Certified Scrum Product Owner®(CSPO) Scrum Framework Fundamentals Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Scrum Team consistently fails to complete the work they forecast. During a Sprint Retrospective, the Developers reveal they are often pulled away to work on "urgent" tasks by a department manager, a fact they had not previously shared. This lack of openness is a failure to uphold which pillar of Scrum?
- Inspection
- Adaptation
- Transparency (Correct answer)
- Courage
Correct answer: Transparency
Scrum's empirical process is built on three pillars: Transparency, Inspection, and Adaptation. Transparency means the emergent process and work must be visible to those performing and receiving the work. By not making the external tasks visible, the team's true capacity and the impediments they face are hidden, which violates the pillar of Transparency.
Question 2: According to the Scrum Guide, what is the Product Owner's required level of participation in the Daily Scrum?
- They must lead the event to ensure the team is on track toward the Sprint Goal.
- They are required to attend to answer any questions about Product Backlog items.
- They participate as a Developer if they are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog; otherwise, their attendance is not required. (Correct answer)
- They must attend as an active listener but cannot speak unless asked a direct question by a Developer.
Correct answer: They participate as a Developer if they are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog; otherwise, their attendance is not required.
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. Its purpose is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog. The Scrum Guide states, "If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as Developers." This clarifies that their attendance is not otherwise mandatory.
Question 3: A key principle is that the Scrum Team is cross-functional. What does "cross-functional" mean in the context of a Scrum Team?
- Every individual member of the team possesses every skill required to create the product.
- The team collectively has all the necessary skills to create a valuable, usable Increment without depending on others outside the team. (Correct answer)
- The organization can move members between different Scrum Teams as specific skills are needed for a Sprint.
- Each team member is a specialist in only one area, such as testing, analysis, or coding, to ensure deep expertise.
Correct answer: The team collectively has all the necessary skills to create a valuable, usable Increment without depending on others outside the team.
A cross-functional team means that the team as a unit has all the competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others not part of the team. It does not mean that every single person on the team has every skill. This collective ownership of skills allows the team to be self-sufficient in creating a valuable Increment each Sprint.
Question 4: Who has the final authority to decide whether to release a completed and usable Increment to the market?
- The Scrum Master
- The stakeholders
- The Developers
- The Product Owner (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The Product Owner
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This accountability includes making the strategic decision of when to release an Increment to customers. While the whole team is accountable for creating a 'Done' Increment, the Product Owner decides if and when it makes sense to deliver that value to the market.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes the primary purpose of the Sprint Retrospective?
- To inspect the Increment with stakeholders and adapt the Product Backlog based on their feedback.
- To plan the work for the upcoming Sprint by selecting items from the Product Backlog.
- To inspect how the last Sprint went regarding individuals, interactions, processes, and tools, and to create a plan for improvement. (Correct answer)
- To provide a detailed status report on the Sprint's progress to senior management and stakeholders.
Correct answer: To inspect how the last Sprint went regarding individuals, interactions, processes, and tools, and to create a plan for improvement.
The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The Scrum Team inspects the past Sprint concerning individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done. The outcome is a plan for implementing improvements in the next Sprint. The Sprint Review is the event for inspecting the Increment with stakeholders.
Question 6: A Product Owner wants to cancel a Sprint. According to the Scrum Guide, under what circumstances is this appropriate?
- The Developers are consistently unable to meet their forecast.
- A key stakeholder is unhappy with the progress being made.
- The Sprint Goal has become obsolete. (Correct answer)
- A major technical impediment is discovered that will take too long to resolve.
Correct answer: The Sprint Goal has become obsolete.
The Scrum Guide states that a Sprint can be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This means the goal no longer provides value or makes sense due to a change in strategic direction, market conditions, or other superseding factors. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
Certified Scrum Product Owner®(CSPO) Scrum Framework Fundamentals Questions and Answers
A Scrum Team consistently fails to complete the work they forecast.
During a Sprint Retrospective, the Developers reveal they are often pulled away to work on "urgent" tasks by a department manager, a fact they had not previously shared.
This lack of openness is a failure to uphold which pillar of Scrum?