Daily Scrum Practices test - Professional Scrum Master I questions

Question 1

During the sprint, the team estimates that a task in the Sprint Backlog will take much longer to complete than originally thought. The current sprint goal could be at risk. What should be your approach to update the Sprint Backlog?

Forcefully reduce the scope of the task to make it fit within the current Sprint. Ask the team to work overtime to complete the task within the sprint. As a Scrum Master, you should facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to negotiate the scope of the sprint. The Scrum Master should take the decision to remove the task from the sprint.

Correct Answer: As a Scrum Master, you should facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to negotiate the scope of the sprint.

According to Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master role is to facilitate team processes, not to be a task manager, hence the accuracy of the answer 'As a Scrum Master, you should facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to negotiate the scope of the sprint'. In situations where the task is taking longer than expected, and the sprint goal is at risk, the Scrum Master's role is to help the Product Owner and the Team negotiate the scope of the sprint. Other answers, such as 'The Scrum Master should take the decision to remove the task from the sprint', 'Ask the team to work overtime to complete the task within the sprint', and 'Forcefully reduce the scope of the task to make it fit within the current Sprint' suggest practicing unhealthy practices which do not align with Agile principles or Scrum Guide. Therefore, these are considered incorrect.

Question 2

One team member consistently avoids updating the status of their tasks, resulting in an unclear view of the Done status for all stakeholders. As a Scrum Master, what is your best approach?

Remind the team about the importance of the Definition of Done, and stress that task status updates are critical for transparency and value in the Scrum process. Introduce a new tool specifically designed for tracking task statuses, assuming it will solve the communication issue. Advocate for a policy where team members who fail to update their tasks are assigned additional work as a form of discipline, believing it will improve compliance. Organize a workshop for the team on effective time management techniques, suggesting it will indirectly solve the task update problem.

Correct Answer: Remind the team about the importance of the Definition of Done, and stress that task status updates are critical for transparency and value in the Scrum process.

The correct approach focuses on addressing the behavior by emphasizing the importance of the Definition of Done and the role of transparency in Scrum. Introducing a new tool may not solve the root cause of the problem and may add unnecessary complexity. Organizing a workshop on time management doesn't directly address the issue of not updating task statuses. Assigning additional work as a form of discipline can hurt team morale and is contrary to Agile values of trust and respect.

Question 3

A Scrum team is struggling to meet their commitments for each Sprint due to an extensive Definition of Done. As a Scrum Master, how do you address this concern?

Encourage the Scrum team to collaboratively reassess and potentially redefine their Definition of Done to ensure it is realistically achievable and maintains quality. Advise the team to skip certain criteria of the Definition of Done temporarily until they get back on schedule. Propose the team to escalate the issue to higher management to make a decision on adjusting the Definition of Done. Initiate a process to rotate team members with external experts to meet the extensive Definition of Done, believing that new expertise might offset the current challenges. This involves identifying areas of the Definition of Done where the team lacks expertise, finding suitable external experts, and integrating them into the team for a defined period to meet and uphold the criteria set forth in the Definition of Done. It aims to foster skill development among team members through knowledge transfer and hands-on collaboration, albeit it could disrupt team dynamics and may not instantly solve the problem of meeting sprint commitments.

Correct Answer: Encourage the Scrum team to collaboratively reassess and potentially redefine their Definition of Done to ensure it is realistically achievable and maintains quality.

The correct answer focuses on empowering the team to own and adapt their process (including the Definition of Done) as they learn and evolve, maintaining agility. Proposing escalation, skipping criteria, or introducing new team members without consensus are less desirable because they potentially compromise the team's autonomy, learning opportunities, and the agility of the Scrum process.

Daily Scrum Practices

PSM I - Daily Scrum Practices Example Questions

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

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