PO Quiz

What is the Product Owner accountable for in Scrum?

(choose the best answer)

• Refining the top level Product Backlog items until they are ready to be handed over to the Scrum Team

• Describing an Increment at the Sprint Planning and make sure that the Scrum Team delivers it by the end of the Sprint

• Clearly expressing a Product Backlog that maximizes value and represents the needs of the stakeholders

• Writing the User Stories so they are understandable to stakeholders

Answer explanation

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team. The primary tool to do so is the Product Backlog.

What two things should be done if the Product Owner is unavailable?

(choose the best two answers)

• 1. There should be a Product Owner team to allow a different person from that team to instantly take over the role of Product Owner

• Within the Sprint, the Scrum Team makes the best decisions possible to assure progress toward the Sprint Goal, re-aligning with the Product Owner once he/she is available again

• In a permanent state of unavailability, a new Product Owner needs to be appointed. Development efforts without a Product Owner are not employing Scrum

• Development of functional requirements stops until the Product Owner is available again

Answer explanation

The Scrum framework consists of Scrum Teams and their associated roles, events, artifacts, and rules. Each component within the framework serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum's success and usage. The Scrum Team consists of a Product Owner, Developers, and a Scrum Master. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team. In the absence of a Product Owner, the latter accountability is not performed.

The process of regular inspection and adaptation employs knowledgeable and skilled inspectors. What are two ways in which the Product Owner takes the lead in the inspection process?

(choose the best two answers)

• The Product Owner invites stakeholders to the Sprint Review to learn how the current state of the marketplace influences what is the most valuable thing to do next

• At the Daily Scrum the Product Owner inspects the Sprint burn-down for progress towards a complete Increment and re-planning the team's work

• At the end of Sprint Planning the Product Owner verifies the Sprint Backlog for completeness in order to allow the Sprint to start

• At the Sprint Review the Product Owner shares the current state of Product Backlog, which, combined with the inspection of the Increment, leads to an updated Product Backlog

Answer explanation

Scrum users must frequently inspect Scrum artifacts and progress to detect undesirable variances. The primary tool for the Product Owner to uphold transparency is the Product Backlog. Product Backlog is a living artifact that is actively maintained and updated to reflect reality. At the Sprint Review, attendees collaborate on the next things that could be done to optimize value, which is processed into an updated Product Backlog.

Learning turns into "validated learning" when assumptions and goals can be assessed through results. What is a key way for a Product Owner to apply validated learning?

(choose the best answer)

• 1. Release an Increment to the market to learn about the business assumptions built into the product

• 1. Accept an Increment at the Sprint Review to learn about the forecast of functionality that was developed

• Set the Sprint Goal before selecting Product Backlog items at Sprint Planning to learn about a Scrum Team's productivity

Answer explanation

The Product Owner manages Product Backlog against the assumption that value will be generated. This assumption remains invalidated when not checked against users and market.

How does an organization know that a product built through Scrum is successful?

(choose the best answer)

• 1. By releasing often, and updating key performance indicators (KPIs) on value after every release and feeding this information back into work on the Product Backlog

• 1. By the Product Owner and stakeholders accepting the Increment at the Sprint Review

• 1. By measuring the actual time spent on development versus the time estimated for development

• By measuring that velocity has increased since the last release

Answer explanation

Scrum Teams deliver products iteratively and incrementally, maximizing opportunities for feedback. If a product isn't released, the opportunity to capture user and market feedback is lost.

True or False: A first Sprint can start before the Product Owner has a complete and exhaustive Product Backlog in place.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

A first Sprint requires no more than a Product Owner, a team, and enough ideas to potentially complete a full Sprint.

A Product Owner is entitled to postpone the start of a new Sprint after the conclusion of a previous Sprint for the following reason:

(choose the best answer)

• 1. The Quality Assurance department needs more time to make the previous Increment "Done"

• Not enough Product Backlog items are "Ready"

• There is no acceptable reason, a new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint

• The stakeholders are not happy with the value produced in the previous Sprint

• The Product Owner has not identified a Sprint Goal

Answer explanation

A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.

True or False: A Product Owner is essentially the same thing as a traditional Project Manager?

• True

• False

Answer explanation

A traditional project manager is responsible for all aspects of a project; costs, resources, execution, release, planning, capacity. Scrum is a framework for complex product development, regardless of whether the work is organized in projects. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work performed, a responsibility that is complemented by the specific accountabilities of the Developers and the Scrum Master.

What is a Product Backlog?

(choose the best answer)

• It is a list of references to Use Case documents that are stored in a central repository. The references should be viewable and clickable by anybody to enhance transparency

• It is a detailed list of functionality from which the Development Team draws items, to be complemented by a separate Technology Backlog managed by the Development Team

• 1. It is a formally approved list of requirements to be implemented over a set period

• It is a living artifact of product requirements that exists and evolves as long as a product exists

Answer explanation

The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product and is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. The Product Backlog evolves as the product and the environment in which it will be used evolves. Higher ordered Product Backlog items are usually clearer and more detailed than lower ordered ones. As long as a product exists, its Product Backlog also exists.

Which two statements explain why the definition of "Done" is important to the Product Owner?

(choose the best two answers)

• 1. It creates transparency regarding progress within the Scrum Team

• 1. It identifies undone work that can be addressed in a separate Sprint

• 1. It assures the Increment reviewed at the Sprint review is usable so the Product Owner may choose to release it

• It helps the Product Owner track the open work during a Sprint

Answer explanation

All Scrum Team members must have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, to ensure transparency. This is the definition of "Done" for the Scrum Team and is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. The Increment reviewed at the Sprint Review must be useable, so a Product Owner may choose to immediately release it.