Scrum PSM-II Practice Test Questions Answers

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers. The Product Owner is also accountable for managing the Product Backlog, which is an ordered list of what is needed in the product. The Product Owner should collaborate with the Developers and the stakeholders to create and refine the Product Backlog, as well as to define and communicate the product vision and goals. Therefore, as a Scrum Master, you should direct the new Product Owner towards focusing on:

Building a good relationship with the stakeholders of the product (A), which is a valid option as it helps the Product Owner to understand and align with the changing organizational or market expectations, as well as to invite and receive feedback from the appropriate stakeholders during the Sprint Review, which is an event that inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations.

Relying on others in the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to formulate the Product Backlog (D), which is another valid option as it helps the Product Owner to leverage the functional and business insights of the Developers and the stakeholders, who are more familiar with the product and the customer needs. By questioning them and working with them, the Product Owner will quickly become more productive and effective.

The other options are not correct because they:

Inform the Product Owner that it is important that the Developers are updated on changing business priorities on a daily basis at the Daily Scrum (B), which is not a good option as it shows a misunderstanding of the purpose and format of the Daily Scrum, which is an event for the Developers to inspect their progress and plan their work for the next 24 hours, not a status report or a meeting for changing requirements or scope. The Product Owner should respect and support the Developers’ commitment to their Sprint Goal and Sprint Backlog, and only introduce changes that do not endanger them.

Tell the Product Owner to make sure that there are no ambiguities or possible misunderstandings in the items on the Product Backlog by capturing the functional requirements during an analysis phase ©, which is not a good option as it shows a misunderstanding of the nature and process of the Product Backlog, which is a dynamic and emergent artifact that can change as more is learned about the product, users, market, and technology. The Product Owner should collaborate with the Developers to refine and clarify the Product Backlog items throughout the product development, not create detailed documents that are considered as final outputs of analysis Sprints.

References: : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide], The Product Backlog : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Review : [Scrum Guide], The Scrum Master : [Scrum Guide], The Developers : [Scrum Guide], The Daily Scrum

 As the Scrum Master, your role is to serve the Scrum Team by helping them to work effectively and deliver value. You are not responsible for managing the work or assigning tasks to the Developers. You should respect the self-organization and autonomy of the Developers, and support them in finding their own solutions to the problem. You should also facilitate collaboration and communication among the Developers and with other stakeholders, such as Phil and the Product Owner.

Some reasons why the other options are not correct are:

A: Preparing the Sprint Backlogs each day for the teams so Phil can spend some time in each team. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Sprint Backlog is owned and managed by the Developers, not by the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master should not interfere with or dictate how the Developers plan and execute their work. The Scrum Master should also not impose a solution that may not be optimal or feasible for the teams or for Phil.

B: Allocate Phil to one team per Sprint, so that over four Sprints every team will have had the support it requires. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master should not allocateresources or assign tasks to the teams or to Phil. The Scrum Master should also not impose a solution that may not be aligned with the Product Owner’s priorities or the teams’ needs.

D: Ask Phil for a plan to hire and train additional people in his domain, and in the meantime work with the Product Owner and Developers to re-prioritize the work so that tasks not depending on Phil can be done first. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master should not ask Phil to do something that may be beyond his authority or responsibility. The Scrum Master should also not work with the Product Owner and Developers to re-prioritize the work, as this is the Product Owner’s accountability. The Scrum Master should respect the Product Owner’s decisions on what is valuable and what is not, and support the Developers in delivering that value.

References:

What is a Scrum Master?| Scrum.org

What is a Sprint Backlog?| Scrum.org

Who is responsible for dependency management?| Scrum.org

[Managing Dependencies in Scrum - Scrum Alliance]

 As the Scrum Master, your role is to serve the Scrum Team by helping them to work effectively and deliver value. You are not responsible for managing the work or assigning tasks to the Developers. You should respect the self-organization and autonomy of the Developers, and support them in finding their own solutions to the problem. You should also facilitate collaboration and communication among the Developers and with other stakeholders.

Some reasons why option B is the correct answer are:

Asking the Developers what value they get by having the Daily Scrum with all team members present and what might go wrong if all Developers do not attend. This action will help the Scrum Team to understand the purpose and benefits of the Daily Scrum, and to identify and address the risks and consequences of missing it. The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work12. The Daily Scrum also provides an opportunity for the Developers to identify and communicate any impediments that are hindering their progress, and request help from the Scrum Master or other team members to resolve them12. The Daily Scrum improves communications, identifies impediments, promotes quick decision-making, and consequently eliminates the need for other meetings12. The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting, but a way for the Developers to collaborate and self-organize around the most important work for the next 24 hours12. If a Developer is missing the Daily Scrum, they may miss important information, feedback, or support from their peers, or they may cause delays, confusion, or conflicts for their team. The Scrum Master should encourage the Developers to share their perspectives and experiences on how the Daily Scrum helps them achieve their Sprint Goal and create a valuable Increment.

The Scrum Master should also help the Developers to come up with their own solutions on how to ensure full attendance and participation in the Daily Scrum. The Scrum Master should not impose or dictate a solution, but rather coach and guide the Developers to find what works best for them. The Scrum Master should also help the Developers to agree on some ground rules or norms for their Daily Scrum, such as when, where, and how to conduct it, what topics to discuss, and how to handle any issues or conflicts that may arise.

Some reasons why the other options are not correct are:

A: You do not intervene. The Developers own the Daily Scrum, so they should deal with any issues with attendance. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide1, causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team1, and working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization1. The Scrum Master should not ignore or avoid a problem that affects the performance or well-being of the Scrum Team, but rather help them address it in a constructive and respectful way. The Scrum Master should also not assume that the Developers know how to deal with any issues with attendance, but rather teach them how to do so effectively.

C: Talk to the Developer who is missing the Daily Scrum and ask her to always attend the Daily Scrum. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Daily Scrum is an event for and by the Developers12, not for reporting or accountability to anyone else. The Scrum Master should not interfere with or dictate how the Developers conduct their Daily Scrum, or make unilateral decisions on behalf of them. The Scrum Master should also not single out or confront a Developer who is missing the Daily Scrum, but rather involve all Developers in finding a solution that works for everyone.

D: Teach the Developers how to deal with this situation by attending the Daily Scrum yourself. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Daily Scrum is an event for and by the Developers12, not for anyone else’s inspection or intervention. The Scrum Master should notattend or participate in the Daily Scrum unless they are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog12. The presence of an outsider may disrupt or influence the dynamics of the Developers’ communication and collaboration. The Scrum Master should also not teach by doing, but rather by coaching and facilitating.

References:

What is a Daily Scrum?| Scrum.org

What Is a Daily Standup?| A Guide to Running Effective Standup Meetings | Atlassian

C: Velocity has no direct relationship with value. This is a true statement, as velocity is a measure of the amount of work done by a Scrum Team in a Sprint, not the value or quality of that work. Velocity can vary depending on many factors, such as the size, complexity, and priority of the Product Backlog items, the skills and experience of the Developers, the Definition of Done, and the Sprint length. Therefore, velocity is not a reliable indicator of value creation or team performance.

D: Velocity is the amount of business functionality that a Scrum Team creates in a Sprint. It is unique to that team and used as an input to Sprint Planning. This is a true statement, as velocity is a team-specific metric that reflects how much business functionality the Scrum Team can deliver in a Sprint. Velocity can help the Scrum Team to forecast how many Product Backlog items they can select for the next Sprint, based on their past performance and current capacity. However, velocity is not a goal or a target for the Scrum Team, and it should not be compared across teams.

References:

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 15: “Velocity is a measure of how much work a team can complete in a given time period. It is usually expressed in terms of story points or function points per Sprint.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 16: “Velocity is not a measure of value or quality. It does not tell us anything about the usefulness, usability, or desirability of the product increment.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 17: “Velocity is unique to each team and depends on many factors, such as the size and complexity of the work items, the skills and experience of the team members, the definition of done, and the length of the Sprint.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 18: “Velocity can be used as an input for Sprint Planning, to help the team forecast how much work they can realistically accomplish in the next Sprint. However, velocity is not a goal or a target for the team, and it should not be used to compare or evaluate teams.”

 Respect is one of the Scrum values that means recognizing the value of each individual and their contribution, trusting them to fulfill their tasks, listening to and considering their ideas, and acknowledging their accomplishments. Respect also means honoring the diversity of people, their experiences, and their opinions. Respect facilitates collaboration, learning, and creativity in the Scrum Team.

Some statements that demonstrate respectful behavior in the Scrum Team are:

Respect the accountabilities of the Scrum Team members. This means that each role in the Scrum Team has a clear set of responsibilities and expectations, and that other team members respect those boundaries and do not interfere with or undermine them. For example, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers, and the Developers respect that by following the Product Owner’s guidance on what to work on and what not to work on. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide, causing change that increases the productivity of the Scrum Team, and working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization. The Developers respect that by adhering to the Scrum framework, being open to feedback and improvement, and collaborating with other Scrum Teams when needed.

Respect people, their experience, diversity, and difference in opinion. This means that each person in the Scrum Team is valued as a skilled professional who brings unique perspectives and insights to the team. The team members respect each other’s expertise, skills, and ideas, and are willing to learn from each other and from their stakeholders. They also respect that people may have different opinions or preferences on how to approach a problem or a solution, and they seek to understand those differences rather than dismiss or ignore them. They engage in constructive dialogue and respectful disagreement when necessary, and they support team decisions even if they are not their personal choices.

Some statements that do not demonstrate respectful behavior in the Scrum Team are:

Respect the Product Owner by letting them change the Sprint Goal during the Sprint. This is not respectful because it violates the Scrum framework and undermines theDevelopers’ autonomy and commitment. The Sprint Goal is a shared objective that provides guidance to the Developers on why they are building an Increment. It is crafted by the Product Owner in collaboration with the Developers during Sprint Planning, and it remains fixed for the duration of the Sprint unless a significant change occurs that invalidates it. Allowing the Product Owner to change the Sprint Goal during the Sprint would disrupt the focus and alignment of the Developers, introduce uncertainty and confusion, and reduce transparency and accountability.

Respect stakeholder expectations that Scrum Teams will meet their forecast. This is not respectful because it implies that stakeholders have unrealistic or unreasonable expectations that are not based on empirical evidence or feedback. The forecast is a plan for what functionality will be delivered in an Increment by the end of a Sprint. It is based on what is known at Sprint Planning, but it is not a guarantee or a commitment. The forecast may change during the Sprint as new information emerges or as unforeseen challenges arise. The Scrum Team respects stakeholders by being transparent about their progress and any changes to their forecast, by delivering a valuable Increment at least by the end of every Sprint, by seeking feedback from stakeholders during Sprint Review, and by incorporating that feedback into future Sprints.

References:

The Scrum Values

Understanding the 5 Scrum Values

Top 5 Scrum Values & Principles