriate parties is direct action to remove such impediments. The wrong answers, although related to improving team dynamics, productivity, or documenting issues, do not directly address the removal of the impediment caused by infrastructural problems. Organizing team-building exercises or advising temporary workarounds may offer short-term relief but fail to solve the root cause. Similarly, initiating a comprehensive risk assessment, while thorough, might delay immediate resolution and does not directly ensure that the infrastructural issues are addressed.

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