A: There is one Product Owner for each product (five in total). Each Product Owner may delegate to

others for specific value, capabilities, and functionality within their product. The five Product Owners

share and align work via Product Backlog. This is a reasonable alternative, as it allows each Product

Owner to focus on one product and its vision, value proposition, and stakeholder needs. The Product

Owner can also leverage the expertise and input of other people who can help with the product

development, such as business analysts, domain experts, or user representatives. The five Product

Owners can coordinate and collaborate with each other through the Product Backlog, which is a

single source of truth for the product requirements and priorities.

D: There is one Product Owner responsible for all five products. This person may delegate work to

others for specific value, capabilities, and functionality within each product to scale their

accountability. This is another reasonable alternative, as it allows one Product Owner to have a

holistic view of the five products and their interdependencies, synergies, and trade-offs. The Product

Owner can also delegate some of the work to other people who can act as proxies or representatives

for the different aspects of the products, such as features, modules, or components. The Product

Owner can still maintain the ultimate authority and responsibility for the Product Backlog and the

product value delivery.

Reference:

Scrum Guide 2020, page 7: “The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the

product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.”

Scrum Guide 2020, page 8: “The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to

improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 22: “The Product Owner may delegate some of their work

to others who can help them with the product development, such as business analysts, domain

experts, or user representatives. However, the Product Owner remains accountable for the Product

Backlog and its content.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 23: “The Product Owner may scale their role by working

with other Product Owners who are responsible for different products, features, modules, or

components. However, there should be only one Product Owner per product who has the final say on

the product vision and value proposition.”

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the

Developers. The Product Owner is also accountable for managing the Product Backlog, which is an

ordered list of what is needed in the product. The Product Owner should collaborate with the

Developers and the stakeholders to create and refine the Product Backlog, as well as to define and

communicate the product vision and goals. Therefore, as a Scrum Master, you should direct the new

Product Owner towards focusing on:

Building a good relationship with the stakeholders of the product (A), which is a valid option as it

helps the Product Owner to understand and align with the changing organizational or market

expectations, as well as to invite and receive feedback from the appropriate stakeholders during the

Sprint Review, which is an event that inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future

adaptations.

Relying on others in the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to formulate the Product Backlog (D),

which is another valid option as it helps the Product Owner to leverage the functional and business

insights of the Developers and the stakeholders, who are more familiar with the product and the

customer needs. By questioning them and working with them, the Product Owner will quickly

become more productive and effective.

The other options are not correct because they:

Inform the Product Owner that it is important that the Developers are updated on changing business

priorities on a daily basis at the Daily Scrum (B), which is not a good option as it shows a

misunderstanding of the purpose and format of the Daily Scrum, which is an event for the

Developers to inspect their progress and plan their work for the next 24 hours, not a status report or

a meeting for changing requirements or scope. The Product Owner should respect and support the

Developers’ commitment to their Sprint Goal and Sprint Backlog, and only introduce changes that do

not endanger them.

Tell the Product Owner to make sure that there are no ambiguities or possible misunderstandings in

the items on the Product Backlog by capturing the functional requirements during an analysis phase

©, which is not a good option as it shows a misunderstanding of the nature and process of the

Product Backlog, which is a dynamic and emergent artifact that can change as more is learned about

the product, users, market, and technology. The Product Owner should collaborate with the

Developers to refine and clarify the Product Backlog items throughout the product development, not

create detailed documents that are considered as final outputs of analysis Sprints.

Reference: : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide], The Product Backlog : [Scrum

Guide], The Sprint Review : [Scrum Guide], The Scrum Master : [Scrum Guide], The Developers :

[Scrum Guide], The Daily Scrum

A “Quality Assurance and Release Readiness Sprint” is not a Scrum concept, but a sign of poor

engineering practices and weak adherence to the Scrum values and principles. It indicates that the

Scrum Team is not delivering a potentially releasable product Increment every Sprint, which is one of

the core commitments of Scrum. This could be due to a weak or incomplete Definition of Done,

which allows technical debt to accumulate and compromises the quality and usability of the product.

It could also be due to the Developers finding it nearly impossible to create a valuable, useful

product Increment in a Sprint, which could be caused by various factors such as lack of skills, tools,

collaboration, feedback, or empowerment. The Definition of Done is not being met every Sprint,

which means that the Scrum Team is not fulfilling its accountability for the Increment and is not

transparent about the state of the product.

Reference:

Scrum Guide 2020, section “Commitments”, “Definition of Done”, “The Sprint”, “The Increment”.

Advanced Knowledge of Scrum, section “Definition of Done”, “Technical Debt”.

Scrum Master Accountabilities, section “Accountability for Effectiveness”.

A) You suggest taking the person aside and asking them what they believe the key outcomes are for

the Daily Scrum. Effectively coaching them to help create focus during the Daily Scrum.

This is a good suggestion because it shows respect and empathy for the person, while also helping

them understand the purpose and value of the Daily Scrum. Coaching is one of the core

competencies of a Scrum Master, and it can help the person self-reflect and improve their

behavior12. E. You suggest coaching the Developers to help them find a way to solve the problem,

and own the solution.

This is another good suggestion because it empowers the Developers to take ownership of their own

process and communication. The Scrum Master’s role is not to impose rules or solutions, but to

facilitate and enable the team’s self-organization and collaboration12. By coaching the Developers,

the Scrum Master can help them address the issue in a constructive and respectful way.

Reference: 1: What is a Scrum Master? | Scrum.org 2: What is a scrum master? [+ Responsibilities] |

Atlassian

As a Scrum Master, you are accountable for establishing an environment where the Scrum Team can

be effective and deliver valuable products1. One of the ways to do this is by supporting the Product

Owner in managing the Product Backlog and engaging with the stakeholders2. In this situation,

where there is a performance issue with the product, your best option is:

Encourage the Product Owner to bring the performance concerns to the rest of the Scrum Team and

work together to improve the Definition of Done. This option aligns with the principle of empiricism,

which is the foundation of Scrum3. Empiricism means that you make decisions based on what is

known, rather than what is assumed or predicted3. By encouraging the Product Owner to bring the

performance concerns to the rest of the Scrum Team, you are helping them inspect the product

Increment and adapt the Product Backlog based on transparent feedback from the stakeholder4. You

are also helping them collaborate on improving the Definition of Done, which is a shared

understanding of what it means for a product Increment to be complete and potentially releasable.

The Definition of Done should reflect the quality standards and expectations of the stakeholders, and

should be updated as needed to ensure that the product meets their needs and delivers value.

The other options are not advisable because:

Wait to bring this up in the next Sprint Retrospective as this is the appropriate time for the

Developers to re-consider the Definition of Done. This option is incorrect because it contradicts your

accountability as a Scrum Master. The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to

reflect on their performance and identify improvements for the next Sprint. However, it is not the

only time for them to inspect and adapt their product and process. As a Scrum Master, you should

promote continuous improvement and help the Scrum Team address any issues or impediments as

soon as they arise1. Waiting to bring this up in the next Sprint Retrospective would mean delaying

feedback and action, which can lead to waste or dissatisfaction.

Bring the concern to the quality assurance members of the Scrum Team and ask them to improve

how the system is tested. This option is incorrect because it goes against your role as a facilitator,

who helps the participants have constructive and respectful conversations. By bringing the concern

to only a subset of the Scrum Team, you are creating silos and excluding others from contributing or

learning. You are also implying that quality is only their responsibility, rather than a shared

accountability of the whole Scrum Team. Moreover, you are not asking them for their input or

feedback, but telling them what to do, which can undermine their autonomy and motivation.

Explain to the Product Owner that it is up to the Developers to decide on acceptable performance

standards as they own the Definition of Done. This option is incorrect because it contradicts your role

as a coach, who helps people grow and improve their skills and behaviors. By explaining to the

Product Owner that it is up to the Developers to decide on acceptable performance standards, you

are dismissing their concern and creating a gap between them and the Developers. You are also

ignoring their valuable perspective and input as a stakeholder representative, who has a clear vision

of what value means for the product. Instead of explaining, you should be asking questions and

listening actively, and facilitating a dialogue between them and the Developers.

Reference: 1: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-scrum-master 2:

https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/scrum-master-supporting-product-owner 3:

https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-empiricism-and-why-is-it-important-to-scrum 4:

https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-review :

https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/definition-done : https://www.scrum.org/resources/whatis-a-sprint-retrospective : https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/facilitation-scrum-masters-

superpower : https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/quality-shared-responsibility :

https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/coaching-scrum-masters-superpower :

https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner

The Sprint Review is an event that inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future

adaptations. The Product Owner has the authority to release the Increment to production at any

time, but this does not mean that the Sprint has to be stopped or changed. The stakeholders can

provide feedback and suggestions for the product, but they cannot interfere with the Sprint Goal or

the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint. The Scrum Team can decide to:

Continue sprinting but shorten the Sprint length to allow for shorter feedback loops (A), which is a

valid option if the Scrum Team agrees that this will improve their agility and value delivery. However,

this should not be done frequently or arbitrarily, as it may disrupt the rhythm and focus of the team.

Continue sprinting and include the customer feedback in the Product Backlog ©, which is the most

appropriate option as it respects the empirical nature of Scrum and allows the Product Owner to

prioritize and order the Product Backlog based on new insights and stakeholder needs.

Reference: : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Review : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide],

The Sprint : [Scrum Guide], The Product Backlog

Done means that the Increment is in a usable condition and meets the Scrum Team’s Definition of

Done. 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 of Done creates transparency by providing

everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. Having an

Increment that could be released to end users means that it is potentially releasable, which is one of

the goals of Scrum. All work performed meets the Definition of Done means that the Developers

have ensured that every Product Backlog item selected for the Sprint conforms to the agreed quality

standards.

Reference:

The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 10-11

What is a Definition of Done?, Scrum.org, accessed on September 30, 2023

DONE Understanding Of The Definition Of "Done”, Scrum.org, December 16, 2019

This approach ensures that the Product Backlog items are ready for the Sprint Planning and that the

Developers can focus on their work during the Sprint. It also allows the Product Owner to collaborate

with the stakeholders and align the Product Backlog with the Product Goal12. The other options are

either inefficient, ineffective, or not aligned with the Scrum values and principles

Thank you for your visit.

A Definition of Ready (DoR) is a set of agreements that lets everyone know when a product backlog

item is ready to be taken into a sprint12. A DoR can help the Scrum Team ensure that the product

backlog items are clear, feasible, valuable, and testable12. However, a DoR does not necessarily

maximize the team’s velocity, nor does it ensure that the sprint planning can end within its

timebox. Velocity is a measure of how much work a team can complete in a sprint, and it depends on

many factors, such as the team’s capacity, skills, collaboration, and quality standards3 . A DoR may

help the team avoid wasting time on unclear or incomplete items, but it does not guarantee that the

team can deliver more value or faster. Similarly, a DoR may help the team prepare for the sprint

planning, but it does not guarantee that the team can finish the planning within its timebox. The

sprint planning is an empirical and collaborative event, where the team inspects the product

backlog, negotiates with the product owner, and crafts a sprint goal and a sprint backlog . A DoR may

reduce some uncertainties and risks, but it does not eliminate them. The team still needs to adapt to

changing requirements and expectations, and make realistic and meaningful commitments .

Reference: 1: What is Definition of Ready in Scrum? - Visual Paradigm 2: Walking Through a

Definition of Ready | Scrum.org 3: What is Velocity in Agile? - Atlassian : Velocity in Scrum |

Scrum.org : Sprint Planning | Scrum.org : Sprint planning - Atlassian

During the Sprint Review of a scaled development effort, the Scrum Teams should demonstrate the

integrated Increment that they have collectively delivered, not their individual Increments

separately. This ensures that the stakeholders can provide feedback on the value and quality of the

product as a whole, and that the Scrum Teams can inspect their alignment and collaboration.

Reference:

Scrum Guide 2020, page 14: “The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the

Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key

stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.”

Nexus Guide 2020, page 7: “The Nexus Sprint Review is an event where appropriate stakeholders

review the Integrated Increment that has been built throughout the Sprint by all Scrum Teams in a

Nexus.”