Product Owner

What 3 items does the Sprint Backlog contain?

1. The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why) 2. The set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what) 3. As well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how)

Who has the final say on how work in the Sprint Backlog is accomplished through the Sprint?

Developers

The Scrum framework consists of _____

Scrum Teams and their accountabilities, Events, Artifacts, and Rules

Every Product Increment is a step toward reaching the Product Goal. True or False?

True

The Product Owner can also be a Developer, work on items in the Sprint Backlog and attend the Daily Scrum. True or False?

True

VELOCITY is an optional metric used only by the Scrum Team

True

The Scrum Master accountability is considered a management position in Scrum.

True (I know that this answer may surprise you. The Scrum Master does manage the Scrum process and is considered a management position in Scrum. Do not confuse this with the traditional idea of a manager that has a form of authority over people. Management in Scrum is not the same as traditional management.)

A Sprint Backlog Item is the same thing as a selected Product Backlog Item. True or False?

True (The Scrum Guide does not make a specific reference to the term Sprint Backlog Item, but it is essentially the same thing with a Product Backlog Item (PBI) that was selected during Sprint Planning and placed in the Sprint Backlog, nothing changes when an item is pulled from the Product Backlog into the Sprint Backlog. The decomposition work (tasks) associated with a PBI is part of the "plan" and not of the item itself.)

The Scrum Team can create and release multiple Product Increments in a Sprint. True or False?

True (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Each artifact contains a commitment, for the Increment it is the Definition of Done)

The Scrum Master can also be a Developer, work on items in the Sprint Backlog and attend the Daily Scrum. True or False?

True (There is no rule saying that the Scrum Master cannot be a Developer as well. Take into consideration that this practice is not recommended as mixing the accountabilities can lead to other problems, such as a lack of focus or neglecting one accountability in favor of the other.)

To reduce complexity, it can help if the Sprint Retrospective is held at the same time and place. True or False?

True (It is not mandatory, but doing so can reduce complexity. This applies to all Scrum events. The Scrum Guide explains: "Optimally, all events are held at the same time and place to reduce complexity.")

Scrum is founded on_______________________________________________________

empiricism (the empirical process control theory) and lean thinking.

Scrum Teams must have a shared________________________________________________.

'Definition of Done'

Which of the following is NOT impacted by a Product Backlog that is outdated or unclear? A. The Scrum Team B. The Stakeholders C. The Organization D. All the above E. None of the above

'E' None of the Above (Due to this lack of transparency, everyone is impacted. The Product Owner must ensure that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, ordered and clear to all.)

What is the most important rule you need to remember: is this rule, as you will be able to handle 90% of the exam questions involving multiple teams working on the same Product.

1 Product = 1 Product Backlog = 1 Product Owner

What is the desired size of a Scrum Team?

10 People (The Scrum Guide explains: "The Scrum Team is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint, typically 10 or fewer people.")

What should be the maximum duration of the Sprint Retrospective for a 2-week Sprint?

3 hours (The Scrum Guide prescribes a maximum of 3 hours duration for the Sprint Retrospective when the Sprint is one month long. Nevertheless, the event should be shorter if the Sprint is shorter than four weeks. However, the Scrum Guide does not say the event time-box should be proportional to the Sprint length)

What is the duration of the Sprint Review meeting for a three-week Sprint?

4 hours or less (The Sprint Review is at most a four-hour meeting for one-month Sprints. The meeting is usually shorter for shorter Sprints. The Scrum Guide does not say it should be proportionally shorter. In practice, you can use math to figure out how long a meeting should take for Sprints that are shorter than 4-weeks, but AGAIN, this is NOT imposed by Scrum. Many online questions/articles say something like "Scrum Events are directly proportional to the length of the Sprint." Unfortunately, this is incorrect.)

What is a 'Component Team'

A Component team is focused on a single or multiple components of the system.

What is a 'Feature Team'

A Feature Team works through all the layers of the application to fulfill a customer need.

What do the selected Product Backlog Items during the Sprint Planning represent?

A Forecast (The selected items are a forecast for what will be accomplished in the Sprint. It is not a commitment or a promise, The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Selecting how much can be completed within a Sprint may be challenging, however, the more the Developers know about their past performance, their upcoming capacity, and their Definition of Done, the more confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts)

What is a burn-down chart?

A burn down chart is a graphical representation of work left to do versus time. The outstanding work is often on the vertical axis, with time along the horizontal. A burn down chart is a run chart of remaining work. It is useful for predicting when all of the work will be completed. (Note): An answer referencing a burn down chart will be the best answer that you need to SELDOM select.

What is a Burn-up Chart?

A burn up chart is a roadmap that plots your work on two lines along a vertical axis. One line indicates the entire workload for the project. The other depicts the work completed thus far. When you finish the project, the two lines meet. You can use your preferred measurement units, such as story points, issue counts, or estimates. The horizontal axis represents the timeline of the entire project.

Which of the following statements regarding the Daily Scrum is FALSE? A. The Daily Scrum meeting must take 15-minutes. B. All Developers from the Scrum Team attend the Daily Scrum. C. The Scrum Master is not present during the meeting. D. The Daily Scrum is a key meeting to inspect the progress toward the Sprint Goal in the last 24 hours.

A. The Daily Scrum meeting must take 15-minutes. (Notice the word 'must')

What is Technical Debt?

Also known as 'Design Debt' or 'Code Debt'...this should be continuously delt with and not postponed

When should the Sprint Retrospective take place?

At the end of each Sprint (The Sprint Retrospective is a mandatory Scrum event that needs to be held at the end of each Sprint, with no exceptions)

All Developers are working remotely. A video conferencing system is available, but the effort to set up the conference for the Daily Scrum is significant, and nobody takes responsibility for doing the preparation. What should the Scrum Master do?

Coach the Developers to self-manage and to find the solution that works best for them.

The Developers cannot find an agreement on which software tool to use for automated testing. Who is responsible for resolving the impediment and making the technical decision?

Developers (The Developers are responsible for making technical decisions. While the Scrum Master could help the team resolve the impediment, the Scrum Master cannot make the technical decision.)

Who should decide which approach and tools to use for testing the Increment?

Developers (The Developers building the Product should decide which is the best approach to test the Increment.

Who decides when to update the Sprint Backlog?

Developers (The Developers will update the Sprint Backlog regularly during the Sprint. The Scrum Guide v2020 explains:"The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers, Consequently, the Sprint Backlog is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned)

The Scrum Team consists of ____________________________________________________.

Developers, a Product Owner, and a Scrum Master.

One of the Developers does not know what to work on next. What should they do?

Discuss the situation with the rest of the Developers as soon as possible. (The Developers agree on how to perform the work in the Sprint Backlog.)

The Scrum Team has just been formed and is ready to start with the first Sprint. On which aspects should they focus?

Do all the work required to create a potentially shippable Product Increment that contains at least one feature. (Right from the first Sprint, the Developers are expected to create some functionality, no matter how small)

How many Sprints are planned during the Sprint Planning event?

Exactly One (The purpose of the Sprint Planning is to plan a single Sprint)

Scrum does not accept changes late in the Product development as the Sprints need to be planned before the work begins.

False

Each Developer is accountable only for the work they perform. Should a defect occur, the respective Developer who introduced the fault is fully accountable. True or False?

False (All Developers are accountable for the work performed, even if it is distributed among them. There are no hand-offs between the Developers in Scrum.)

During the Sprint Planning meeting, each Sprint Backlog Item is assigned to a single Developer. True or False?

False (In Scrum, work is never assigned. All Developers take ownership over the Sprint Backlog and the Sprint Backlog Items, never individual Developers)

During the Sprint Review meeting, the Scrum Team demonstrates complete and incomplete Product Backlog Items and discusses what to do next. True or False?

False (Incomplete work (also called not "done" work) is not part of the Increment and is not an outcome of the Sprint. Demonstrating unfinished work may give the impression that the work is done and can be released immediately. This does not mean that incomplete work cannot be mentioned or discussed.)

Scrum has no Project Manager role. One of the responsibilities of the Scrum Master is to take the lead in commanding and controlling the Developers to ensure they work on the Product as efficiently as possible. True or False?

False (Nobody is commanding or controlling the Developers. The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator and Scrum coach.)

The Sprint Backlog contains only the Product Backlog Items selected by the Developers during the Sprint Planning meeting. True or False?

False (Please notice the word 'only' in the question. The Sprint Backlog contains the selected items, but also the Sprint Goal and the plan. The Scrum Guide v2020 explains)

The Developers must have the Scrum Board open and visible during the Daily Scrum. True or False?

False (Scrum Boards are a complementary practice that can be used with Scrum. However, this is not explicitly mentioned by the Scrum Guide, and therefore it is not a requirement.

A typical Scrum Team that works on a software Product, has at least one QA Engineer to independently verify that every Increment meets the Definition of Done. True or False?

False (Scrum recognizes no titles, sub-teams, or hierarchies regardless of the work being performed, including testing. The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies." It is the responsibility of the Developers to ensure that each Increment meets the Definition of Done.

The Product Backlog should be complete, clear, and refined before the next Sprint can begin.True or False?

False (The Product Backlog is never complete, Only the Product Backlog Items at the top of the backlog should be refined, clear, and achievable in a Sprint)

The Scrum Master should reduce the Scrum team's workload and take care of arranging meetings, booking rooms, and sending invitations to Scrum events when requested or needed. True or False?

False (The Scrum Master is not the secretary of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Master just needs to make sure that the events happen when requested or needed.)

The Scrum Master coaches the Developers to be more effective. To help with this objective, the Scrum Master should prevent those external to the Scrum Team from interacting with it during the Sprint. The only meeting where this is allowed is during the Sprint Review.True or False?

False (The Scrum Master should only explain to people external to the Scrum Team how Scrum works but is not a shield between the Developers and other people.)

The Stakeholders are allowed to participate in the Sprint Planning meeting to clarify the Product Backlog Items and provide advice. True or False?

False (The Scrum Team may invite external people to attend the meeting and provide technical or domain advice, this is not the same as saying they invite Stakeholders, Nobody, attends without being invited. The Stakeholders are mentioned in the Scrum Guide as participating in the Sprint Review meeting. They have nothing to do with the Sprint Planning meeting. If Stakeholders attend this meeting, they attend as domain experts (or similar) and provide advice)

The Sprint Backlog is an output of the Sprint Planning meeting, as is the Product Goal.True or False?

False (The Sprint Goal is indeed an output of the Sprint Planning meeting, but not the Product Goal, Don't confuse the Sprint Goal with the Product Goal).

The Product Owner accepts work only during the Sprint Review meeting. True or False?

False (There is no need to wait for the Sprint Review meeting to review work. The Developers and the Product Owner should collaborate throughout the Sprint to ensure that the Increment and any completed items are acceptable. This is part of the inspection process.)

The Developers are directly accountable for maximizing the value of the Product. True or False?

False (This is the accountability of the Product Owner.)

The Sprint Retrospective must start with a short and fun activity to make everybody more relaxed and positive. True or False?

False (Notice the "must" in the question. The Scrum Guide does not make any explicit suggestions on how this meeting should be structured and conducted. While such activities COULD be organized, this is not mandatory)

The Stakeholders can participate in the Sprint Retrospective but only when invited by the Product Owner. True or False?

False (The Sprint Retrospective is an internal Scrum Team event. So no external people can be present)

The Product Owner may delegate architectural decisions regarding the Product to the rest of the Scrum Team. True or False?

False (Trick question! How the Product is built (including its architecture and infrastructure) is the responsibility of the Developers. So, the Product Owner cannot delegate this responsibility.)

If the workload should require this, the Product Owner accountability can be shared by two or more persons.

False, as the Product Owner can only be one person. (The Scrum Guide v2020 is very explicit about this aspect: "The Product Owner is one person, not a committee.")

What should the Developers do if they are facing technical issues while building the Product?

Find a way to address the issues and come up with a possible solution. (Technical challenges are common while working in agile environments. The Developers should have all the know-how needed to build the Product without relying on external help. They need to self-organize and find a solution. They may ask others for advice, but nobody external tells them how to do their work.)

Each Sprint must produce an______________________________________

Integrated increment

Who should manage the Daily Scrum meetings?

It is up to the Developers to decide how to conduct the meeting. (The Scrum Guide v2020 is explicit about this: "The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want.")

What is the duration of the Daily Scrum meeting?

No more than 15 minutes (The Daily Scrum, like all other Scrum events, has a time-box of 15-minutes. The meeting should not take more than 15-minutes, but it may also take less.)

Can the testers organize themselves as a sub-team of the Scrum Team?

No, because the Scrum Team cannot have sub-teams. (Scrum recognizes no sub-teams in the Scrum Team.)

The Stakeholders have been complaining to the Scrum Master that the Sprint Review meeting is too long. In order to speed-up the review meeting, the Scrum Team has created a presentation with slides of the features it has completed in the Sprint. Is this a good idea?

No, because the Stakeholders cannot give valuable feedback without trying out the actual Increment. (This is generally not a good idea, as one aspect of the meeting foster collaboration and get feedback on the actual Increment. This does not mean that slides cannot be used, but it should not entirely replace the demonstration.)

The Scrum Team meets with the Stakeholders at the end of the Sprint. What should the Product Owner do if a Product Backlog Item is only partially done?

Put the remaining work back in the Product Backlog. Partially done work should not be released. (Incomplete work is not releasable. The Product Owner should put the item back into the Product Backlog and decide what should happen next.)

What best describes Scrum?

Scrum is a framework for dealing with complex problems.

What represents the commitment for the Increment?

The Definition of Done (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Each artifact contains a commitment, for the Increment it is the Definition of Done)

Who is responsible for turning the Product Backlog into potentially releasable Increments?

The Developers (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint.")

Who should create the Sprint plan?

The Developers (The plan for the Sprint is within the Sprint Backlog. The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. However, the Developers are always accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog)

What represents a single source of requirements for any changes to the Product?

The Product Backlog (The Product Backlog is "the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team." - Scrum Guide v2020)

What does the Product Owner manage?

The Product Backlog (The Product Owner manages the Product Backlog as the Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management.")

What is the single source of requirements for any changes to the Product?

The Product Goal (The Product Backlog is "the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team "Scrum Guide v2020)

Who is responsible for Product planning?

The Product Owner

Who has the authority to cancel the Sprint?

The Product Owner ( The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "A Sprint could be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint)

Customer Service Team Lead is getting many customer complaints regarding the email confirming an order. To whom should the Stakeholder talk to get this addressed?

The Product Owner (By ordering the Product Backlog, the Product Owner decides which features will be implemented in a Sprint.)

Who is accountable for the Product Backlog when it comes to content and order?

The Product Owner (Only the Product Owner is accountable for managing the Product Backlog, even if they collaborate with the rest of the Scrum Team and the Stakeholders)

_____ is the act of adding detail, order, and size to items in the Product Backlog.

The Product Refinement (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further defining Product Backlog items into smaller, more precise items. This is an ongoing activity to add details, such as a description, order, and size. Attributes often vary with the domain of work).

What is the role of the Scrum Master as described in the Scrum Guide?

The Scrum Master is a leader who serves and coaches the Scrum Team, handles impediments, and keeps the team focused. It also helps the organization in adopting Scrum.

What is the role of the Scrum Master in the Sprint Retrospective meeting?

The Scrum Master participates as a member of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Master ensures that the meeting is positive and productive. (The Scrum Master is a member of the Scrum Team. Scrum Master is responsible for "ensuring that all Scrum events take place and are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox." - Scrum Guide v2020)

Who creates the Definition of Done if the organization does not already have one?

The Scrum Team (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "If the Definition of Done for an increment is part of the standards of the organization, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum, If it is not an organizational standard, the Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriate for the product.)

Scrum Teams are cross-functional. What does this mean?

The Scrum Team, as a whole, has all the skills to create the Product. (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint.")

During the Sprint Planning meeting, the Scrum Team has created a sketch of how the checkout page should look. Which Scrum artifact should hold this new information?

The Sprint Backlog (Anything that is a decomposition of the work required to complete a Product Backlog Item and create a working Increment will be placed in the Sprint Backlog, The Developers decide the format used to describe how the work to be done)

What represents the commitment for the Sprint Backlog?

The Sprint Goal (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Each artifact contains a commitment for the Sprint Backlog it is the Sprint Goal)

When is the best time to adapt the Definition of Done?

The Sprint Retrospective (The Retrospective is the best time to make changes to the Definition of Done. Modifying the Definition of Done during the Sprint impacts the Sprint forecast and existing items that have been completed)

What is the best opportunity for the Scrum Team to discuss or make changes to the Definition of Done?

The Sprint Retrospective (This is the best opportunity to adapt the Definition of Done)

Complete the following sentence: The Sprint Goal belongs to

The entire Scrum Team (The Sprint Goal is shared by the entire Scrum Team, not just the Developers)

What is the main focus when there are Dependencies between Scrum Teams

The main focus is to identify, reduce, or eliminate the dependencies. (Concerning: • Requirements (which can overlap) • Domain knowledge (which should be evenly distributed between the teams) • Software and test artifacts

Which is one likely consequence if the Scrum Team does not have a regular Daily Scrum meeting?

There will be fewer "inspect and adapt" possibilities. (If the Daily Scrum meeting does not take place every day, feedback will be gathered with delay. Impediments are identified and resolved later. The Scrum Team may not be "on the same page" in regards to what needs to be done next to reach the Sprint Goal.)

How much time does each Developer have during the Daily Scrum?

This is decided by the Developers

How does Scrum control risk?

Through an iterative & incremental approach.

What is the responsibility of the Developers during the Sprint?

To create at least one useable increment (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint)

What are the five Scrum values?

commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect.

What is the approach that the Scrum Guide describes for managing risk?

Using small time-boxed iterations called Sprints

What is VELOCITY

VELOCITY is a measure of the amount of work a Development Team can handle during a typical Sprint.

The Developers want to split into sub-teams: Developers and Testers. What should the Scrum Master do in this situation?

Warn against this and coach the Scrum Team to take ownership of the Product they build as a team (Accountability belongs to the Scrum Team as a whole. There are no sub-teams in the Scrum Team, and Scrum does not recognize any titles or hierarchies.)

When is the development work on a Product Backlog Item in the Sprint Backlog considered complete?

When all of the work related to the Product Backlog Item is done according to the 'Definition of Done' (The Definition of Done is used to identify work and add it to the Sprint Backlog, Work on an item is considered complete when there is no more work left in the Sprint Backlog related to it, and the item meets the Definition of Done.)

A Scrum Team has 15 people from different departments within the organization. Is this allowed in Scrum?

Yes, there are no restrictions, only recommendations

The Product Backlog is _____ of everything that is known to be needed in the Product

an Ordered List. (The Scrum Guide refers to the Product Backlog as an ordered list)

How can the Scrum Team improve the quality of the Product?

by improving processes and adapting the Definition of Done.

Over time, the Scrum Team uses the Sprint Retrospective to plan changes to the Definition of Done as a way to _______________________.

increase Product quality (The Scrum Team should use the Sprint Retrospective to plan changes that would lead to higher product quality. These changes are often added to the Definition of Done to ensure that all future Increments adhere. Over time, the quality of the Product should increase)

The main accountability of the Product Owner is to?

maximize the value of the work the Scrum Team performs. (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team." Optimizing and maximizing have the same meaning in this context.)

The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to __________________________________________________.

people, relationships, processes, tools, and the Definition of Done. (The Scrum Guide v2020 explains: "The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done.")

By the end of the Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team ______________________________________________________________________________?

should have identified improvements that will be done in the next Sprint.

Scrum can be used for ___________________________________________________________________

software development, developing hardware products, marketing work, research, construction projects

The empirical process control is at the core of Scrum and contains three pillars. Which are these Scrum pillars?

transparency, inspection, and adaptation.