Free Practice Questions for Scrum PSM-I Exam

The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. The topics that are appropriate for discussion are those that relate to how the team does its work, such as processes, tools, communication, collaboration, quality, etc. The value of work currently represented in the Product Backlog and arranging the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint are not appropriate topics for discussion in a Sprint Retrospective, as they belong to the Sprint Review and Sprint Planning events respectively.

According to the Scrum Guide 1 , an Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value, an 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, the best description of an increment of working software is additional features in a usable state that complement those delivered in previous iterations.

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.

During the Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team may add items to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint, as stated in [5] : “The purpose of each Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The Scrum Team plans ways to implement improvements identified during this meeting into its way of working. By doing this it reinforces empiricism throughout its work. Improvements may be implemented at any time during a Sprint or they may be planned for subsequent Sprints.”

The correct answer is D. The Sprint Goal provides the Developers with a common, specific objective that creates focus and coherence during the Sprint. Rather than treating the Sprint as a collection of unrelated backlog items, the Sprint Goal gives the team a shared purpose for the work they are doing. This helps the Developers make trade-offs, collaborate more effectively, and adapt the Sprint Backlog while still moving toward a meaningful outcome.

Option A is incorrect because Scrum does not define Sprint 0 as part of Scrum, and the Sprint Goal applies to every Sprint. Option B is incorrect because the Sprint Goal is highly valuable. The Product Backlog provides ordered possibilities for future work, but the Sprint Goal explains the purpose of the current Sprint. Option C is incorrect because the Sprint Goal does not guarantee that every selected Product Backlog item will be completed. The team may renegotiate scope with the Product Owner as more is learned, while still aiming to achieve the Sprint Goal.

The Sprint Goal supports flexibility. It allows the Developers to adjust their plan during the Sprint without losing direction. That is why Scrum uses a goal-oriented approach rather than only a task-oriented one.

 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).

According to the Scrum Guide, multiple Scrum Teams working on the same product do not have to have the same Sprint start date. They may start their Sprints at different times, as long as they synchronize their work and integrate their Increments at least by the end of each Sprint. The other option is not valid, as it implies that having the same Sprint start date is mandatory for multiple Scrum Teams.

The best two answers are A and C. These two ways of creating Scrum Teams are consistent with Scrum’s values because they respect the self-organization and empowerment of the people who will be working in the teams. They also foster openness and courage by allowing the people to express their preferences and opinions about the new structure.

B, D and E are not consistent with Scrum’s values because they impose a top-down approach that does not involve the people who will be affected by the change. They also undermine the commitment and focus of the teams by assigning them to work on something they may not be interested in or passionate about.

The correct answers are B and D, because these are the most appropriate responses for the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master should coach the team on why the Daily Scrum is important as an opportunity to update the plan, inspect the progress, and synchronize the activities of the Development Team. The Scrum Master should also learn why the Development Team wants this and work with them to improve the outcome of the Daily Scrum, rather than imposing a decision or accepting their request without question.

According to the Scrum Guide, a Developer becomes accountable for the value of a Product Backlog item selected for the Sprint at the Sprint Planning event. This is when the Developers select items from the Product Backlog that they can commit to complete within a Sprint. The Developers are then responsible for creating a valuable Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. The other options are not valid, as they either imply that Developers are not accountable for value (such as never or whenever), or that they become accountable at a different time (such as during the Daily Scrum).