Grooming Meetings

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to briefly discuss the overview of design needs for each item but remind them to delve deeper during Sprint Planning or execution.

While understanding the product backlog items and their value is crucial, the detailed design conversations should be reserved for the Sprint Planning or during the Sprint itself, where the team has a clearer context and focus on execution. The wrong answers propose alternative strategies — separate design sessions, prioritizing based on design complexity, and detailed grooming discussions — each diverging from Scrum best practices by either fragmenting team focus or prematurely diving into implementation specifics outside of the optimal context.

Correct Answer: Assist the Product Owner in understanding the value of their attendance and try to find a solution

The Scrum Master's role requires facilitating communication between the team and the Product Owner. If the Product Owner is unable to attend the grooming meetings regularly, the Scrum Master should assist the Product Owner in understanding the value of their attendance and try to find a solution that enables the Product Owner to participate more frequently. The Product Owner's input is crucial for prioritizing tasks and shaping the team's work, hence his/her presence is important. The other options are incorrect because 'Canceling the grooming meetings until the Product Owner can attend' might cause delays in work; 'Carrying on with the grooming meetings without the Product Owner' may lead to a lack of direction; and 'The Scrum Master taking on the role of the Product Owner during the grooming meetings' would contradict the principles of Scrum which advocates for clear role definitions and responsibilities

Correct Answer: Discuss the issue with the team member privately, to understand and resolve the root cause

The best course of action for the Scrum Master, according to Scrum Principles, is to discuss the issue with the team member privately, seeking to understand and address the underlying reason behind the behavior. This approach respects the individual and attempts to tackle the problem at its roots, unlike calling them out in front of all team members which could potentially lead to an uncomfortable and hostile work environment. Asking the team member to leave the meeting is not a solution as it does not address the root cause of the problem and completely ignores the value that individual might bring to the team. Lastly, ignoring the issue and hoping it will resolve itself does not align with agile principles of transparency, inspection and adaptation.