SCRUM Master

Upon what type of process control is Scrum based?

Scrum is founded on empirical process control theory, or empiricism. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is known.

How long should a sprint be?

Short enough to keep the business risk acceptable to the Product Owner, short enough to be able to synchronize the development work with other business events, and no more than one month.

When many Development Teams are working on a single product, what best describes the definition of "Done?"

All Development Teams must have a definition of "Done" that makes their combined work potentially releasable. Scrum requires an Increment to be releasable. This is an Increment of product. Many teams working on a single product are expected to deliver such an Increment.

What are the two primary ways a Scrum Master keeps a Development Team working at its highest level of productivity?

By facilitating Development Team decisions and by removing impediments that hinder the Development Team. A Scrum Master is a servant-leader for the Development Team. Facilitation and removing impediments serves a team in achieving the best productivity possible.

When does a Development Team member become the sole owner of a Sprint Backlog item?

Never. All Sprint Backlog Items are "owned" by the entire Development Team, even though each one may be implemented by an individual development team member. Sprint Backlog and all of its items are collectively owned by the Development Team. No individual team member can claim ownership over an item as this would block communication and collaboration.

Does Scrum have a role called "Project Manager"?

No. A Scrum Team has a Scrum Master, a Product Owner and a Development Team. As a whole they have all controls needed.

When multiple teams work together on the same product, should each team should maintain a separate Product Backlog?

No. Products have one Product Backlog, regardless of how many teams are used. Any other setup makes it difficult for the Development Team to determine what it should work on.

Is it mandatory that the product increment be released to production at the end of each Sprint?

No. The product increment should be usable and releasable at the end of every Sprint, but it does not have to be released.

Should the Scrum Team choose at least one high priority process improvement, identified during the Sprint Retrospective, and place it in the Product Backlog?

No. To ensure continuous improvement, the Sprint Backlog rather than the Product Backlog includes at least one high priority process improvement identified in the previous Sprint Retrospective meeting.

Can the sprint backlog change during the duration of the sprint?

The Development Team should not be interrupted during the Sprint. The Sprint Goal should remain intact. These are conditions that foster creativity, quality and productivity. The Sprint Backlog is fully formulated in the Sprint Planning meeting and does not change during the Sprint. The Sprint Backlog makes visible all of the work that the Development Team identifies as necessary to meet the Sprint Goal. The Development Team modifies the Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, and the Sprint Backlog emerges during the Sprint.

Who is required to attend the Daily Scrum?

The Development Team. Only the people doing the work described on the Sprint Backlog need to inspect and adapt at the Daily Scrum. If the Scrum Master or Product Owner is also on the Development Team, they will need to be at the Daily Scrum. Otherwise, the Scrum Master simply has to make sure the Development Team knows how to conduct a Daily Scrum and does so.

What is the main reason for the Scrum Master to be at the Daily Scrum?

They do not have to be there; they only have to ensure the Development Team has a Daily Scrum.

The Development Team should have all the skills needed to...

Turn the Product Backlog items it selects into an increment of potentially releasable product functionality. 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 cross-functional, with all of the skills as a team necessary to create a product Increment.

How is the Product Backlog ordered?

Whatever is deemed most appropriate by the Product Owner. The Product Owner decides what makes the most sense to optimize the value of the work being done by the Development Team.

What is the recommended size for a Development Team (within the Scrum Team)?

3 to 9. Optimal Development Team size is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work. Fewer than three Development Team members decreases interaction and results in smaller productivity gains. More than nine members simply requires too much coordination.

What is the maximum length of the Sprint Review (its time-box)?

4 hours for a monthly Sprint. For shorter Sprints it is usually shorter. Sprint Review is a four-hour time-boxed meeting for one-month Sprints. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.

When does the next Sprint begin?

Immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.

The CEO asks the Development Team to add a "very important" item to a Sprint that is in progress. What should the Development Team do?

Inform the Product Owner so he/she can work with the CEO. The items selected for a Sprint have been selected as most valuable with the Product Owner. The items serve the Sprint's goal. No changes should be made that endanger the Sprint Goal. No one external to the Scrum Team can force changes on the Development Team (Sprint Backlog) and the Product Owner (Product Backlog).

What are the three pillars of empirical process control?

Inspection, Transparency, Adaptation. Scrum is founded on empirical process control theory, or empiricism. Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is known.

What is a Sprint Review?

It is when the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the outcome of the Sprint and figure out what to do in the upcoming Sprint. Every event in Scrum, besides the Sprint which is a container for the other events, is an opportunity to Inspect AND Adapt.

What is the role of Management in Scrum?

Support the Product Owner with insights and information into high value product and system capabilities. Support the Scrum Master to cause organizational change that fosters empiricism, self-organization, bottom-up intelligence, and intelligent release of software. Management has no active role in the actual product development through Scrum. However, management external to the Scrum team is incredibly important in setting the vision and strategy to guide the overall direction of the organization.

Why is the Daily Scrum held at the same time and same place?

The Daily Scrum is held at the same time and place each day to reduce complexity.

During a Sprint, a Development Team determines that it will not be able to finish the complete forecast. Who should be present to review and adjust the Sprint work selected?

The Product Owner and the Development Team. During the Sprint, scope may be clarified and re-negotiated between the Product Owner and Development Team as more is learned.

Who should know the most about the progress toward a business objective or a release, and be able to explain the alternatives most clearly?

The Product Owner and the SCRUM Master. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog, which includes that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the Scrum Team will work on next.

The time-box for the Sprint Planning meeting is?

8 hours for a monthly Sprint. For shorter Sprints it is usually shorter. Sprint Planning is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.

How would you best describe Scrum?

A framework within which complex products in complex environments are developed. Scrum is not a process or a technique for building products; rather, it is a framework within which you can employ various processes and techniques.

Who has the final say on the order of the Product Backlog?

The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog.

When is a Sprint over?

When the time-box expires. The duration of a Sprint is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened.

An organization has decided to adopt Scrum, but management wants to change the terminology to fit with terminology already used. What will likely happen if this is done?

Without a new vocabulary as a reminder of the change, very little change may actually happen. The organization may not understand what has changed with Scrum and the benefits of Scrum may be lost. Management may feel less anxious.

What guidelines are appropriate for a Scrum Master to enforce in regards to the Daily Scrum?

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. The Scrum Master enforces the rule that only Development Team members participate in the Daily Scrum.