Scrum Open

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 & 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.

Upon what type of process control is Scrum based?

Empirical +++ 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.

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

False +++ 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.

True or False? It is mandatory that the product increment be released to production at the end of each Sprint.

False +++ The product increment should be usable and releasable at the end of every Sprint, but it does not have to be released.

When does the next Sprint begin?

Immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint. +++ A new Sprint starts 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).

The length of a Sprint should 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. & No more than one month. +++ All of these choices are appropriate considerations in determining the length of a Sprint.

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

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

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.

Which two (2) things does the Development Team do during the first Sprint?

Deliver an increment of releasable software. & Develop and deliver at least one piece of functionality. +++ The heart of Scrum is a Sprint, a time-box of one month or less during which a "Done", useable, and potentially releasable product Increment is created. This applies to every Sprint

When do Development Team members become the exclusive owner of a Sprint Backlog item?

Never. All Sprint Backlog Items are "owned" by the entire Development Team, even though each one may be done 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.

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.

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 +++ 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.

True or False? Scrum does not have a role called "project manager."

True +++ A Scrum Team has a Scrum Master, a Product Owner and a Development Team. As a whole they have all controls needed.

True or False? The purpose of a Sprint is to produce a done increment of working product.

True +++ The heart of Scrum is a Sprint, a time-box of one month or less during which a "Done", usable, and potentially releasable product Increment is created.

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.

The time-box for a Daily Scrum is?

15 minutes. +++ The length of a daily Scrum is fixed at 15 minutes, it does not change with the length of a Sprint.

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.

Who is on the Scrum Team?

The Scrum Master & The Product Owner & The Development Team +++ The Scrum Team consists of the Scrum Master (manages the process), the Product Owner (decides what to do) and the Development Team (does the work).

The maximum length of the Sprint Review (its time-box) is:

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.

Which statement best describes 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.

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.

How much work must a Development Team do to a Product Backlog item it selects for a Sprint?

As much as it has told the Product Owner will be done for every Product Backlog item it selects in conformance with the definition of done. +++ The purpose of each Sprint is to deliver Increments of potentially releasable functionality that adhere to the Scrum Team's current definition of "Done".

Development Team membership should change:

As needed, while taking into account a short term reduction in productivity. +++ Teams typically go through some steps before achieving a state of increased performance. Changing membership typically reduces cohesion, affecting performance and productivity in the short term.

The three pillars of empirical process control are:

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. Three pillars uphold every implementation of empirical process control: transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

What does it mean to say that an event has a time-box?

The event can take no more than a maximum amount of time. +++ Time-boxed events are events that have a maximum duration.

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

To gather status and progress information to report to management. +++ The Scrum Master enforces the rule that only Development Team members participate in the 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.

When might a Sprint be abnormally terminated?

When the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. +++ A Sprint can be cancelled before the Sprint time-box is over. A Sprint would be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This might occur if the company changes direction or if market or technology conditions change.