Scrum PSM-I - Professional Scrum Master I

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner can cancel a Sprint, as he or she is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. The other roles do not have this authority, although they may provide input and suggestions to the Product Owner.

According to the Scrum Guide 1 , one aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they create a Sprint Goal every Sprint. The Sprint Goal is an objective set for the Sprint that can be met through the implementation of Product Backlog. It provides guidance to the Developers on why it is building the Increment. It also provides a basis for inspecting and adapting during the Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective. The Sprint Goal is created during the Sprint Planning event.

According to the Scrum Guide, the best approach for Scrum Teams in order to produce valuable Increments is to have each Developer work on the component where they feel that they can contribute. This means that the Developers can self-organize and collaborate effectively to deliver a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid approaches, as they either imply that the Developers work in silos or rely on external people (such as developing functionality from beginning to end, working on an independent set of components, or working only as an independent layer of the system).

According to the Scrum Guide 1 , each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, the Increment must be usable. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism. However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. Therefore, a good way to continue is for the Development Team to make sure that all of the selected scope per Sprint is as “Done” as possible. The undone work is estimated and added to the Sprint Backlog of the next Sprint, so it doesn’t mess up the Product Backlog.

According to the Scrum Guide 1 , there are three roles in a Scrum Team:

The Product Owner

The Developers

The Scrum Master

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing value resulting from work by Developers. Developers are accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog. 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. Every Scrum team must have a Product Owner and Scrum Master, as outcomes are affected by their participation and availability. The other options are false, as they imply that the Product Owner and Scrum Master roles are optional or interchangeable.

Scrum promotes self-management by empowering the Scrum Team to take ownership of their work and processes. The best three answers are:

A. By having the Scrum Master protect the Scrum Team: The Scrum Master plays a key role in shielding the team from external distractions and impediments, allowing the team to focus on self-management and delivering value.

B. By the Scrum Team deciding what work to do in a Sprint: During Sprint Planning, the Scrum Team collaboratively selects and commits to the work they can accomplish within the Sprint, fostering self-organization and decision-making.

C. By being a lightweight framework: Scrum ' s simplicity and minimal structure provide the team with the flexibility to adapt and manage their work, encouraging self-management without imposing rigid controls.

According to the Scrum Guide 1 , 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. The Scrum Master serves the Developers in several ways, including:

Coaching them in self-management and cross-functionality;

Helping them to create high-value products;

Removing impediments to their progress;

Facilitating Scrum events as requested or needed; and,

Coaching them in organizational environments in which Scrum is not yet fully adopted and understood.

The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including:

Helping find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management;

Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items;

Helping establish empirical product planning for a complex environment; and,

Facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed.

The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including:

Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption;

Planning and advising Scrum implementations within the organization;

Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical approach for complex work; and,

Removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams.

Therefore, two things that are true about the Scrum Master role are:

The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Scrum meetings to their time-box, as they help everyone understand Scrum theory and practice.

The Scrum Master helps those outside the team interact with the Scrum Team, as they serve both the Product Owner and the organization.

The other options are not true about the Scrum Master role, as they imply that they have authority or responsibility over things that are not within their accountability.

The correct answer is D because every Sprint, including the first Sprint, should result in at least one valuable and useful Increment. Scrum is based on empiricism and incremental delivery. That means the team should not spend the first Sprint only on planning, documenting, or designing future work. Instead, they should create something usable that moves the product forward and provides an opportunity for inspection and adaptation.

Option A is incorrect because Scrum does not require detailed upfront analysis and documentation for later Sprints before producing value. Option B is incorrect because while some architecture and feature thinking may happen, Scrum does not make large upfront design the objective of the first Sprint. Option C is incorrect because Scrum avoids trying to fully plan the whole project in advance in complex environments. Instead, planning evolves over time as the team learns.

The key Scrum expectation is that each Sprint produces an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This allows stakeholders to inspect real progress, provides early feedback, and reduces risk. The first Sprint is not an exception. It should deliver something useful, even if small, to begin empirical product development immediately.

In Scrum, the term " done " refers to the state where the Increment meets the Definition of Done (DoD), which is a shared understanding within the Scrum Team of what it means for work to be complete. The best two answers are:

C. No work is left to meet the Definition of Done: This statement aligns with the Scrum Guide, which states that the Increment must be in a usable condition and meet the DoD by the end of the Sprint. The DoD ensures that the work is fully completed, tested, and integrated, leaving no outstanding tasks.

D. Ready to be released to end users: This reflects the goal of Scrum that the Increment should be in a potentially releasable state at the end of each Sprint, meaning it is of sufficient quality and functionality to be delivered to users if the Product Owner chooses to do so.

The other options are incorrect because:

A. Ready for integration: While integration is part of the process, " done " implies more than just being ready for integration; it includes being fully completed and meeting the DoD.

B. All work the Developers are willing to do: This is subjective and does not align with the objective standard of the DoD, which is agreed upon by the entire Scrum Team.

E. Whatever the Product Owner defines as quality: The DoD is a team responsibility, not solely defined by the Product Owner, ensuring a collective standard rather than an individual judgment.

The next Sprint begins immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint, as stated in the Scrum Guide: “Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.”