PSM I practice questions with answers

Answer: A) Reducing waste and focusing on the essentials

In the Scrum Guide, lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials. Observation-based decisions and transparency come from empiricism.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide states: 'Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.'
• BIncorrect. The Scrum Guide gives this to empiricism, which holds that knowledge comes from experience and from making decisions based on what is observed.
• CIncorrect. This describes transparency, one of the three empirical pillars (transparency, inspection, adaptation). It is not the guide's description of lean thinking.
• DIncorrect. The Scrum Guide does say Scrum engages groups of people who collectively have all the skills and expertise to do the work, but it presents this as part of how Scrum works, not as lean thinking's contribution.

Answer: A) Scrum Team members learn and explore the values as they work with the Scrum events and artifacts, and become more proficient in living them

The Scrum Guide describes the values as something Scrum Team members learn, explore and become more proficient in living through their work. They are not presented as external rules that someone audits or enforces.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says Scrum Team members learn and explore the values as they work with the events and artifacts, and that successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living the five values. The values are presented as something people live, not something an outside party scores.
• BIncorrect. The Scrum Guide gives the Scrum Master no accountability for scoring or reporting on individuals' adherence to the values. The Scrum Master serves the team, for example by coaching, rather than acting as a compliance monitor.
• CIncorrect. The Guide describes the values as something people keep learning, exploring and becoming more proficient in living. They are not a one-time adoption step.
• DIncorrect. The Guide says the Scrum Team as a whole commits to its goals and that the values give direction to the Scrum Team's work, actions and behavior. That covers every member, not only the Developers.

Answer: A) Accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide, acting as a true leader who serves the team and organization

The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide and for the Scrum Team's effectiveness. Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organization.

• ACorrect. The Guide says the Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. It describes Scrum Masters as true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organization.
• BIncorrect. The Developers are self-managing and decide who does what. The Scrum Master does not assign work or track individual performance.
• CIncorrect. The Product Owner is accountable for Product Backlog management, and the organization must respect the Product Owner's decisions. The Scrum Master helps the Product Owner find techniques but does not override them.
• DIncorrect. This undersells the role. The Scrum Master's accountability is establishing Scrum and the Scrum Team's effectiveness, not administrative scheduling or note-taking.

Answer: A) Coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality

In the 2020 Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by coaching self-management and cross-functionality, by focusing the team on high-value Done Increments, by causing the removal of impediments, and by ensuring Scrum events are productive and timeboxed.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide lists this as a way the Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team. The other ways are helping the team focus on high-value Increments that meet the Definition of Done, causing the removal of impediments to the team's progress, and ensuring that all Scrum events take place and are positive, productive, and kept within the timebox.
• BIncorrect. The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. The Scrum Master coaches self-management and does not create the plan for them.
• CIncorrect. The Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan. It is not a status meeting. The Scrum Master makes sure it takes place but does not run it as a reporting session.
• DIncorrect. If the organization has no Definition of Done standard, the Scrum Team creates one suitable for the product. The Scrum Master does not rewrite it alone.

Answer: A) By enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices within the Scrum framework, while the self-managing team does the work

The Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team's effectiveness. They carry this out by enabling the team to improve its practices within Scrum, not by directing or approving the self-managing Developers' work.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says the Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team's effectiveness and does this by enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices within the Scrum framework. The Developers are self-managing, and the entire Scrum Team is accountable for the Increment. So effectiveness is a team outcome that the Scrum Master enables, not something they produce alone.
• BIncorrect. The Developers are self-managing and decide internally who does what, when, and how. Assigning tasks and tracking individual output would undermine self-management.
• CIncorrect. The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. The Scrum Guide gives the Scrum Master no approval authority over it.
• DIncorrect. The Scrum Guide says there are no hierarchies within a Scrum Team. The Scrum Master serves and coaches the team rather than deciding how the work is done.

Answer: A) A formal opportunity to inspect how the Sprint went for people, interactions, processes, tools and the Definition of Done, and to plan improvements

The Sprint Retrospective is the formal opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect how the Sprint went and plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. Skipping it loses that chance to inspect and adapt.

• ACorrect. The Retrospective's purpose is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. The team inspects individuals, interactions, processes, tools and its Definition of Done. The Guide notes that failing to operate any event as prescribed results in lost opportunities to inspect and adapt.
• BIncorrect. The Daily Scrum's purpose is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog. The Sprint Retrospective is the event the Guide defines for improving quality and effectiveness.
• CIncorrect. This describes the Sprint Review, where the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the Sprint's outcome and may adjust the Product Backlog.
• DIncorrect. This describes Sprint Planning, which is a separate event. Skipping the Retrospective does not remove Sprint Planning.

Answer: A) Four hours

The Scrum Guide timeboxes the Sprint Review to a maximum of four hours for a one-month Sprint. Sprint Planning gets eight hours and the Sprint Retrospective gets three.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says the Sprint Review is timeboxed to a maximum of four hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints the event is usually shorter.
• BThree hours is the maximum timebox for the Sprint Retrospective on a one-month Sprint, not the Sprint Review.
• CEight hours is the maximum timebox for Sprint Planning on a one-month Sprint, not the Sprint Review.
• DEvery Scrum event has a timebox. The Sprint Review for a one-month Sprint is limited to a maximum of four hours, so it is not open-ended.

Answer: A) No, because the Daily Scrum is when the Developers together inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog

The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers, held every working day of the Sprint, to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog. Individual check-ins with the Scrum Master cannot replace it.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide describes the Daily Scrum as a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team. Its purpose is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary. Weekly one-on-ones with the Scrum Master do not give the Developers that daily, shared inspection and adaptation.
• BIncorrect. The Developers can choose any structure and techniques, but only if the Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. Weekly one-on-ones with the Scrum Master are not a daily event for the Developers and cannot produce that plan.
• CIncorrect. A relayed summary does not let the Developers inspect their progress and adapt their plan together. The Daily Scrum is the Developers' event, not a reporting channel through the Scrum Master.
• DIncorrect. The 15-minute timebox applies to a single Daily Scrum held every working day of the Sprint. Spreading that time across weekly individual meetings does not meet the event's purpose or its frequency.

Answer: A) The Sprint contains the other events; maximums for Planning, Review and Retrospective are set for a one-month Sprint and usually shorter for shorter Sprints.

The Sprint is a container for all other events. The maximum timeboxes for Sprint Planning, the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective are stated for a one-month Sprint and are usually shorter for shorter Sprints. The Daily Scrum stays at 15 minutes.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide calls the Sprint a container for all other events. It states maximums of 8 hours for Sprint Planning, 4 hours for the Sprint Review and 3 hours for the Sprint Retrospective for a one-month Sprint, and says that for shorter Sprints each event is usually shorter.
• BIncorrect. Only the Daily Scrum has a fixed timebox (15 minutes). The Guide says Sprint Planning, the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective are usually shorter for shorter Sprints.
• CIncorrect. The Sprint is a container for all other events. Sprint Planning starts the Sprint and the Sprint Retrospective ends it, so neither event adds time outside the Sprint.
• DIncorrect. This reverses the rule. The Daily Scrum is always a 15-minute event. The maximums for the other three events are stated for a one-month Sprint and are usually shorter for shorter Sprints.

Answer: A) It fits the event's purpose of inspecting the Sprint's outcome and determining future adaptations, and the Product Backlog may be adjusted

The Sprint Review inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations. Adjusting the Product Backlog based on the discussion is an expected result.

• ACorrect. The 2020 Scrum Guide says the purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. It calls the event a working session and says the Product Backlog may also be adjusted to meet new opportunities.
• BIncorrect. The Scrum Guide does not limit Product Backlog changes to Sprint Planning. It explicitly says the Product Backlog may be adjusted during the Sprint Review.
• CIncorrect. The Sprint Review is not an acceptance gate. The Guide calls it a working session where attendees collaborate on what to do next and should not limit it to a presentation.
• DIncorrect. The Sprint Retrospective plans ways to increase quality and effectiveness. Adapting the Product Backlog based on stakeholder feedback about the product happens at the Sprint Review.

Answer: A) Each contains a commitment (Product Goal, Sprint Goal, Definition of Done) that enhances transparency and focus against which progress can be measured

The Scrum Guide pairs each artifact with a commitment: the Product Goal, the Sprint Goal and the Definition of Done. These commitments add transparency and focus against which progress can be measured.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says each artifact contains a commitment. These are the Product Goal for the Product Backlog, the Sprint Goal for the Sprint Backlog and the Definition of Done for the Increment. They give the team transparency and focus against which progress can be measured, and they reinforce empiricism and the Scrum values.
• BIncorrect. The commitment for the Increment is the Definition of Done. The Scrum Guide does not define a 'Definition of Ready'.
• CIncorrect. The Scrum Guide does not link the artifacts through shared ownership. The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers, not something the Product Owner owns.
• DIncorrect. None of these are the commitments the Scrum Guide names, which are the Product Goal, Sprint Goal and Definition of Done. Their purpose is transparency and focus, not contractual accountability.

Answer: A) Each Increment must be additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all the Increments work together

• AThe Scrum Guide states that multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint, and each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring that all the Increments work together.
• BThis is the opposite of the actual rule — the Scrum Guide states each Increment is additive to all prior Increments, not a replacement that discards what came before.
• CThis has no basis in the Scrum Guide — the requirement is that each Increment be additive to all prior ones and thoroughly verified, not that different Developers must be assigned to each successive Increment.
• DThis is incorrect — every Increment, regardless of how many are created within a Sprint, must meet the Definition of Done; there's no exception for later Increments within the same Sprint.

Answer: A) Enough detail that the Developers can inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum

The Sprint Backlog is the Developers' plan. The Scrum Guide says it should have enough detail for them to inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum.

• ACorrect. The 2020 Scrum Guide says the Sprint Backlog should have enough detail that the Developers can inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum.
• BIncorrect. The Guide does not require hour estimates or a full breakdown up front. The Sprint Backlog is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned.
• CIncorrect. The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. Its detail serves the Developers' own inspection of progress, not task tracking by the Scrum Master.
• DIncorrect. The Guide's standard for Sprint Backlog detail is the Developers' inspection of progress at the Daily Scrum, not stakeholder release forecasting.

Answer: A) The same Product Goal, the same Product Backlog, and the same Product Owner

When Scrum Teams work on the same product, the 2020 Scrum Guide says they share the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says Scrum Teams focused on the same product should share the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner.
• BIncorrect. Sharing the Product Goal is right, but the Guide also says the teams share one Product Backlog and one Product Owner. They do not each have their own.
• CIncorrect. The Guide says the teams share the same Product Owner. The Product Owner is one person, not a committee, and is accountable for ordering the single Product Backlog.
• DIncorrect. The Guide says the teams share one Product Backlog. The Product Backlog is the single source of work for the product, so separate team backlogs do not fit.

Answer: A) The Scrum Team adapts its Definition of Done, because the Sprint Retrospective inspects it and plans ways to increase quality

The Definition of Done is not fixed. The Scrum Team inspects it in every Sprint Retrospective and can adapt it to increase quality.

• ACorrect. The Scrum Guide says the Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went, including its Definition of Done, and that the purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. Because the team created this Definition of Done, the team can adapt it.
• BIncorrect. The Scrum Guide gives the Scrum Team the job of creating the Definition of Done when there is no organizational standard, and it names the Sprint Retrospective as the event where the team inspects it. The Product Owner does not own it alone.
• CIncorrect. The Scrum Guide has no rule that freezes the Definition of Done until a release. It says the most impactful improvements should be addressed as soon as possible and may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.
• DIncorrect. The Scrum Guide does not make the Scrum Master accountable for the Definition of Done. Without an organizational standard, the Scrum Team creates a Definition of Done appropriate for the product.