Professional Scrum Master Professional Scrum Master Scrum Events and Activities Questions and Answers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team identifies several improvement actions but cannot agree on which to prioritize. What should the Scrum Master do?
- Cancel the Retrospective and reschedule when the team is more aligned
- Facilitate a discussion to help the team select at least one actionable improvement for the next Sprint (Correct answer)
- Decide for the team which improvement is most important
- Escalate the disagreement to the Product Owner for resolution
Correct answer: Facilitate a discussion to help the team select at least one actionable improvement for the next Sprint
The Scrum Master facilitates the Retrospective and helps the team self-manage by guiding them toward selecting actionable improvements.
Question 2: What is the maximum duration of a Sprint Planning event for a two-week Sprint?
- 2 hours
- 4 hours
- 8 hours (Correct answer)
- No time-box applies to Sprint Planning
Correct answer: 8 hours
Sprint Planning is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint, so for a two-week Sprint it is typically four hours, but the Scrum Guide states the maximum is eight hours for a month-long Sprint.
Question 3: A stakeholder wants to attend the Daily Scrum to understand the team's progress. How should the Scrum Master respond?
- Allow the stakeholder to attend and participate actively in the discussion
- Explain that the Daily Scrum is for the Developers and invite the stakeholder to observe without disrupting (Correct answer)
- Deny all external attendance to protect the team
- Ask the Product Owner to provide a separate status update instead
Correct answer: Explain that the Daily Scrum is for the Developers and invite the stakeholder to observe without disrupting
The Daily Scrum is for the Developers, but others may attend as observers as long as they do not disrupt the event.
Question 4: Which Scrum event provides the primary opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect the product Increment and adapt the Product Backlog?
- Sprint Planning
- Daily Scrum
- Sprint Review (Correct answer)
- Sprint Retrospective
Correct answer: Sprint Review
The Sprint Review is where the Scrum Team presents the Increment to stakeholders and collaborates on what to do next, adapting the Product Backlog accordingly.
Question 5: The Developers consistently finish all Sprint Backlog items two days before the Sprint ends. What should the Scrum Master encourage?
- End the Sprint early and start a new one immediately
- Have the Developers pull additional Product Backlog items in collaboration with the Product Owner (Correct answer)
- Reduce the Sprint length to eliminate idle time
- Assign the Developers to help other teams for the remaining days
Correct answer: Have the Developers pull additional Product Backlog items in collaboration with the Product Owner
Developers should collaborate with the Product Owner to select additional work from the Product Backlog when they complete planned items early.
Question 6: What happens if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete during a Sprint?
- The Sprint continues as planned since the Sprint Goal cannot change mid-Sprint
- The Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint (Correct answer)
- The Scrum Master cancels the Sprint and schedules a new Sprint Planning
- The Developers vote on whether to continue or cancel the Sprint
Correct answer: The Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint
Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint, and an obsolete Sprint Goal is one valid reason for cancellation.
During a Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team identifies several improvement actions but cannot agree on which to prioritize.
What should the Scrum Master do?