PSPO-I Scrum Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO I) Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

In Scrum, the Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. One of the primary ways the Product Owner does this is by managing the Product Backlog, which includes clearly expressing Product Backlog items, ordering the items to best achieve goals and missions, and ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all. This means that the Product Owner has the final authority on the order of items in the Product Backlog, as they are best positioned to understand the strategic and market value of the work to be done.

References: The Scrum Guide and the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ (PSPO I) study materials, specifically the sections on ‘Managing Products with Agility’ and ‘Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework’, which outline the accountabilities of the Product Owner in managing the Product Backlog

An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the product vision. It is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints. At the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be “Done”, which means it meets the Definition of Done and is usable.

The Scrum Team decides when and how to release an Increment to customers or users. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers, and may decide to release an Increment at any time during or after a Sprint. The Developers are responsible for creating a potentially releasable Increment each Sprint, and may collaborate with the Product Owner and the stakeholders to determine the best way to deliver value.

Releasing an Increment to customers or users is not mandatory at the end of each Sprint. The Scrum Team may choose to release an Increment more or less frequently, depending on the product goals, market conditions, customer feedback, or technical feasibility. However, releasing an Increment regularly can provide many benefits, such as:

Validating assumptions and hypotheses about the product value and quality.

Obtaining feedback and data from real users and customers.

Increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Reducing risks and uncertainties.

Improving transparency and collaboration.

References:

Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Increment: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-an-increment

Releasing Value: https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/releasing-value

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog, collaborating with the stakeholders and the Developers, and ordering the items in a way that best achieves goals and missions. The Product Owner represents the interests of everyone with a stake in the product and ensures that the Scrum Team works on the right things at the right time.

A Sprint is a timebox of one month or less within which a “Done” product Increment is created. A Sprint consists of the Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, the development work, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective. A Sprint is also a feedback loop that allows the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect and adapt the product and the process.

During a Sprint, a Product Owner is typically responsible for:

Collaborating with stakeholders, users, and customers: The Product Owner engages in frequent and regular interactions with the people who have a stake or interest in the product, such as customers, users, sponsors, managers, or other teams. The Product Owner solicits and incorporates their input, feedback, and insights to understand their needs and expectations, discover new opportunities or ideas, align and collaborate on the product direction and priorities, and validate and deliver value to them.

Working with the Scrum Team on Product Backlog refinement: The Product Owner works closely with the Developers to clarify, refine, and review the Product Backlog items and their acceptance criteria. The Product Owner provides clear and concise descriptions of what is needed and why it is valuable for each Product Backlog item. The Product Owner also empowers and trusts the Developers to make technical decisions and trade-offs that best meet the product goals and quality standards. The Product Owner also involves key stakeholders in defining and prioritizing the Product Backlog items and their acceptance criteria.

The other options are not valid or relevant responsibilities of a Product Owner during a Sprint. They are either too administrative, micromanaging, or unrelated to the product value delivery. They are:

Creating financial reporting upon the spent hours reported by the Developers: This is not a responsibility of a Product Owner during a Sprint. This is an administrative task that does not contribute to the value or quality of the product or service delivered. It may also create unnecessary overhead or bureaucracy for the Developers. The Product Owner should focus on maximizing value rather than tracking hours.

Updating the work plan for the Developers on a daily basis: This is not a responsibility of a Product Owner during a Sprint. This is a micromanaging task that does not respect the self-organization or cross-functionality of the Developers. The Developers are responsible for planning and executing their own work during a Sprint, based on their empirical experience and collaboration. The Developers also update their progress daily during the Daily Scrum event.

Nothing: This is not a valid answer for a Product Owner’s responsibility during a Sprint. A Product Owner has many important responsibilities during a Sprint, as mentioned above. A Product Owner should be actively involved in collaborating with stakeholders, users, customers, and Developers throughout a Sprint to maximize value delivery.

Attending every Daily Scrum to answer questions about the Sprint Backlog items: This is not a mandatory responsibility of a Product Owner during a Sprint. The Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers to inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan for the next 24 hours. The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting or a reporting session for anyone else. The Product Owner may attend the Daily Scrum as an observer or as an invited participant if they have something valuable to contribute or if they need some clarification from the Developers.

References:

Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Product Owner: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner

Sprint: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-in-scrum

Stakeholders: https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/stakeholders

Daily Scrum: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-daily-scrum

Sprint 0 is a term that some organizations use to describe a phase of work before the first official Sprint, where they do some upfront planning, design, architecture, or analysis1. However, this term is not consistent with the Scrum framework, which does not prescribe any pre-Sprint activities or phases2. Scrum starts with a Product Backlog that contains at least one valuable and feasible Product Goal, and enough Product Backlog items to initiate the first Sprint[3][3]. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers, and for managing the Product Backlog4. The Product Owner does not have any specific accountability during Sprint 0, because Sprint 0 is not a part of Scrum.

References:

1: Sprint Zero: A Good Idea or Not?, Scrum Alliance, accessed on December 16, 2023

2: The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 5

[3][3]: The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 9

4: The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 6

The Scrum Team should have all the skills needed to turn Product Backlog items into a valuable, useful Increment, as this is the primary goal of each Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that "The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal."1 The Scrum Team should be cross-functional, which means that the Developers have all the skills necessary to create a product Increment.1 The Scrum Team should also be self-managing, which means that they decide how best to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the Scrum Team.1

References:

1: The Scrum Guide2, page 6

2: The Scrum Guide

The Daily Scrum is an event for and by the Developers. They can choose whatever structure and technique they want, as long as they focus on the progress toward the Sprint Goal and produce an actionable plan for the next day of work12. The Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the person coming in last are not necessarily the ones who should start the Daily Scrum. The person who has the token is a possible technique, but not the only one3.

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Definition of Done is created by the Scrum Team, not just the Developers. The Scrum Team must have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, to ensure transparency. The Definition of Done is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. The Definition of Done may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. The Definition of Done evolves over time and is updated whenever the Scrum Team learns more about the product and the environment in which it operates.

References:

The Scrum Guide

Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I Certification

According to Scrum.org, the Developers own the Sprint Backlog12. The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers1. It is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal1. Consequently, the Sprint Backlog is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned1.

The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are responsible for creating and communicating a vision, ordering the Product Backlog, and ensuring that the best possible job is done to delight customers. The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to delivering a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. They are responsible for managing and organizing their work within the Sprint, collaborating with the Product Owner and the Scrum Master, and applying their skills and creativity to create a product that delivers value to the stakeholders and customers. A Project Manager is not a role in the Scrum Team, as Scrum does not recognize titles for Developers, regardless of the work being performed by the person. There is no need for a Project Manager, as the Scrum Team is self-managing and accountable for delivering value.

References:

The Scrum Guide

The Scrum Team

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I Certification

 The best way to minimize dependencies between the Scrum Teams is to work with the Developers on how to best analyze and break apart the work. This is because:

The Developers are accountable for creating a “Done” Increment in every Sprint. They must ensure that every Product Backlog item they work on meets the Definition of Done before it is considered complete.

The Developers are self-managing professionals who organize and manage their own work. They decide how to best accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the Scrum Team.

The Developers are cross-functional, meaning they have all the skills and competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others who are not part of the team.

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are responsible for identifying and articulating the Product Goal, which is a long-term objective for the product that guides all the activities of the Scrum Team.

The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog, which is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. They must ensure that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood by everyone who needs to work on it.

The Product Owner and the Developers must collaborate closely throughout the Sprint to ensure that they have a shared understanding of what they are building and why. The Product Owner must provide clarifications, feedback, and guidance to the Developers as needed to help them create a valuable Increment.

When there are multiple teams working on one product, it is important to minimize dependencies between them to avoid delays, conflicts, or waste. Dependencies may arise due to technical, functional, or organizational factors that affect how the teams can deliver value independently and effectively.

To minimize dependencies, the Product Owner should work with the Developers on how to best analyze and break apart the work into smaller and more manageable pieces that can be delivered by each team without relying on others. This may involve applying techniques such as feature slicing, component splitting, or domain-driven design. The Product Owner should also communicate and coordinate with other Product Owners and stakeholders to align expectations and priorities across teams.

Other options, such as creating an independent Product Backlog per Scrum Team, dividing Product Backlog items among six Product Owners, identifying the dependencies and re-ordering the Product Backlog for the other five Product Owners, or raising this as an impediment with the Scrum Master, are not valid answers as they do not reflect how to minimize dependencies between the Scrum Teams or how to apply the Scrum values and principles.

References:

[Scrum Guide], page 7, section “Developers”

[Scrum Guide], page 6, section “Product Owner”

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section “Definition of Done”

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section “Increment”

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section “Product Goal”

[Scrum Guide], page 11, section “Product Backlog”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 9, section “Business Strategy”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 8, section “Release Management”

The Sprint Backlog is created during Sprint Planning, where the Developers select the Product Backlog items that they can deliver in the Sprint and create a plan for how to do the work. The Scrum Guide states that "The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how)."1 The Sprint Backlog is owned and managed by the Developers, who can update it throughout the Sprint as more is learned.

References:

1: The Scrum Guide2, page 15

2: The Scrum Guide