Scrum PSM-I - Professional Scrum Master I

According to the Scrum Guide1, the definition of “Done” is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The definition guides the Development Team in creating a “Done” Increment. The definition of “Done” is created by the development organization (or Development Team if none is available from the development organization). The definition of “Done” may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. One aspect of Scrum Teams inspecting how they work toward their Product Goal is that they improve their definition of “Done” over time. Therefore, one reason why the Product Owner wants the Development Team to adhere to its definition of “Done” is to have complete transparency into what has been done at the end of each Sprint.

References: Scrum Guide

Detailed Explanation & References from Scrum

📌 Scrum Guide Reference:

"The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how)."​

"The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. It is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal."​

📌 Why is "C. The Developers" Correct?

The Sprint Backlog is owned and managed by the Developers because they are the ones responsible for planning and executing the work.

The Developers update and modify the Sprint Backlog as needed during the Sprint.

The Scrum Team collaborates during Sprint Planning to define the Sprint Backlog, but the ongoing responsibility for managing it lies only with the Developers.

This allows the team to self-manage and adapt as work progresses.

❌ Incorrect Answers with Explanations

❌ A. The Scrum Team

📌 Why is this Incorrect?

While the Scrum Team (Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Developers) collaborates during Sprint Planning, only the Developers are responsible for the Sprint Backlog.

The Scrum Master does not manage the Sprint Backlog, and the Product Owner does not modify it once the Sprint starts.

❌ B. The Scrum Master

📌 Why is this Incorrect?

The Scrum Master facilitates the process but does not own or manage the Sprint Backlog.

The Scrum Master helps the team understand Scrum practices and remove impediments, but they do not decide or change the Sprint Backlog​.

❌ D. The Product Owner

📌 Why is this Incorrect?

The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog, NOT the Sprint Backlog.

Once a Sprint starts, the Product Owner cannot modify the Sprint Backlog—only the Developers can update it as they learn more.

 According to the Scrum Guide, the Sprint Review is a time for the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect the product Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. The Product Owner is responsible for keeping the stakeholders aware of the progress of the project and inviting them to the Sprint Review. If the Product Owner has not been doing this, or if the stakeholders have not been using the Sprint Review to inspect and evaluate progress, then they may be disappointed and angry at the seventh Sprint Review. The other options are not likely factors that led to this situation, as they are either irrelevant (such as the PMO or the development area) or incorrect (such as delaying the release).

The correct answer is A, because if two Scrum Teams are added to the development of a product that previously had only one Scrum Team, the immediate impact on the productivity of the original Scrum Team is likely to decrease. This is because adding more teams may introduce some challenges and trade-offs, such as increased communication and coordination overhead, reduced alignment and cohesion, and potential conflicts or dependencies.

References: [Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Masterâ„¢ I]

 According to the Scrum Guide, a Development Team needs a Sprint Goal because it provides guidance and focus for building an Increment that delivers value. The other options are not valid reasons for having a Sprint Goal, as they are either incorrect (such as giving purpose only to Sprint 0 or ensuring implementation of all Product Backlog items) or irrelevant (such as knowing everything from the Product Backlog).

The best two answers are B and D. These two ways of dealing with regulatory compliance issues are consistent with Scrum’s values and principles, as they allow the Scrum Team to deliver valuable and potentially releasable increments of the product while meeting the necessary standards and regulations. They also enable the Scrum Team to inspect and adapt their compliance strategy based on feedback and changing requirements.

A is not a good answer because it creates a separate silo of responsibility for compliance issues, which can lead to delays, conflicts, and inefficiencies. It also violates the Scrum value of transparency, as the compliance team may not have full visibility into the product development process.

C is not a good answer because it implies a waterfall approach that assumes all the compliance requirements are known and fixed upfront, which is rarely the case. It also reduces the flexibility and responsiveness of the Scrum Team, as they may have to follow a rigid plan that does not reflect the current reality of the product or the market.

A Product Owner releases each Increment when it makes sense, as stated in [2]: “The Product Owner decides when to release an Increment. This can be done at any time during or after a Sprint. The Product Owner may choose to release an Increment when it delivers enough value to customers or users, when it meets a market opportunity, when it reduces risk or uncertainty, or when it aligns with other business goals.”

According to the Scrum Guide1, only people who are actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog participate in updating it during a Sprint; this includes tracking progress made on those items. This is typically done by Developers updating their remaining work every day after their Daily Scrum. The Development Team tracks this total work remaining at least for every Daily Scrum to project the likelihood of achieving their Sprint Goal.

References: Scrum Guide