Scrum Sprints

5 minutes 5 Questions

Scrum sprints are the heart of Scrum. Sprints are time-boxed events of one month or less during which a potentially releasable subset of the product is created. Sprints provide a structure to deliver value rapidly and receive feedback, they establish a repeatable and predictable rhythm for delivery…

Scrum Sprints: A Comprehensive Guide

What is a Scrum Sprint?
A Scrum Sprint is a fixed time period, typically 2-4 weeks, during which a Scrum team works to complete a set amount of work. It is a crucial element of the Scrum framework.

Importance of Scrum Sprints
1. They help manage and control the progress of work.
2. Enables constant feedback and refining of work.
3. Offers opportunities for regular inspection and adaptability.
4. Facilitates a predictable rhythm of work.
5. Supports team cohesion and focus.

How it works?
A Sprint starts with a Sprint Planning meeting where the team identifies the work to be done. The team then works on these tasks and meets daily for a Scrum meeting to discuss progress and barriers. At the end of the Sprint, a Sprint Review and Retrospective are held to inspect the increment and plan improvements.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Scrum Sprints
1. Remember the purpose of Sprints.
2. Understand the structure and sequence of Scrum events.
3. Be familiar with the key roles in a Sprint (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team).
4. Know the potential outputs of a Sprint (Product Increment, updated Product Backlog).
5. Understand how adaptive planning and continuous improvement are enabled in Sprints.

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PSM I - Scrum Sprints Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Scrum Sprints

Question 1

A Scrum team is ahead of schedule in their Sprint, the Product Owner suggests adding more user stories to the current Sprint. As a Scrum Master, how should you handle this situation?

Suggest a suspension of the current Sprint until the Product Owner has enough user stories for a new Sprint. Ignore the Product Owner's suggestion as it interferes with the development team's work. Discuss that this goes against Scrum principles, but the Product Owner may add it to the upcoming Sprint. Immediate acceptance and inclusion of user stories in the current Sprint.

Correct Answer: Discuss that this goes against Scrum principles, but the Product Owner may add it to the upcoming Sprint.

According to the principles of Scrum, once a Sprint has started, its scope is supposed to be fixed and unchangeable. Therefore, adding more user stories in the middle of a Sprint, even if the team is ahead of schedule, is contrary to these principles. This ensures that the development team can commit to an achievable goal and mitigate unpredictability. For the other answers - including user stories immediately in the current Sprint disrupts the flow of work and undermines commitment. Suspending the current Sprint until the Product Owner has enough user stories for a new Sprint is against the Scrum practice of having set, consistent Sprint lengths. Ignoring the Product Owner goes against the team collaboration principle of Scrum.

Question 2

During the Sprint, the team discovers a critical defect that can significantly affect the product. The fix for this defect is not in the current Sprint backlog. As a Scrum Master, what would be your approach?

Cancel the current Sprint and start a new one with the defect fix. Ignore the defect because it's not part of the current Sprint and continue working on the planned items. Work with the Product Owner to include this item in the Sprint backlog and negotiate other backlog items to meet the Sprint goal. Ask the team to work overtime to accommodate the unplanned item without disturbing the Sprint backlog.

Correct Answer: Work with the Product Owner to include this item in the Sprint backlog and negotiate other backlog items to meet the Sprint goal.

The correct approach when you discover a critical defect that could significantly impact the product, and it's not part of the current Sprint backlog, is to work with the Product Owner to include this item in the Sprint backlog and negotiate other backlog items to meet the Sprint goal. This is because Scrum values responding to change over following a plan. This does not mean disregarding the plan, but being flexible and adaptable, allowing for changes in the project that would add value to the product. Ignoring the defect because it's not part of the current Sprint and continuing with planned items are not good practice as agile is about early and continuous delivery of valuable software. Similarly, asking the team to work overtime to accommodate the unplanned item without disturbing the Sprint backlog is not sustainable and can introduce the risk of team burnout and decrease their productivity. Finally, cancelling the current Sprint and starting a new one with the defect fix is a last resort option usually considered for significant changes and not defects or issues.

Question 3

During a Sprint, the Development Team discovers that they have over-committed and cannot complete all the items in the Sprint Backlog. What should the Scrum Master do?

Encourage the Development Team to work overtime to ensure all committed items are completed by the end of the Sprint Advise the Development Team to complete as many items as possible and carry over the remaining items to the next Sprint without consulting the Product Owner Facilitate a discussion between the Development Team and the Product Owner to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog Instruct the Development Team to drop the lower priority items from the Sprint Backlog and focus only on completing the high priority items

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion between the Development Team and the Product Owner to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog

The best course of action is for the Scrum Master to facilitate a discussion between the Development Team and the Product Owner to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog. This aligns with the Scrum principles of collaboration, transparency, and adaptability. The Development Team should not work overtime, as it goes against sustainable development practices. Carrying over items to the next Sprint without consulting the Product Owner violates the principle of collaboration and transparency. Dropping lower priority items and focusing only on high priority items should be a decision made in consultation with the Product Owner, not unilaterally by the Development Team or Scrum Master.

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