Free Practice Questions for Scrum PSM-I Exam

According to the Scrum Guide1, the Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work. The Daily Scrum optimizes the probability that the Developers will meet the Sprint Goal. Every day, the Developers should understand how they intend to work together as a self-organizing team to accomplish the Sprint Goal and create the anticipated Increment by the end of the Sprint. If the frequency of the Daily Scrum were to be lowered to every two or three days, some key concerns would be:

Opportunities to inspect and adapt the Sprint Backlog are lost, which may result in wasted work or missed dependencies.

Impediments are raised and resolved more slowly, which may hinder the progress and quality of the work.

The Sprint plan may become inaccurate, as changes in requirements, risks, or priorities are not reflected in a timely manner.

The other options are not valid concerns, as they are not aligned with Scrum values and principles.

References: Scrum Guide

The correct answers are C, E, and F, because these phrases best describe the purpose of a definition of “Done”. It creates transparency over the work inspected at the Sprint Review, as it defines what it means for an Increment to be potentially releasable. It guides the Development Team in creating a forecast at the Sprint Planning, as it helps them estimate how much work they can accomplish in a Sprint. It defines what it takes for an Increment to be ready for release, as it ensures that the product meets the quality expectations of the stakeholders.

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.”

The two intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum are A and D.

A. Identification of impediments that may prevent the Developers from achieving the Sprint Goal.

The Daily Scrum is an opportunity for the Developers to inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal and to identify any impediments or challenges that may hinder them from completing the work in the Sprint Backlog1. The Scrum Master can help the Developers remove these impediments or find ways to overcome them2.

D. A shared understanding of the most important work to be undertaken next to achieve the best possible progress toward the Sprint Goal.

The Daily Scrum is also an opportunity for the Developers to adapt their plan for the next 24 hours based on their current situation and the Sprint Goal1. The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work1. This creates focus and improves self-management.

B, C, and E are not intended outcomes of the Daily Scrum.

B. An update of completed tasks and of the remaining work so the Scrum Master can plan the next day.

The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting or a report for the Scrum Master or anyone else2. The Developers are responsible for conducting and facilitating the Daily Scrum, not the Scrum Master1. The Scrum Master’s role is to ensure that the event happens, that it is positive and productive, and that it stays within the 15-minute timebox2.

C. An updated Scrum board to make Sprint progress transparent for the stakeholders.

The Daily Scrum is an internal meeting for the Scrum Team, not for external stakeholders1. The Scrum board is a tool that can help the Developers visualize their work, but it is not an outcome of the Daily Scrum. The outcome of the Daily Scrum should be an updated Sprint Backlog and an updated Sprint plan to achieve the Sprint Goal3.

E. A status report for the upper management indicating what each individual has done, will be doing, and what is impeding him/her.

The Daily Scrum is not a status report for anyone, especially not for upper management2. The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect and adapt the work of the Developers, not to report on individual activities or performance1. The focus of the Daily Scrum should be on the collective work and progress of the Developers as a self-organizing team2.

According to the Scrum Guide1, 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 a result of Sprint Planning, as is the Sprint Backlog.

References: Scrum Guide

According to the Scrum Guide1, when multiple Scrum Teams are working together on one product, they must coordinate their work with each other. One way to do this is through Nexus, a framework for scaling Scrum. Nexus helps to reduce cross-team dependencies and integration issues by making them more transparent. The key concern when multiple Development Teams are working from the same Product Backlog is minimizing dependencies between teams so that they can deliver an integrated Increment that meets the definition of “Done”.

References: Scrum Guide, Nexus Guide

According to the Scrum Guide, a Development Team is cross-functional if it has all the skills to create a potentially releasable Increment by the end of every Sprint. The other options are not indicators of cross-functionality, as they are either specific practices (such as pair programming or test driven development) or irrelevant factors (such as conflicts within the team or ability to perform every task).

According to the Scrum Guide, two activities that a Product Owner may engage in during a Sprint are updating management on what is being worked on and answering questions from the Development Team about items in the current Sprint. These activities are part of the Product Owner’s responsibilities to manage and prioritize the Product Backlog, communicate with stakeholders, and collaborate with the Development Team. The other options are not activities that a Product Owner should engage in during a Sprint, as they are either done by the Scrum Master (such as running the Daily Scrum) or by the Development Team (such as prioritizing their work on the Sprint Backlog).

The correct answer is C, because the second Sprint starts immediately after the first Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that “Sprints have consistent durations throughout a development effort. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.”