On day six of a two-week Sprint the Developers discover that one selected item is far larger than understood and that a second item can be delivered in a much simpler way. The Sprint Goal is still achievable. Which TWO responses are consistent with Scrum?
Professional Scrum Master I, objective 3. Managing products with agility hard
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The options
Choose 2.
Not correct Leave both items exactly as selected until the Sprint ends, because the Sprint Backlog is fixed at Sprint Planning
Wrong. The Sprint Backlog is a real-time picture updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned; freezing it hides the very thing that was just learned.
Correct Renegotiate the scope of the affected items with the Product Owner as more is learned, keeping the Sprint Goal intact
Correct. Clarifying and renegotiating scope with the Product Owner inside the Sprint is named directly, and the boundary is the Sprint Goal rather than the original item list.
Correct Refine the oversized item during the Sprint, breaking it down into smaller, more precise items
Correct. The Product Backlog is refined as needed during the Sprint — refinement is ongoing, so mid-Sprint is a perfectly normal moment for it. What then happens to the Sprint's scope is a separate step: that is renegotiated with the Product Owner.
Not correct Ask the Scrum Master to cancel the Sprint, since the plan made at Sprint Planning no longer holds
Wrong twice over. A Sprint could be cancelled only if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, which it has not, and only the Product Owner has that authority in any case.
Why
A Sprint protects the Sprint Goal, not the item list drawn up on day one. Learning something on day six is expected, and Scrum names two responses to it: refine the Product Backlog as needed, and renegotiate scope with the Product Owner. What is not permitted is a change that endangers the Sprint Goal. Candidates lose this item by treating the Sprint Backlog as a contract instead of a plan by and for the Developers.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- Scrum Guide section The Sprint
- What it says
- Scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned.
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 3 and space the ones you get wrong.
Practise Professional Scrum Master I
More questions on this objective
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