Scrum Master Certification PSM 1 Prep

Select three ways in which Scrum Master supports the Product Owner.

• Assigning the work to Developers when the Product Owner is unavailable

• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed

• Finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management

• Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items

• Meeting stakeholders face to face and gather requirements

Answer explanation

The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including Helping find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management; Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items; Helping establish empirical product planning for a complex environment; and, Facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed. Product Owner meets the stakeholders to gather requirements. No one assigns work to Developers.

While estimating Product Backlog items, a team member says it takes 2 days to perform a task whereas the other person says 6 days, while the rest of the team says 4 days. How should the team proceed?

• Choose the shortest estimate

• Discuss the variances and reestimate until consensus is reached

• Ask the Product Owner to decide on the estimate

• Choose the longest estimate

Answer explanation

It is common for team members to estimate differently. That's when they have to discuss the reasoning behind their estimate and reach a consensus.

Which is NOT the responsibility of a self-managing Team?

• Create an Increment by the end of the Sprint

• Raise impediments to the Scrum Master

• Send daily status reports to the Product Owner

• Update the Sprint Backlog

Answer explanation

A self-managing Team works independently by pulling the work from Product Backlog, assigning the work within the team, track progress, update Sprint Backlog regularly and raise impediments to the Scrum Master.

Product Owner is on leave when Sprint Review is scheduled, but he already had an informal meeting with the team and accepts the increment. Developers ask the Scrum Master to lead the meeting. What should he/she do?

• Cancel the Sprint Review meeting as the work is already accepted by the Product Owner

• Cancel the Sprint Review meeting because Product Owner is unavailable

• Agree with the team and present the increment to the stakeholders in the Sprint Review

• Encourage the team to lead the meeting and present the increment

Answer explanation

Cancelling any Scrum event is unacceptable. Developers are a better choice to present the increment to the stakeholders. Scrum Master can still support the team by ensuring that the meeting is going as planned.

A Team with 8 members is struggling to finish Daily Scrum in 15 minutes. What should the Scrum Master do?

• Allow only senior members to attend the Daily Scrum

• Coach the team on how to conduct the meeting within 15 minutes

• Conduct 2 Daily Scrums in parallel with 4 members in each meeting

• Extend the Daily Scrum to 30 minutes

Answer explanation

Daily Scrum is a Developers' event and Scrum Master need not be present. But if the team is struggling to complete the event within the time box, Scrum Master coaches the Developers. He can teach them time management techniques and also attend a few Daily Scrum meetings to help them through.

During the Sprint, the Developers realize that they need the expertise of DBA to complete a valuable feature. As a Scrum Master, what should you do?

• You ask the Developers to stop working on the feature and move it to next Sprint

• You forbid them from getting external help because Developers are supposed to be cross-functional

• Add a DBA to the Scrum Team

• You help the team to get the support for a DBA who is external to the project. However, you recommend the team members to develop their skills in that area for the future Sprints

Answer explanation

Since the team is working on a very valuable feature, it is not recommended to move the work to next Sprint. As a Scrum Master, you can help them by getting external help but reminding the team that they must have all the skills required to turn the Product Backlog items into a shippable increment.

Select two activities Developers perform during the Sprint.

• Report the status to Product Owner

• To work with Product Owner when clarifications are required

• Send the status reports to stakeholders

• To develop an increment

Answer explanation

Developers develop a product increment during a Sprint and also works with Product Owner when they need clarifications.

Scrum is best defined as?

• Methodology

• Predictive Process

• Cookbook

• Framework

Answer explanation

Scrum is a framework.

Which three questions every Developer may answer during Daily Scrum?

• Do I see any impediments?

• What did I do since yesterday that will help the team reach Sprint Goal?

• What am going to do today that will help the team reach Sprint Goal?

• What is the solution for the existing impediments?

Answer explanation

These questions are not prescribed by Scrum anymore but are still used widely. Teams do not discuss solutions for the problems during the Daily Scrum meeting. They meet informally later on to discuss potential solutions.

Two developers disagree and often argue about the architecture of the product they are developing. According to Tuckman Ladder, which stage they are in?

• Norming

• Storming

• Forming

• Performing

• Adjourning

Answer explanation

Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members natural working styles.