Scrum Events

Correct Answer: The Product Owner

In Scrum, the authority to cancel a Sprint resides exclusively with the Product Owner. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team. If the sprint goal becomes obsolete, the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint. The option suggesting the Scrum Master with team consent is incorrect because, while the Scrum Master facilitates Scrum processes and helps address obstacles, the decision to cancel a Sprint is not within their authority nor is it a decision made by team vote. The option that mentions the entire Scrum Team through consensus is also wrong because the decision is not a democratic one within the team; rather, it's a strategic decision made by the Product Owner. Lastly, the stakeholders do not have the authority to cancel a Sprint based on project priorities; while their input may influence the Product Owner's decision-making process, the final decision rests with the Product Owner.

Correct Answer: ascertain the importance of the suggested changes and, if necessary, add it to the Product Backlog for consideration in future Sprints.

The Scrum Master must ascertain the importance of the suggested changes and, if necessary, add it to the Product Backlog for consideration in future Sprints. This is because in Scrum, the Sprint Goal should not be affected once the Sprint has started. If there are important changes, they should be considered for a future Sprint rather than disrupting the work of the current Sprint. This maintains the integrity of the Scrum method and the stability of the Development Team's work. 'Instructing the Development Team to include the changes immediately in the current Sprint' is not right, as it conflicts with Scrum principles. 'Denying the changes as all changes during a Sprint are forbidden' is also incorrect because while changes during a Sprint aren't ideal, if necessary they should be properly evaluated and added to the Product Backlog for a future Sprint. 'Ignoring the stakeholder’s suggestions, as they don't have the right to influence the ongoing work' is wrong because stakeholders are an integral part of the Scrum process, and their feedback should be considered, even if it can't always be immediately acted upon.

Correct Answer: Reschedule the event to meet the Product Owner's availability if it doesn’t conflict with the team's schedule and the Sprint timeline.

The best advice that a Scrum Master can give when a Product Owner is unable to attend an upcoming Sprint Review is to 'Reschedule the event to meet the Product Owner's availability if it doesn’t conflict with the team's schedule and the Sprint timeline'. This is because the Product Owner's involvement is critical due to their responsibility for scrutinizing the product increment in the Sprint Review and incorporating feedbacks from it into the Product Backlog for the next Sprint. Proceeding without the Product Owner may leave this work unprotected from feedback or alteration. Skipping the Sprint Review is a bad practice, as it forfeits the opportunity to review what was accomplished during the sprint and adapt the backlog for the next cycle. Acting as a temporary Product Owner can blur roles in the Scrum framework, which could lead to imbalanced responsibilities and conflicts of interest.