Free Practice Questions for Scrum PSM-I Exam

According to the Scrum Guide1, 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.

References: Scrum Guide

The Scrum Master should talk to the IT manager and explain that progress in Scrum comes from inspecting an Increment at the Sprint Review, as stated in [5]: “The Scrum Master should educate the IT manager about how Scrum works and how progress is measured. The Scrum Master should invite the IT manager to attend the Sprint Review where the Development Team demonstrates what was accomplished during the Sprint. The Scrum Master should also explain that status reports are not necessary in Scrum, as transparency is ensured by using artifacts such as Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment.”

The correct answers are B and E, because these statements are true about the length of the Sprint. It is best to have Sprints of consistent length throughout a development effort, as this helps establish a reliable rhythm and cadence for the Scrum Team and the stakeholders. All Sprints must be one month or less, as this ensures that the Scrum Team can inspect and adapt frequently and deliver value incrementally.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master is responsible for coaching the Scrum Team to improve its skills, tools and environment over time and adjust the Definition of Done accordingly1. The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product1. The Definition of Done should be possible to achieve given current circumstances2. Therefore, option B and E are appropriate for a Scrum Master to do, if the Scrum Team does not have the tools and environment to completely finish each selected Product Backlog item.

Option A is not appropriate because declaring the Scrum Team not ready for Scrum implies that there is a fixed set of prerequisites for using Scrum, which is not true. Scrum is a framework that can be applied to any complex product development effort1.

Option C is not appropriate because encouraging the Product Owner to accept partially done Increments until the situation improves violates the principle of transparency. Transparency requires that the Increment is a usable product that meets the current Definition of Done1. Accepting partially done Increments also increases technical debt and reduces value delivery3.

Option D is not appropriate because refocusing the current Sprint on establishing the Scrum Team’s environment instead of delivering an Increment goes against the purpose of a Sprint. A Sprint is a time-boxed event that serves as a container for the other Scrum events and activities. The goal of each Sprint is to deliver a potentially releasable Increment that adheres to the current Definition of Done1.

References: 1: The Scrum Guide 2: Suggested Reading for Professional Scrum Master™ I 3: Mastering Professional Scrum

The correct answer is A, because in accordance with Scrum theory, a group of 100 people should be divided into multiple Development Teams by understanding the product, the product vision and the rules of the Scrum framework, and then dividing itself into teams. This approach respects the self-organization and empowerment of the people who will do the work, and allows them to form cross-functional and collaborative teams that can deliver value.

According to the Scrum Guide, a Scrum Master fulfills a different role from a traditional project manager. A Scrum Master is a servant-leader and a coach for the Scrum Team and the organization, not a manager or a supervisor. A Scrum Master does not assign tasks, set deadlines, or monitor progress, but rather facilitates self-organization, collaboration, and empiricism within the Scrum Team and the organization.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Development Team should do two things during the first Sprint: develop at least one piece of functionality and create an increment of potentially releasable software. These are the goals of every Sprint, regardless of its order. The other options are not things that the Development Team should do during the first Sprint, as they are either out of scope (such as making a plan for the rest of the project or defining major product features and release plan architecture) or unnecessary (such as analyzing, describing, and documenting requirements for subsequent Sprints).

A Developer is accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog, and organizing the work required to meet the Sprint Goal, as stated in the Scrum Guide: "Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. The specific skills needed by the Developers are often broad and will vary with the domain of work. However, the Developers are always accountable for:

Creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog;

Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done;

Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal; and,

Holding each other accountable as professionals."

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner has the final decision about the order of items in the Product Backlog, 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.

The correct answer is C, because the Scrum Guide states that “the Scrum Master ensures that the Development Team has the meeting, but the Development Team is responsible for conducting the Daily Scrum. The Scrum Master teaches the Development Team to keep the Daily Scrum within the 15-minute time-box.” Therefore, the main reason for the Scrum Master to be at the Daily Scrum is to ensure that it happens, but he or she does not have to be there.