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

Coach the Product Owner that achieving the Sprint Goal is the Scrum Team’s objective. A forecast is only used to initially estimate the effort required to reach the Sprint Goal.

• This is true because the Scrum Master’s role is to help the Product Owner understand the Scrum framework and its principles, such as empiricism, self-organization, and collaboration12. The Scrum Master should also remind the Product Owner that the forecast is not a commitment, but a plan that can be adjusted based on the Sprint progress and feedback3 . The Scrum Master should focus on the value and outcome of the Sprint, rather than the output and scope.

References: 1: What is a Scrum Master? | Scrum.org 2: What is a scrum master? [+ Responsibilities] | Atlassian 3: [Scrum Guide | Scrum Guides] : What Is a Scrum Master (and How Do I Become One)? - Coursera

• B: Ask the Developers and the Product Owner if removing regression testing from the Definition of Done allows the team to produce useful and valuable Increments at the end of every Sprint. This is a good way to challenge the decision and make them think about the consequences of lowering the quality standards. The Scrum Master can help them understand the importance of delivering a potentially releasable product increment that meets the expectations of the stakeholders and customers.
• C: Ask the Developers and the Product Owner what problem they are going to solve by altering the Definition of Done during the Sprint to remove regression testing. Will this raise transparency or improve quality? This is a good way to explore the root cause of the issue and find out why they are not able to complete regression testing for all of the selected Product Backlog items in the Sprint. The Scrum Master can help them identify and remove any impediments or inefficiencies that prevent them from achieving their Sprint Goal.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, page 9: “The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.”
• 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 12: “The Definition of Done is a crucial aspect of transparency. If it is not clear when work is done, then stakeholders may make wrong assumptions about the state of the software.”

The Scrum Master should do this because it is the most effective way to ensure that the Scrum Teams are self-organizing, cross-functional, and collaborative. The Scrum Master can help the Scrum Teams to understand the benefits of working together as one integrated team, rather than as separate component teams. The Scrum Master can also facilitate the communication and coordination among the Scrum Teams, and support them in resolving any dependencies or conflicts that may arise.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, page 7: “Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value in each Sprint.”
• Scrum Guide 2020, page 7: “Scrum Teams are self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and how.”
• Nexus Guide 2020, page 5: “When multiple Scrum Teams are working together on the same product, there are additional complexities that arise. These complexities can be reduced by having the teams adhere to a common definition of “Done” and a single Product Backlog.”

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality standards required for the product. The purpose of the Definition of Done is to:

• During the Sprint, it helps the Developers identify the work remaining for an Increment to be ready for release by the end of a Sprint (B), by providing a clear and shared understanding of what “Done” means for each Product Backlog item and the Increment as a whole.
• It creates transparency into the state of the Increment when it is inspected at the Sprint Review ©, by ensuring that everyone involved in the product development has the same expectations and criteria for evaluating the value, usability, and quality of the Increment.
• It guides the Developers when creating a forecast at the Sprint Planning (D), by enabling them to estimate how much work they can realistically complete within a Sprint, based on their capacity, skills, and Definition of Done.

References: : [Scrum Guide], The Definition of Done : [Scrum Guide], The Increment : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Review : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Planning

The Scrum Value of openness can easily impact all of the aspects listed in the question. Openness means that the Scrum Team and the stakeholders agree to be transparent about their work, their challenges, their learnings, and their progress. This fosters a culture of collaboration, trust, feedback, and continuous improvement. Openness also helps to ensure that the product quality meets the expectations of the customers and the stakeholders, and that the product is delivered in a timely manner. Openness also contributes to employee satisfaction, as it allows the Scrum Team members to express their opinions, share their ideas, and learn from each other.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, section 2.2 (Scrum Values), page 6
• The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 1 (Scrum Theory), lesson 3 (Scrum Values)

• B: The Scrum Master coaches the Scrum Team and the organization how to work empirically. This is a true statement, as the Scrum Master is responsible for helping everyone understand and apply the principles and practices of Scrum, which is based on empirical process control. The Scrum Master can teach the Scrum Team and the organization how to use transparency, inspection, and adaptation to deliver valuable products in a complex environment.
• C: The Scrum Master facilitates Scrum events as requested or needed. This is a true statement, as the Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring that all Scrum events take place and are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox. The Scrum Master can facilitate the communication and collaboration among the Scrum Team and the stakeholders during the Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, page 6: “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.”
• Scrum Guide 2020, page 13: “The purpose of each event in Scrum is to create an opportunity for inspection and adaptation. These events are specifically designed to enable critical transparency and inspection.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 13: “The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by facilitating the Scrum events and ensuring that they are effective and valuable.”

 User acceptance testing is a process of verifying that the product meets the user’s needs and expectations. It is an important feedback mechanism that helps the Scrum Team validate their assumptions, inspect the value and quality of the Increment, and adapt their plans accordingly. Scrum requires that the Increment be transparent, meaning that it is observable and understandable by anyone with a stake in the outcome. Scrum also requires that the feedback loop be short, meaning that the Scrum Team can receive and respond to feedback quickly and frequently.

Therefore, it is not a good idea to have user acceptance testing done every third Sprint, because:

• The Increment will not be transparent (B), meaning that the Scrum Team and the stakeholders will not have a clear and shared understanding of what has been done and what remains to be done. This may lead to misalignment, confusion, or conflict over the product vision, scope, and quality.
• The feedback loop is too long (B), meaning that the Scrum Team will not be able to inspect and adapt based on the user’s feedback in a timely manner. This may lead to wasted effort, missed opportunities, or reduced value delivery.

The other options are not correct because:

• It does not depend on what is stated in their Definition of Done (A), which is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality standards required for the product. The Definition of Done does not dictate how or when user acceptance testing should be done, but rather what criteria must be met for the Increment to be considered “Done”.
• The Scrum Team is a self-managing team ©, which means that they have the autonomy and authority to organize and manage their own work within the boundaries of Scrum. However, this does not mean that they can ignore or postpone user feedback, which is essential for delivering value and satisfying customer needs.
• The Scrum Team needs stability in the Sprint (D), which means that they need to have a clear and consistent Sprint Goal, Sprint Backlog, and Definition of Done throughout the Sprint. However, this does not mean that they need to avoid or resist user feedback, which is a source of learning and improvement for the product and the process.

References: : [Scrum Guide], The Increment : [Scrum Guide], Transparency : [Scrum Guide], The Definition of Done : [Scrum Guide], The Scrum Team : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Goal

B. Developers with an interest in Stella’s domain could volunteer to take on this work in their respective Scrum Teams.

• This is a good solution because it is consistent with the Scrum value of commitment, which means that the Scrum Team members are willing to learn new skills and take on new challenges to deliver value12. By volunteering to take on this work, the Developers can reduce the dependency on Stella, increase their cross-functionality, and collaborate more effectively within and across the Scrum Teams34. F. Ask Stella for a plan to hire and train additional people in her domain, and in the meantime work with the Product Owner and Scrum Teams to re-prioritize the work so that tasks not depending on Stella can be done first
• This is another good solution because it is consistent with the Scrum principle of empiricism, which means that the Scrum Team learns and adapts based on the actual outcomes and feedback, rather than following a predefined plan12. By asking Stella for a plan to hire and train additional people, the Scrum Master can help address the root cause of the dependency and create more capacity and diversity in Stella’s domain. By working with the Product Owner and Scrum Teams to re-prioritize the work, the Scrum Master can also help optimize the value and feasibility of the product backlog items, and enable the Scrum Teams to deliver valuable and functional increments every Sprint34. G. Create a team with Stella and identify people from the Scrum Teams to temporarily work in Stella’s domain to learn to better serve the existing teams
• This is also a good solution because it is consistent with the Scrum value of respect, which means that the Scrum Team members appreciate and value each other’s skills and perspectives12. By creating a team with Stella, the Scrum Master can acknowledge and leverage Stella’s expertise and experience in her domain. By identifying people from the Scrum Teams to temporarily work in Stella’s domain, the Scrum Master can also facilitate knowledge transfer and skill development among the team members, which can improve their self-organization and collaboration34.

References: 1: Scrum Values | Scrum.org 2: Scrum Values - Atlassian 3: Scrum Guide | Scrum Guides 4: Scrum - What is it, how it works, & how to start - Atlassian

 As the Scrum Master, your role is to serve the Scrum Team by helping them to work effectively and deliver value. You are not responsible for managing the work or assigning tasks to the Developers. You should respect the self-organization and autonomy of the Developers, and support them in finding their own solutions to the problem. You should also facilitate collaboration and communication among the Developers and with other stakeholders, such as Phil and the Product Owner.

Some reasons why the other options are not correct are:

• A: Preparing the Sprint Backlogs each day for the teams so Phil can spend some time in each team. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Sprint Backlog is owned and managed by the Developers, not by the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master should not interfere with or dictate how the Developers plan and execute their work. The Scrum Master should also not impose a solution that may not be optimal or feasible for the teams or for Phil.
• B: Allocate Phil to one team per Sprint, so that over four Sprints every team will have had the support it requires. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master should not allocate resources or assign tasks to the teams or to Phil. The Scrum Master should also not impose a solution that may not be aligned with the Product Owner’s priorities or the teams’ needs.
• D: Ask Phil for a plan to hire and train additional people in his domain, and in the meantime work with the Product Owner and Developers to re-prioritize the work so that tasks not depending on Phil can be done first. This option is not correct because it violates the Scrum framework and the Scrum Master role. The Scrum Master should not ask Phil to do something that may be beyond his authority or responsibility. The Scrum Master should also not work with the Product Owner and Developers to re-prioritize the work, as this is the Product Owner’s accountability. The Scrum Master should respect the Product Owner’s decisions on what is valuable and what is not, and support the Developers in delivering that value.

References:

• What is a Scrum Master? | Scrum.org
• What is a Sprint Backlog? | Scrum.org
• Who is responsible for dependency management? | Scrum.org
• [Managing Dependencies in Scrum - Scrum Alliance]

• A: Opportunities to inspect and adapt the Sprint Backlog are reduced. Re-aligning is bound to become even more difficult. This is a valid concern, as the Daily Scrum is an event where the Developers can inspect the progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog accordingly. If the Daily Scrum is held less frequently, the Developers may miss some opportunities to adjust their plan and collaborate effectively.
• C: Less progress information will be shared, causing the plan for the Sprint to become inaccurate and transparency over progress toward the Sprint Goal is reduced. This is a valid concern, as the Daily Scrum is an event where the Developers can share their work status, challenges, and dependencies with each other. If the Daily Scrum is held less frequently, the Developers may have less visibility and awareness of what is going on in the Sprint, and may face more surprises or risks.
• D: Impediments are raised and resolved more slowly which might impact productivity and progress. This is a valid concern, as the Daily Scrum is an event where the Developers can identify and communicate any impediments or issues that hinder their work. If the Daily Scrum is held less frequently, the Developers may have to wait longer to get help or support from their peers or the Scrum Master, and may lose some momentum or efficiency.

References:

• Scrum Guide 2020, page 11: “The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.”
• Scrum Guide 2020, page 12: “The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work.”
• Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 14: “The Daily Scrum is a key opportunity for inspection and adaptation at the team level. It helps the team to synchronize their work, identify impediments, and collaborate on solutions.”