PSM-II Exam Dumps - Scrum Professional Scrum Master Questions and Answers

Splitting a team into two teams is a major decision that should not be taken lightly. It may have implications for the product vision, the product backlog, the sprint goal, the sprint backlog, the definition of done, and the team dynamics. It may also reduce the effectiveness of the Scrum Team by creating dependencies, communication overhead, and coordination challenges. Therefore, before considering such a drastic measure, it is advisable to explore other options to improve the quality and efficiency of the Daily Scrum. One option is to ask for help from another Scrum Master who can observe the Daily Scrum and provide feedback and suggestions.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, section 3.2 (The Daily Scrum), page 9
• The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 4 (The Daily Scrum), lesson 4 (Common Challenges) and lesson 5 (Tips for an Effective Daily Scrum)

• B: Productivity, in terms of lines of code or story points, will probably suffer during the transition, although even then delivery of business value is still likely to increase. This is a realistic expectation, as the teams will need to learn new skills, collaborate more effectively, and adapt to changing requirements. However, the benefit of feature teams is that they can deliver working software that provides value to the customers and stakeholders every Sprint, rather than waiting for the integration of different components.
• C: Feature teams will require time to become productive as people from the different layers and components become accustomed to working and delivering unified functionality together, as one Scrum Team. This is a natural consequence of changing the team structure and culture, as the teams will need to overcome some challenges and conflicts, build trust and rapport, and establish a shared vision and goal. The Scrum Master can help the teams with this transition by facilitating communication, coaching, and mentoring.

References:

• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 17: “Feature teams are cross-functional teams that can deliver end-to-end functionality for a product. They have all the skills and competencies needed to work on multiple layers of the system.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 18: “Component teams are teams that specialize in one layer or component of the system. They often depend on other teams to deliver a complete functionality for a product.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 19: “Feature teams have many advantages over component teams, such as faster feedback, higher quality, lower complexity, and more customer value.”

Short Explanation: Scrum is a framework for delivering value to customers and stakeholders in an iterative and incremental way. Scrum does not prescribe how project budgeting and financial forecasting should be performed, but it does provide some principles and practices that can help with this process.

One of these principles is that each Sprint should produce a potentially releasable product Increment that delivers value and meets the Definition of Done. This means that several Sprints may be funded as a single release, with the result of each Sprint being releasable product12. This allows the Product Owner to decide when to release the product based on the feedback from the customers and stakeholders, and the market conditions.

Another principle is that Scrum promotes transparency, inspection, and adaptation. This means that the budgeting and forecasting process should be revisited as frequently as each Sprint to ensure value is being delivered for the investment spent13. This allows the Scrum Team to inspect the outcomes of the delivered Sprint Increments, compare them with the expected benefits and costs, and adapt the product backlog and the release plan accordingly.

Scrum does not align with traditional accounting practices that require fixed scope, cost, and time. However, this does not mean that Scrum Teams do not need a budgeting process or that they only need to cover the run cost (time and materials) of the Scrum Teams. Scrum Teams still need to estimate the size and value of the product backlog items, forecast the delivery date and cost of the product or release, and track the actual spending and revenue of the product or release43. The difference is that these estimates and forecasts are based on empirical data from previous Sprints, rather than on upfront assumptions or guesses. They are also subject to change as new information emerges or new requirements arise.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, section “The Sprint”, “The Increment”, “Empiricism”.
• Tips for Effective Agile Budgeting and Forecasting | Toptal®, section “Establish Context and Set Expectations”, “Budget for Value”.
• Project forecasts and budgets | Microsoft Learn, section “Project forecasting”.
• Planning and Budgeting in Scrum Projects - PMHut, section “Budgeting in Scrum Projects”.

A. They discuss in the upcoming Sprint Retrospective why this happened and what changes will make it less likely to recur. This is a good action to take, as it shows that the Scrum Team is willing to inspect and adapt their process and improve their collaboration and communication. The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to identify the root causes of the problem and create a plan for implementing improvements in the next Sprint.

D. The Developers forecast the most likely Product Backlog items to meet the business objective and create a Sprint Backlog based on a likely initial design and plan. Once the timebox for the Sprint Planning event is over, they start the Sprint and continue to analyze, decompose, and create additional functionality during the Sprint. This is also a good action to take, as it shows that the Scrum Team is flexible and adaptive, and does not let uncertainty or ambiguity prevent them from delivering value. The Developers can use the Sprint Goal as a guide to select and refine the Product Backlog items during the Sprint, and collaborate with the Product Owner to ensure that they are meeting the expectations and needs of the stakeholders.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, section 3.1 (The Sprint), page 8
• The Scrum Guide, section 3.3 (The Sprint Goal), page 9
• The Scrum Guide, section 3.5 (The Sprint Planning), page 10
• The Scrum Guide, section 3.7 (The Sprint Retrospective), page 12
• The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 2 (The Scrum Framework), lesson 2 (The Sprint), lesson 3 (The Sprint Goal), lesson 4 (Sprint Planning) and lesson 6 (The Sprint Retrospective)

• A: You organize an offsite team building activity to establish a foundation of trust. You observe whether the problem persists after the offsite activity. This is a good way to foster a positive team culture and improve the relationships among the team members. The offsite activity can help the team to have fun, relax, and bond with each other. It can also create an opportunity for the team to discuss their issues and concerns in a more informal and friendly setting. The Scrum Master can observe whether the problem of disagreement is resolved or reduced after the offsite activity, and provide feedback and support as needed.
• E: To every team member expressing this concern you suggest raising this with the full team. You offer to help initiate the conversation but not to resolve the concern yourself. This is a good way to empower the team to address their own problems and find their own solutions. The Scrum Master can encourage the team members to speak up and share their perspectives and feelings with the whole team, rather than keeping them to themselves or complaining to others. The Scrum Master can also facilitate the conversation and ensure that it is respectful, constructive, and productive, but not intervene or impose their own opinion or decision.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, page 13: “The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 20: “The Scrum Master can help the team to build trust by creating a safe environment where people can express themselves openly and honestly, without fear of judgment or retaliation.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 21: “The Scrum Master can help the team to resolve conflicts by facilitating dialogue, listening actively, asking powerful questions, and supporting collaborative decision making.”

The Sprint Goal is a short and clear description of what the Scrum Team wants to achieve in the Sprint. It is a commitment that provides guidance and focus for the Scrum Team throughout the Sprint. The Sprint Goal is:

• Created by the Scrum Team during the Sprint Planning, based on the Product Owner’s proposal and the Developers’ forecast (A).
• Respected by the Product Owner, who does not change it or add new work that endangers it during the Sprint (B).
• Helpful for increasing focus, as it helps the Scrum Team align their actions and decisions with a common objective ©.
• Discussed openly by the Scrum Team, who can explore different ways to reach it and adapt their plan as needed within the Sprint (D).
• Fixed and immutable for the duration of the Sprint, unless a significant change occurs that makes it obsolete or invalid. In that case, the Sprint may be cancelled by the Product Owner (E).
• Communicated courageously by the Developers, who inform the Product Owner as soon as possible if they encounter any impediments or risks that may prevent them from achieving it (F).

Therefore, the statement that is incorrect is that the Sprint Goal is only a forecast and may change within the Sprint as more is learned (E), because this contradicts the principle of commitment and stability that underlies the Sprint Goal.

References: : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Goal : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Planning : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide], The Developers : [Scrum Guide], Cancelling a Sprint : [Scrum Guide], Scrum Values

A Definition of Ready (DoR) is a set of agreements that lets everyone know when a product backlog item is ready to be taken into a sprint12. A DoR can help the Scrum Team ensure that the product backlog items are clear, feasible, valuable, and testable12. However, a DoR does not necessarily maximize the team’s velocity, nor does it ensure that the sprint planning can end within its timebox. Velocity is a measure of how much work a team can complete in a sprint, and it depends on many factors, such as the team’s capacity, skills, collaboration, and quality standards3 . A DoR may help the team avoid wasting time on unclear or incomplete items, but it does not guarantee that the team can deliver more value or faster. Similarly, a DoR may help the team prepare for the sprint planning, but it does not guarantee that the team can finish the planning within its timebox. The sprint planning is an empirical and collaborative event, where the team inspects the product backlog, negotiates with the product owner, and crafts a sprint goal and a sprint backlog . A DoR may reduce some uncertainties and risks, but it does not eliminate them. The team still needs to adapt to changing requirements and expectations, and make realistic and meaningful commitments .

References: 1: What is Definition of Ready in Scrum? - Visual Paradigm 2: Walking Through a Definition of Ready | Scrum.org 3: What is Velocity in Agile? - Atlassian : Velocity in Scrum | Scrum.org : Sprint Planning | Scrum.org : Sprint planning - Atlassian

 Done means that the Increment is in a usable condition and meets the Scrum Team’s Definition of Done. 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 creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. Having an Increment that could be released to end users means that it is potentially releasable, which is one of the goals of Scrum. All work performed meets the Definition of Done means that the Developers have ensured that every Product Backlog item selected for the Sprint conforms to the agreed quality standards.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 10-11
• What is a Definition of Done?, Scrum.org, accessed on September 30, 2023
• DONE Understanding Of The Definition Of "Done”, Scrum.org, December 16, 2019

The Scrum Guide states that “the moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born” and that “the Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints”. Therefore, to deliver a product Increment that is integrated and potentially releasable, all Scrum Teams must have a shared understanding of what “Done” means and ensure that their work meets that standard. This also enables transparency, inspection, and adaptation across the Scrum Teams.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, section 3.4 (The Increment), page 10
• The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 5 (The Increment), lesson 1 (What is an Increment?) and lesson 2 (Definition of Done)

B. You inform management of organizational impediments that prevent the Scrum Team from being more productive. You enlist their help to remove these impediments.

• This is a good answer because it is consistent with the Scrum Master’s accountability to serve the Scrum Team and the organization by identifying and addressing the factors that hinder the team’s effectiveness12. By informing management of the organizational impediments, you can leverage their authority and influence to resolve them. By enlisting their help, you can also foster a collaborative and supportive relationship with them. C. You explain how a Scrum Team uses the velocity of a Sprint primarily to forecast work for the next Sprint, not to perfectly predict future productivity. You refer management to the Product Owner for all information concerning the progress of development.
• This is another good answer because it is consistent with the Scrum Master’s accountability to educate and coach the organization on the Scrum framework and its principles12. By explaining how velocity is used in Scrum, you can help management understand that it is not a reliable metric for measuring performance or comparing teams. By referring management to the Product Owner, you can also respect the Product Owner’s accountability to manage the product backlog and communicate the value and status of the product34.

References: 1: What is a Scrum Master? | Scrum.org 2: What is a scrum master? [+ Responsibilities] | Atlassian 3: What is a Product Owner? | Scrum.org 4: What is a product owner? [+ Responsibilities] | Atlassian : Scrum Guide | Scrum Guides