Coaching and Facilitation Flashcards
7 cards from real Professional Scrum Master practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Coaching and Facilitation flashcards as text
A conflict arises between two Development Team members over technical design choices. The conflict is affecting team collaboration. What is the Scrum Master's BEST response?
Answer: Facilitate a structured conversation where both members can express concerns and find common ground
A Scrum Master facilitates conflict resolution by creating a safe space for dialogue, helping the team reach their own resolution rather than imposing a solution.
Which Scrum Master behavior BEST demonstrates servant leadership during Sprint Planning?
Answer: Ensuring the event stays within its timebox and that the team has what it needs to plan effectively
Servant leadership in Sprint Planning means serving the process — keeping the event timeboxed and removing impediments — while letting the team do the actual planning.
A team member approaches the Scrum Master privately and says the team's velocity estimates are being manipulated to satisfy management. What should the Scrum Master do?
Answer: Coach the team transparently about the harm of manipulating metrics and facilitate a Retrospective discussion
The Scrum Master upholds transparency and coaches the team to use metrics honestly, ideally by addressing the root cause in a safe team forum like the Retrospective.
How should a Scrum Master handle a situation where the organization's management wants to add team members mid-Sprint to increase velocity?
Answer: Coach management about the disruption mid-Sprint additions cause and explain that new members affect team dynamics
Adding members mid-Sprint disrupts team dynamics and rarely increases velocity immediately; the Scrum Master educates management on the impact of such decisions.
Which questioning technique is MOST useful when a Scrum Master is coaching a team member who is stuck on a problem?
Answer: Powerful open-ended questions that help the member explore possibilities themselves
Powerful open-ended questions are a core coaching technique that stimulates self-discovery and build the team member's own problem-solving capability.
A Scrum Team is consistently delivering below its Sprint Goal but never discusses this in the Retrospective. What should the Scrum Master do?
Answer: Facilitate an honest retrospective by surfacing data on Sprint Goal achievement and asking the team to explore root causes
Facilitating data-driven reflection helps the team confront reality and take ownership of improvement, which is the core purpose of the Retrospective.
During Sprint Review, the team is reluctant to demonstrate incomplete work to stakeholders. As Scrum Master, what is the BEST coaching approach?
Answer: Coach the team that transparency includes showing actual progress and that stakeholder feedback on incomplete work is valuable
Sprint Reviews thrive on transparency; coaching the team to share actual progress — including what isn't done — builds trust and generates useful stakeholder feedback.