A week into a two-week Sprint the Developers discover that one selected item is far larger than they assumed. They are confident they can still meet the Sprint Goal without it. What does Scrum expect them to do?
Professional Scrum Master I, objective 1. Understanding and applying the Scrum framework hard
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The options
Correct Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog inside the Sprint, leaving the Sprint Goal unaffected
Correct. Scope is the flexible part and the Sprint Goal is the fixed part, and the renegotiation is a conversation rather than a request for permission — the Product Owner needs to know because it changes what the product gets this Sprint.
Not correct Drop the item on their own authority, since the Sprint Backlog is theirs to change
Wrong, and it is the subtle one. The plan is theirs, but the selected items came out of a conversation about value with the Product Owner, and Scrum says they collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate scope.
Not correct Keep the item and accept that the Sprint Goal will not be met, since the selected items are what was committed to
Wrong, and inverted. The Sprint Goal is the commitment; the selected items are the forecast. Sacrificing the commitment to protect the forecast gets the priority exactly backwards.
Not correct Ask the Product Owner to cancel the Sprint so the work can be re-planned properly
Wrong. A Sprint is cancelled only when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, and here the Sprint Goal is not only intact but still achievable.
Why
The Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers that deliberately leaves flexibility about the exact work needed to achieve it — that flexibility is the point, not a loophole. When the work turns out different from what was expected, the Developers keep the Sprint Goal in mind and negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog with the Product Owner within the Sprint. Nothing about that requires ending the Sprint or lowering its ambition.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- Scrum Guide section Commitment: Sprint Goal
- What it says
- If the work turns out to be different than they expected, they collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint without affecting the Sprint Goal.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 1 and space the ones you get wrong.
Practise Professional Scrum Master I
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