PSM-I Practice Exam Questions with Answers Professional Scrum Master I Certification

The correct answer is C, because the second Sprint starts immediately after the first Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.”

The correct answer is D, because the recommended size for a Development Team is 3 to 9 members. The Scrum Guide states that “fewer than three Development Team members decrease interaction and results in smaller productivity gains. Smaller Development Teams may encounter skill constraints during the Sprint, causing the Development Team to be unable to deliver a potentially releasable Increment. Having more than nine members requires too much coordination. Large Development Teams generate too much complexity for an empirical process to be useful.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, when multiple Scrum Teams are working together on one product, they must coordinate their work with each other. One way to do this is through Nexus, a framework for scaling Scrum. Nexus helps to reduce cross-team dependencies and integration issues by making them more transparent. Multiple Scrum Teams working on one product use one Product Backlog.

References: Scrum Guide, Nexus Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, two activities that a Product Owner may engage in during a Sprint are updating management on what is being worked on and answering questions from the Development Team about items in the current Sprint. These activities are part of the Product Owner’s responsibilities to manage and prioritize the Product Backlog, communicate with stakeholders, and collaborate with the Development Team. The other options are not activities that a Product Owner should engage in during a Sprint, as they are either done by the Scrum Master (such as running the Daily Scrum) or by the Development Team (such as prioritizing their work on the Sprint Backlog).

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Developers are self-organizing and decide how to turn Product Backlog items into an Increment of value. No one tells them how to do their work. The Developers are accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog. The other roles are not responsible for making sure everyone on the Development Team does their tasks for the Sprint.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning. The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The Product Owner is part of the Scrum Team and should participate as a Scrum Team member in the Sprint Retrospective.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, Developers do meet with stakeholders, especially during the Sprint Review and Sprint Planning events. The Product Owner is the primary person who interacts with stakeholders, but Developers also need to communicate with them to understand their needs, expectations, and feedback. The Product Owner may also invite stakeholders to provide clarifications or inputs during the Sprint.

According to the Scrum Guide1, each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt something. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency and is a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The time-boxed events in Scrum are:

• Sprint Planning (eight hours or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Daily Scrum (15 minutes or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Sprint Review (four hours or less for a one-month Sprint)
• Sprint Retrospective (three hours or less for a one-month Sprint)

The other options are not time-boxed events in Scrum.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, two intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum are a shared understanding of the most important work to be undertaken next to achieve the best possible progress toward the Sprint goal, and new impediments for the Scrum Master to take care of. The other options are not intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum, as they are either irrelevant (such as updating a Scrum board) or inappropriate (such as providing an update or a status report).

According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Team must release each Increment when it makes sense to do so, based on the value and feedback obtained from stakeholders. The decision to release an Increment is made by the Product Owner, who is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The other options are not valid, as they imply that releasing an Increment is either mandatory (such as after every Sprint), conditional (such as when the product is free of defects), or irrelevant (such as when the Scrum Team finishes their work).

According to the Scrum Guide1, each Sprint is a project with no more than a one-month horizon. The Sprint Goal gives guidance to why the Scrum Team is building an Increment. The Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint. Therefore, in the first Sprint, as in any other Sprint, the Development Team should develop at least one piece of functionality and create an increment of potentially releasable software. The other options are not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing activity in which Product Backlog items are reviewed and revised. The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for sizing or estimating it. The Product Owner may influence them by helping them understand and select trade-offs.

Sprint Backlog is owned by the Development Team. The Scrum Guide states that “the Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal. … The Development Team modifies the Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, and the Sprint Backlog emerges during the Sprint. This emergence occurs as the Development Team works through the plan and learns more about the work needed to achieve the Sprint Goal.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers on the Scrum Team should write the user documentation, as they are responsible for creating a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the user documentation can be deferred, ignored, or outsourced, which is not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

The correct answer is D, because there is no gap between Sprints in Scrum. The Scrum Guide states that “a new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.” Therefore, there is no time required after a Sprint to prepare for the next Sprint.

The next Sprint begins immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint, as stated in the Scrum Guide: “Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.”

The best two answers are B and D. These two ways of dealing with regulatory compliance issues are consistent with Scrum’s values and principles, as they allow the Scrum Team to deliver valuable and potentially releasable increments of the product while meeting the necessary standards and regulations. They also enable the Scrum Team to inspect and adapt their compliance strategy based on feedback and changing requirements.

A is not a good answer because it creates a separate silo of responsibility for compliance issues, which can lead to delays, conflicts, and inefficiencies. It also violates the Scrum value of transparency, as the compliance team may not have full visibility into the product development process.

C is not a good answer because it implies a waterfall approach that assumes all the compliance requirements are known and fixed upfront, which is rarely the case. It also reduces the flexibility and responsiveness of the Scrum Team, as they may have to follow a rigid plan that does not reflect the current reality of the product or the market.

The correct answer is A, because the best way the Scrum Master can ensure that the Development Team communicates effectively with the Product Owner is to monitor communications between them and facilitate direct collaboration. The Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including … facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed.” Therefore, the Scrum Master should help the Development Team and the Product Owner interact regularly and productively during the Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective events.

The correct answer is B. To present the Scrum Teams with insights and resources that help them improve. According to the Scrum Guide1, “The role of management in Scrum is to support the Product Owner with insights and information into high-value product and system capabilities.” Management also helps the Scrum Team by providing an environment that fosters agility, learning, and collaboration2. Management does not directly control or monitor the work of the Developers, nor does it interfere with the self-organization and autonomy of the Scrum Team3. Management’s function in Scrum is to enable and empower the Scrum Team to deliver value and continuously improve.

According to the Scrum Guide, a Developer becomes accountable for the value of a Product Backlog item selected for the Sprint at the Sprint Planning event. This is when the Developers select items from the Product Backlog that they can commit to complete within a Sprint. The Developers are then responsible for creating a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they either imply that Developers are not accountable for value (such as never or whenever), or that they become accountable at a different time (such as during the Daily Scrum).

The correct answer is B, because a Product Owner is best described as a value optimizer. The Scrum Guide states that “the Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team.” Therefore, a Product Owner should focus on delivering value to the customers and stakeholders through the product.

The correct answer is A, because in accordance with Scrum theory, a group of 100 people should be divided into multiple Development Teams by understanding the product, the product vision and the rules of the Scrum framework, and then dividing itself into teams. This approach respects the self-organization and empowerment of the people who will do the work, and allows them to form cross-functional and collaborative teams that can deliver value.

The correct answers are A and D, because these ways of creating Development Teams are consistent with Scrum’s values. Allowing existing teams to propose how they would like to organize into the new structure respects their self-organization and empowerment. Bringing all the developers together and letting them self-organize into Development Teams also respects their autonomy and collaboration.

References: [Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I]

Correct Answer: C and E

Short Explanation: According to the Scrum Guide 20201, the product has one Product Backlog, which is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team. The Product Backlog is ordered by the Product Owner, who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. There should be only one Product Owner per product, who may represent the desires of a committee in the Product Backlog, but those wanting to change a Product Backlog item’s priority must address the Product Owner1. Having multiple Product Owners or Product Backlogs would create confusion, inconsistency, and waste in the Scrum process.

According to the Scrum Guide, multiple Scrum Teams working on the same product do not have to have the same Sprint start date. They may start their Sprints at different times, as long as they synchronize their work and integrate their Increments at least by the end of each Sprint. The other option is not valid, as it implies that having the same Sprint start date is mandatory for multiple Scrum Teams.

According to the Scrum Guide, management external to the Scrum Team is not involved in the Daily Scrum at all. The Daily Scrum is an internal event for the Development Team to inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal and plan their work for the next 24 hours. The other options are not valid ways for management to be involved in the Daily Scrum, as they are either intrusive (such as giving an update or speaking on behalf of others) or unnecessary (such as being represented by the Product Owner or the Scrum Master).

According to the Scrum Guide, the Sprint Backlog is the Developers’ plan for the Sprint, as it contains all the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint and a plan for delivering them. The other options are not valid descriptions of the Sprint Backlog, as they are either incorrect (such as having a designated owner, being ordered by the Product Owner, or being a complete list of all work) or unnecessary (such as estimating each task in hours).

The correct answer is B, because the Scrum Guide states that “the Sprint Goal is an objective set for the Sprint that can be met through the implementation of Product Backlog. It provides guidance to the Development Team on why it is building the Increment.” Therefore, the Sprint Goal provides the Development Team with a target and overarching direction for the Sprint.

According to the Scrum Guide1, each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt something. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection. Failure to include any of these events results in reduced transparency and is a lost opportunity to inspect and adapt. All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process. The time-box for the Daily Scrum is 15 minutes or less for a one-month Sprint. Its location and time remain constant.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is B, because the Development Team determines how work is performed during the Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “development Teams are self-organizing. No one (not even the Scrum Master) tells the Development Team how to turn Product Backlog into Increments of potentially releasable functionality.” Therefore, the Development Team has the autonomy and responsibility to organize and manage its own work.

 According to the Scrum Guide1, ordering Product Backlog items is solely up to the Product Owner’s discretion. The Product Owner orders items in the Product Backlog to best achieve goals and missions. To do this, they optimize value by considering various factors such as cost and benefit, risk, dependencies, date needed, etc. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the work the Development Team does. 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. Therefore, an appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take if the Product Owner is struggling with ordering the Product Backlog is to offer the Product Owner help in understanding that the goal of ordering the Product Backlog is to maximize value.

References: Scrum Guide

 According to the Scrum Guide, the Sprint Review is a time for the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect the product Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. The Product Owner is responsible for keeping the stakeholders aware of the progress of the project and inviting them to the Sprint Review. If the Product Owner has not been doing this, or if the stakeholders have not been using the Sprint Review to inspect and evaluate progress, then they may be disappointed and angry at the seventh Sprint Review. The other options are not likely factors that led to this situation, as they are either irrelevant (such as the PMO or the development area) or incorrect (such as delaying the release).

 According to the Scrum Guide1, Scrum is not a process, technique, or definitive method. Rather, it is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques. Scrum makes clear the relative efficacy of your product management and work techniques so that you can continuously improve the product, the team, and the working environment.

Two techniques that the Scrum Master could use when the Scrum Team gets caught in an internal disagreement about which agile practices to apply are to involve the complete Scrum Team in making a decision, and to use coaching techniques such as open questions and active listening, as stated in [3]: “The Scrum Master should facilitate a constructive dialogue among the team members and help them reach a consensus on which agile practices to use. The Scrum Master should also use coaching techniques such as open questions and active listening to understand the underlying needs and motivations of each team member and to help them find common ground.”

The correct answer is B, because the Development Team is responsible for managing the progress of work during a Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “the Development Team tracks this total work remaining at least for every Daily Scrum to project the likelihood of achieving the Sprint Goal. By tracking the remaining work throughout the Sprint, the Development Team can manage its progress.”

According to the Scrum Guide, two intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum are identification of impediments that may prevent the Developers from achieving the Sprint Goal and a shared understanding of the most important work to be undertaken next to achieve the best possible progress toward the Sprint Goal. These outcomes help the Developers to inspect their progress, plan their work, and collaborate effectively. The other options are not intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum, as they are either irrelevant (such as updating a Scrum board) or inappropriate (such as providing a status report or an update of completed tasks).

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers are accountable for managing the progress of work during a Sprint, as they are responsible for creating a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, or the most junior member of the team are accountable for managing the progress of work, which is not consistent with Scrum.

Three topics for the Developers to discuss at the Daily Scrum as they inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal are:

• What have we learned since yesterday, and how should we modify our plan to increase our ability to meet the Sprint Goal?
• Are there any impediments blocking progress toward the Sprint Goal?
• Are there any decisions that need to be made to maintain progress toward the Sprint Goal?

These topics are suggested by [6]: “The structure of the meeting is set by the Developers and can be conducted in different ways if it focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal. Some Development Teams will use questions, some will be more discussion based.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers are accountable for tracking the remaining work toward the Sprint Goal, as they are responsible for creating a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they imply that someone else outside the Development Team (such as the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, or the Project Manager) is accountable for tracking the remaining work, which is not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

A Developer is accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog, and organizing the work required to meet the Sprint Goal, as stated in the Scrum Guide: "Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. The specific skills needed by the Developers are often broad and will vary with the domain of work. However, the Developers are always accountable for:

• Creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog;
• Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done;
• Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal; and,
• Holding each other accountable as professionals."

According to the Scrum Guide, when multiple Scrum Teams are working on the same product, they should integrate their Increments every Sprint, in order to accurately inspect what is done and ensure that there is no technical debt or unfinished work at the end of each Sprint. The other options are not valid, as they imply that integration can be skipped, delayed, or done only for some teams, which is not consistent with Scrum values and principles.

The correct answer is A, because the Scrum Guide states that “the definition of ‘Done’ is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.” Therefore, non-functional requirements should be part of the definition of ‘Done’ and ensure every Increment meets them.

According to the Scrum Guide1, 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 Scrum Master serves the Developers in several ways, including:

• Coaching them in self-management and cross-functionality;
• Helping them to create high-value products;
• Removing impediments to their progress;
• Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,
• Coaching them in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.

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.

The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including:

• Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption;
• Planning and advising Scrum implementations within the organization;
• Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical approach for complex work; and,
• Removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams.

Therefore, two things that are true about the Scrum Master role are:

• The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Scrum meetings to their time-box, as they help everyone understand Scrum theory and practice.
• The Scrum Master helps those outside the team interact with the Scrum Team, as they serve both the Product Owner and the organization.

The other options are not true about the Scrum Master role, as they imply that they have authority or responsibility over things that are not within their accountability.

References: Scrum Guide

The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The topics that are appropriate for discussion are those that relate to how the team does its work, such as processes, tools, communication, collaboration, quality, etc. The value of work currently represented in the Product Backlog and arranging the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint are not appropriate topics for discussion in a Sprint Retrospective, as they belong to the Sprint Review and Sprint Planning events respectively.

If the Development Team cannot complete its work by the end of the Sprint, then the Sprint length holds and the Development Team continuously learns what is actually possible to do within a Sprint of this length, as stated in [7]: “If a Development Team determines it has overcommitted itself for a Sprint, one option is to collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate removing or reducing scope. Another option is to simply work hard and do its best, without cutting quality or pressuring individuals. In either case, the Development Team learns from its experience and uses this learning when planning future Sprints.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing value resulting from work by Developers. The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes:

• Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal;
• Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items;
• Ordering Product Backlog items; and
• Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood.

Therefore, the Product Owner is responsible for clearly expressing Product Backlog items.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, 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 guides the Development Team in creating a “Done” Increment. The definition of “Done” is created by the development organization (or Development Team if none is available from the development organization). The definition of “Done” may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. One aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they improve their definition of “Done” over time. Therefore, if a Product Backlog item worked on during the Sprint does not meet the definition of “Done”, two things that should happen with the undone Product Backlog item are:

• Put it on the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to decide what to do with it, as they are accountable for effective Product Backlog management and ordering.
• Do not include the item in the Increment this Sprint, as it does not meet the quality standards and may compromise value.

The other options are not appropriate, as they may compromise transparency, inspection, or adaptation.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Developers are self-organizing and decide how to turn Product Backlog items into an Increment of value. No one tells them how to do their work. The Developers are accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog. 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. Therefore, when the Scrum Team gets caught in an internal disagreement about which development techniques to apply, two techniques that the Scrum Master could use are:

• Involve the complete Development Team, as they are responsible for managing and refining their own work.
• Use coaching techniques, such as open questions and active listening, to help the Development Team resolve their conflict and reach a consensus.

The other options are not appropriate, as they may undermine the self-organization and empowerment of the Developers.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answer is C, because the Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master ensures that the Development Team has the meeting, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum. The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15-minute time-box.” Therefore, the main reason for the Scrum Master to be at the Daily Scrum is to ensure that it happens, but he or she does not have to be there.

 According to the Scrum Guide, the time-boxed events in Scrum are Sprint Retrospective, Sprint Planning, and Daily Scrum. These events have a maximum duration that cannot be exceeded. The other options are not time-boxed events in Scrum, as they are either not part of Scrum (such as Release Planning, Release Retrospective, Sprint Testing, and Sprint 0) or not events at all (such as Definition of Done).

The correct answers are B and C, because these are two responsibilities of a self-organizing Development Team. The Scrum Guide states that “the Development Team consists of professionals who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of ‘Done’ product at the end of each Sprint. Development Teams are structured and empowered by the organization to organize and manage their own work.” Therefore, the Development Team should pull Product Backlog items for the Sprint and do the work planned in the Sprint Backlog.

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Sprint Goal is an objective set for the Sprint that can be met through the implementation of Product Backlog. It provides guidance to the Developers on why it is building the Increment. It also provides a basis for inspecting and adapting during the Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective. The Sprint Goal is a result of Sprint Planning, as is the Sprint Backlog.

References: Scrum Guide

The best two answers are A and B. As a Scrum Team, prioritizing the list and working on them in order is a good technique to tackle the impediments. This way, the team can focus on the most urgent and important issues first and avoid being overwhelmed by the number of impediments. The Scrum Master discusses the impediments with the Scrum Team is also a helpful technique, as it allows the team to share their perspectives, identify the root causes, and come up with possible solutions. The Scrum Master can also coach the team on how to remove or prevent impediments in the future.

A Product Owner releases each Increment when it makes sense, as stated in [2]: “The Product Owner decides when to release an Increment. This can be done at any time during or after a Sprint. The Product Owner may choose to release an Increment when it delivers enough value to customers or users, when it meets a market opportunity, when it reduces risk or uncertainty, or when it aligns with other business goals.”

The correct answer is B, because a product Increment does not have to be released to production at the end of each Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “at the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be ‘Done,’ which means it must be in useable condition and meet the Scrum Team’s definition of ‘Done’. An increment is a body of inspectable, done work that supports empiricism at the end of the Sprint. The increment is a step toward a vision or goal.” Therefore, a product Increment must be potentially releasable, but the decision to release it is up to the Product Owner.

A Sprint burndown chart shows an estimate of the total work remaining for the Sprint, as stated in 3: “A sprint burndown chart tracks work remaining in a sprint. It shows how much work remains at any given point during a sprint. It helps teams monitor whether they will finish all planned tasks by the end of a sprint.”

According to the Scrum Guide, when many Scrum Teams are working on a single product, they must have a Definition of Done that makes their combined work potentially releasable. This ensures that there is a clear and consistent understanding of what “Done” means for the product and that there is no technical debt or unfinished work at the end of each Sprint. The other options are not valid descriptions of the Definition of Done for multiple Scrum Teams, as they either create inconsistency, confusion, or waste (such as having different definitions, discussing and reconciling differences during a hardening Sprint, or having the Scrum Masters define a common Definition of Done).

According to the Scrum Guide, three behaviors that demonstrate that a team is self-organizing are creating their own sprint backlog, having all the skills needed to create a releasable Increment, and collaboratively selecting their own work during the Sprint. The other options are not behaviors that demonstrate self-organization, as they are either contrary to Scrum values and principles (such as stakeholders walking in at the Daily Scrum or working within functional boundaries) or unnecessary for self-organization (such as the Product Owner not being at Sprint Retrospectives or the Development Team inviting external people to the Sprint Planning).

The correct answer is B, because the time-box for the Sprint Planning meeting is 8 hours for a monthly Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “Sprint Planning is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.”

The correct answer is B, because the guideline that a Scrum Master should give is that estimates are made by the Development Team. The Scrum Guide states that “the number of items selected from the Product Backlog for the Sprint is solely up to the Development Team. Only the Development Team can assess what it can accomplish over the upcoming Sprint.” Therefore, the Development Team should estimate the work in Scrum, using any method or unit they prefer.

According to the Scrum Guide1, only people who are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog participate in updating it during a Sprint; this includes tracking progress made on those items. This is typically done by Developers updating their remaining work every day after their Daily Scrum. The Development Team tracks this total work remaining at least for every Daily Scrum to project the likelihood of achieving their Sprint Goal.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, the Developers do the work to make sure Product Backlog items conform to the Definition of Done, as they are responsible for creating a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done. The other options are not valid, as they imply that the work is done by someone else outside the Development Team (such as Quality Assurance Team) or by another role on the Scrum Team (such as Product Owner or Scrum Master).

The product has one Product Backlog, as it is a single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. There should be only one Product Owner, who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. Having multiple Product Owners or Product Backlogs would create confusion, inconsistency, and waste.

The correct answer is C, because if necessary, the Development Team is responsible for removing a team member who is creating a hostile environment. The Scrum Guide states that “development Teams are self-organizing. No one (not even the Scrum Master) tells the Development Team how to turn Product Backlog into Increments of potentially releasable functionality.” Therefore, the Development Team should manage its own composition and dynamics, and may need help from the Scrum Master to facilitate this process.

The correct answers are B, E, and F, because these activities would probably help the team in starting up. Having the Scrum Team members introduce themselves and give a brief background of their skills and work history helps build trust and rapport among them. Ensuring the team understands they need a definition of “Done” helps create transparency and alignment on the quality standards for the product. Asking the Product Owner to discuss the product or project, its history, goals, and context, as well as answer questions helps clarify the vision and value of the product.

References: [Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I]

 According to the Scrum Guide, a Development Team needs a Sprint Goal because it provides guidance and focus for building an Increment that delivers value. The other options are not valid reasons for having a Sprint Goal, as they are either incorrect (such as giving purpose only to Sprint 0 or ensuring implementation of all Product Backlog items) or irrelevant (such as knowing everything from the Product Backlog).

According to the Scrum Guide, every Scrum Team should have the competencies and skills needed to deliver an Increment in a Sprint. This means that the Developers can work on any aspect of the product without depending on others outside the team. The other options are not valid descriptions of what every Scrum Team should have, as they either imply that the Developers work in silos or rely on external people (such as a lead developer or representatives from different departments).