Sprint Backlog

5 minutes 5 Questions

The Sprint Backlog consists of items selected from the Product Backlog that the Team commits to complete during a Sprint. It's a forecast made by the team about what functionality will be available in the next increment. The Sprint Backlog makes visible all of the work that the Development Team ide…

Guide to Sprint Backlog for PSM I Scrum Framework Fundamentals

The 'Sprint Backlog' is a crucial component of the Scrum framework. It provides a list of items selected from the product backlog, to be delivered in a Sprint. Its usefulness lies in facilitating transparency, adapting to changes, and ensuing focus on work priorities.
A Sprint Backlog is created in the Sprint Planning meeting by The Scrum Team, where they critically discuss and finalize the items to be addressed in the upcoming Sprint. The resultant list of tasks called 'Sprint Backlog' serves as guidance for the team throughout the Sprint to achieve their Sprint goal.
When tackling questions on the Sprint Backlog in an exam, keep in mind the following tips:
1. Make sure to comprehend the nature of the sprint backlog as dynamic rather than fixed.
2. The sprint backlog provides clarity into what the team will be working on exclusively during the sprint.
3. An Integral part of Sprint Backlog is having clear Sprint Goal, to provide direction to the team.
4. Remember that the Sprint Backlog can adjust and change according to the team's understanding as the project advances.

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PSM I - Sprint Backlog Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Sprint Backlog

Question 1

In the middle of a Sprint, a high priority task is recognized by the team and needs to be included in the Sprint Backlog. The Product Owner insists on adding it. The task insertion could interrupt the focus and progress of the ongoing Sprint. As the Scrum Master, how should you respond?

Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the Sprint Backlog while ensuring the Sprint Goal remains intact. Advise the Product Owner to hold off on any changes until the Sprint Review, where all stakeholders can be consulted. Require the Product Owner to remove an equivalent amount of work from the Sprint Backlog before adding the new task to maintain scope balance. This approach may involve a detailed analysis of the impact on the Sprint Goal and the overall project timeline, taking into consideration the team's velocity and the estimated effort for the new task. Such a balance ensures that the team does not become overburdened and that focus on the Sprint Goal is maintained. Adjust the Sprint duration to accommodate the new high-priority task, ensuring it fits within the team's capacity.

Correct Answer: Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the Sprint Backlog while ensuring the Sprint Goal remains intact.

In Scrum, neither the Product Owner nor the Scrum Master should unilaterally make changes to the Sprint Backlog. Instead, the Scrum Master should facilitate collaboration between the Product Owner and the Development Team to renegotiate the contents of the Sprint Backlog, ensuring that any additions or changes support the Sprint Goal and do not detract from the team's ability to deliver value. This approach respects the flexibility inherent in Scrum while also protecting the team's focus and commitment to delivering agreed-upon outcomes.

Question 2

During the Daily Scrum, a team member indicates that one of the tasks is much more complex than anticipated. How should it be reflected in the Sprint Backlog?

Ignore the complexity and continue as planned Remove the task from the Sprint Backlog The task should be re-estimated and the Sprint Backlog should be updated Ask the Product Owner to simplify the task

Correct Answer: The task should be re-estimated and the Sprint Backlog should be updated

In Scrum methodology, when a task turns out to be more complex than expected, the correct course of action is to re-estimate the task and update the Sprint Backlog accordingly. This reflects the new understanding of the task's complexity and ensures that the team's progress is tracked accurately. Removing the task from the Sprint Backlog is not a correct approach as it does not address the complexity or the additional effort required. Ignoring the complexity and continuing as planned can lead to missed deadlines and inaccurate tracking of the team's capacity. Asking the Product Owner to simplify the task is not correct because the Product Owner does not perform the tasks or control how complex they are, but prioritizes them according to the project's needs.

Question 3

The team consistently overestimates the completion time of tasks in the Sprint Backlog, and ends up having a surplus time every Sprint. As the Scrum Master what should be your approach?

Implement a new policy where any surplus time in a Sprint is dedicated to team building activities or learning new technologies to improve team capabilities. While this approach aims to enhance team performance and morale by using extra time productively, it might distract from the primary goal of delivering value through the Sprint goals and could misalign with the principles of Scrum. Have the team allocate all surplus time to refining the Product Backlog, ensuring more than enough tasks are ready for future Sprints. Request that the Product Owner adds more tasks to the Sprint Backlog during the Sprint to utilize the surplus time effectively. Encourage the team to reflect on their estimation accuracy in the next Sprint Planning and consider adopting different estimation techniques or refining their existing ones.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to reflect on their estimation accuracy in the next Sprint Planning and consider adopting different estimation techniques or refining their existing ones.

The correct answer involves helping the team to improve their estimation skills. It's essential for the Scrum Master to facilitate the team's self-organization and continuous improvement, rather than directly intervening or altering the team's workload during a Sprint. Adding work mid-Sprint, dedicating surplus time solely to backlog refinement, or diverting it to unrelated activities might disrupt the team's focus and does not directly address the root cause of estimation issues.

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