Free PSM-I Questions Attempt

The correct answer is C, because the Development Team should inform the Product Owner so he/she can work with the CEO. The Scrum Guide states that “only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint, although he or she may do so under influence from the stakeholders, the Development Team, or the Scrum Master.” Therefore, if the CEO wants to add a “very important” item to a Sprint that is in progress, he or she should communicate with the Product Owner, who can then decide whether to cancel or continue the current Sprint.

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

Two techniques that the Scrum Master could use when the Scrum Team gets caught in an internal disagreement about which agile practices to apply are to involve the complete Scrum Team in making a decision, and to use coaching techniques such as open questions and active listening, as stated in [3]: “The Scrum Master should facilitate a constructive dialogue among the team members and help them reach a consensus on which agile practices to use. The Scrum Master should also use coaching techniques such as open questions and active listening to understand the underlying needs and motivations of each team member and to help them find common ground.”

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide1. Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values1. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum2. They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization while serving the Scrum Team as well as the larger organization2.

Option B is incorrect because keeping track of resource allocation is not a responsibility of the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master does not manage or control the resources of the Scrum Team or the organization. The Scrum Team is self-organizing and responsible for managing its own work within a Sprint1.

Option C is incorrect because managing the performance of the Scrum Team is not a responsibility of the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master does not evaluate or appraise the performance of the Development Team or the Product Owner. The Scrum Master serves the Development Team by coaching them on self-organization and cross-functionality, and serves the Product Owner by ensuring that goals, scope, and product domain are understood by everyone on the Scrum Team1.

Option D is incorrect because the meetings and the objectives that a Scrum Team sets for itself are not a responsibility of the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master does not dictate or prescribe what meetings or objectives a Scrum Team should have. The Scrum Master facilitates the Scrum Events as requested or needed, and ensures that they are positive, productive, and kept within the time-box1.