PSM-II Exam Dumps : Professional Scrum Master II

 The Sprint Retrospective is a Scrum event in which the Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of Done1. The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness1. The Scrum Team should focus on improving the quality of the product Increment, not on increasing the measured velocity. Velocity is a metric that indicates how much work the team has completed in a Sprint, but it does not reflect the value or quality of that work. Working product is one of the primary measures of progress in Agile.

Some actions that the Scrum Master can take in this situation are:

• Facilitate a discussion on how to improve the quality to a level sufficient for production, even if the measured velocity will drop in the next Sprint. This action will help the Scrum Team to identify and address the root causes of the quality issues, and to plan actions for improvement. The Scrum Master should encourage the Scrum Team to inspect their Definition of Done, their testing and quality assurance practices, their technical debt, and their collaboration with stakeholders. The Scrum Master should also help the Scrum Team to prioritize quality over quantity, and to understand that delivering a potentially releasable Increment at the end of every Sprint is one of the goals of Scrum.
• Stress the value of working product over measured velocity. This action will help the Scrum Team to align their work with the Agile values and principles, and to focus on delivering value to the customers and users. The Scrum Master should remind the Scrum Team that velocity is not a goal or a measure of success, but a tool for planning and forecasting. The Scrum Master should also help the Scrum Team to avoid falling into the trap of velocity-driven development, where they sacrifice quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction for higher numbers.

Some actions that the Scrum Master should not take in this situation are:

• Agree and praise the Developers for their hard work, so they are motivated to do even more in the next Sprint. This action will not help the Scrum Team to improve their quality or effectiveness, but rather reinforce a false sense of achievement based on velocity. The Scrum Master should acknowledge and appreciate the Developers’ efforts, but also challenge them to inspect and adapt their work processes and outcomes. The Scrum Master should also help the Developers to balance their motivation with realism, and to avoid overcommitting or overestimating their capacity.
• Acknowledge the hard work, but remind the Developers that they need to improve to do even more in the next Sprint. This action will not help the Scrum Team to improve their quality or effectiveness, but rather put pressure on them to increase their velocity. The Scrum Master should not imply that doing more work is equivalent to doing better work, or that higher velocity is expected or desired. The Scrum Master should also help the Developers to avoid burnout, stress, and fatigue caused by unrealistic or unsustainable expectations.

References:

• The Sprint Retrospective - What It Is & Tips for Making the Most of Your Meeting | Scrum Alliance
• How to Measure Sprint Velocity in Agile | Parabol
• What is a Sprint Retrospective? - Zeolearn
• What Is the Goal of Sprint Retrospective Meeting? | Wrike
• What is a Sprint Retrospective? | Scrum.org
• [Principles behind the Agile Manifesto]
• [What is a Product Increment? | Scrum.org]
• [Velocity-driven development: A trap waiting for you | Agile Alliance]

 The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work1. It is one of the five events of the Scrum framework and enables the three pillars of the empirical process of Scrum: transparency, inspection, and adaptation2. The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting, but a chance for the Developers to collaborate, coordinate, and plan their work3.

As a Scrum Master, you could help the Developers understand that lowering the frequency of communication will only increase the feeling of disconnect between the team members, especially when they are working from globally distributed locations. You could also coach the Developers on why a daily frequency is important as an opportunity to update the Sprint Plan and how it helps the team organize work toward achieving the Sprint Goal. You could suggest alternative conferencing tools or methods that are easily available and effective for the team. You could also facilitate the Daily Scrum by ensuring that it is positive, productive, and focused on the Sprint Goal.

Acknowledging and supporting this self-managing team’s decision might seem like a good option, but it would not help the team to improve their collaboration and alignment. Having the Developers vote to make sure there is consensus within the team might also seem like a democratic way to handle the situation, but it would not address the underlying issue of why the team wants to reduce the frequency of the Daily Scrum.

References:

• The Scrum Guide 2020, section “The Daily Scrum”
• What Is the Daily Scrum?, A Guide to the Daily Event - Scrum Alliance
• The Importance of Daily Scrum Meetings | Grata Software

A. The stakeholders have not been using the Sprint Reviews to actively engage, and inspect and evaluate progress. This is a possible factor that may have led to the disappointment and anger of the stakeholders. The Sprint Review is an event where the Scrum Team and the stakeholders collaborate to inspect the product Increment and adapt the Product Backlog based on feedback and new insights. If the stakeholders do not participate actively in the Sprint Review, they may miss the opportunity to provide input, voice their concerns, and influence the direction of the product development.

D. The Scrum Master has not ensured transparency. This is another possible factor that may have led to the disappointment and anger of the stakeholders. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing and promoting transparency among the Scrum Team and the stakeholders, by ensuring that everyone has a clear and common understanding of the product vision, the Product Goal, the Product Backlog, the Sprint Goal, the Sprint Backlog, and the Definition of Done. Without transparency, there may be misalignment, confusion, or unrealistic expectations among the stakeholders regarding the product being built.

E. The Product Owner has not been interacting frequently with the stakeholders and kept them aware of the progress of the project. This is also a possible factor that may have led to the disappointment and anger of the stakeholders. The Product Owner is responsible for engaging with the stakeholders regularly and communicating the value, scope, and status of the product development. The Product Owner should also seek feedback from the stakeholders and incorporate it into the Product Backlog refinement and ordering. If the Product Owner does not interact frequently with the stakeholders, they may feel disconnected, ignored, or dissatisfied with the product being built.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, section 2.3 (The Scrum Team), page 7
• The Scrum Guide, section 3.6 (The Sprint Review), page 11
• The Scrum Guide, section 4.1 (The Product Backlog), page 11
• The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 2 (The Scrum Framework), lesson 5 (The Sprint Review) and lesson 6 (The Sprint Retrospective)