Scrum Professional Scrum Master PSM-II Questions & Answers

• Question 1:

  Which two options describe how project budgeting and financial forecasting work in Scrum? (Choose two.)

  A. It is ideally revisited as frequently as each Sprint to ensure value is being delivered for the investment spent.

  B. Scrum does not align with traditional accounting practices. The financial department needs to be given a fixed cost per Sprint per team.

  C. Several Sprints may be funded as a single release, with the result of each Sprint being releasable product.

  D. The only funding is for the run cost (time and materials) of the Scrum Teams, so no budgeting process is needed.

  Correct Answer: AC

• Question 2:

  Marian is a Product Owner working on a Scrum Team on a new release for her product. Based on the average velocity of the previous release Marian estimated the project to take seven Sprints. Average velocity in the previous release was thirteen completed units of work per Sprint. Development is three Sprints underway, with four more Sprints to go until the release. Product Backlog has been stable.

  Over the first three Sprints, the Developers report their average velocity is nine, while not having fully tested all the delivered functionality. The Developers estimate that the unfinished testing would have required 10% of a Sprint's time. The Developers believe that the required velocity of thirteen is within their reach. What is the most effective way to recover?

  A. In the next Sprints, the Developers keep making sure that all of the selected scope per Sprint is as done as possible, at least at the past level of 90%. In every Sprint the undone work of the previous Sprint is estimated and added to the Sprint Backlog. It comes on top of the expected forecast of 13 units, so it does not mess up progress on the Product Backlog.

  B. Transparency needs to be restored by adding the undone work to the Product Backlog. The Developers must figure out a way to deliver in the upcoming Sprints a velocity of not only 13 units of new work, but also two additional points to catch up undone work. It is the Scrum Master's duty to assess whether such repair is possible. If not, the Scrum Master initiates a restart with a more reliable team or cancels the project. The Scrum Master will have to inform the Product Owner and the stakeholders.

  C. The Developers set the open work aside to be performed in one or more release Sprints. They remind Marian to find funding for enough Release Sprints in which this remaining work can be done. Up to one release Sprint per three development Sprints may be required. It is Marian's responsibility to inform users and stakeholders of the impact on the release date.

  D. The Developers inform Marian that the progress she has perceived to date is not correct. The Increment is not releasable. They give Marian their estimate of the effort it would take to get the past work done, and suggest doing that work first before proceeding with new features. The Developers also re-estimate the effort to complete the remaining backlog, including all testing. In the end, it is Marian's call to continue the project or to cancel.

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 3:

  When does a Sprint end?

  A. When there is no work remaining in the Sprint Backlog.

  B. When the time-box expires.

  C. It depends on the Product Owner.

  D. Immediately after the conclusion of the Sprint Review.

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 4:

  The purpose of a Sprint is to produce a potentially releasable product Increment.

  A. True

  B. False

  Correct Answer: A

  Sprints promote iterative and incremental development.

• Question 5:

  You are the Scrum Master of a Scrum Team that has one Developer who disagrees with team decisions. Their disagreements are becoming disruptive and slowing progress. The Developer often returns to earlier team decisions and re-opens the issue.

  What are two ways to go about this problem? (Choose two.)

  A. You go to the Human Resources department and ask them to have a conversation with the Developer based on the issues the team has raised.

  B. You organize an offsite team building activity to establish a foundation of trust. You observe whether the problem persists after the offsite activity.

  C. You take the Developer aside to express your concern over their disagreements and tell them to act as a team player and to comply with the team's decision.

  D. To every team member expressing this concern you suggest raising this with the full team. You offer to help initiate the conversation but not to resolve the concern yourself.

  E. At the Sprint Retrospective you observe whether the topic is raised. If it does not happen, you check on how comfortable everybody is with the way team decisions are made.

  Correct Answer: CE

• Question 6:

  When does a new Sprint begin?

  A. Immediately after the next Sprint Planning.

  B. Immediately after the end of the previous Sprint.

  C. It depends on the Product Owner.

  D. Every Monday.

  Correct Answer: B

• Question 7:

  What might be a valid reason for abnormally cancelling a Sprint?

  A. When the Development Team discovers it cannot meet their Sprint commitments.

  B. When the work becomes too difficult for the Development Team.

  C. When the sales department discovers features that add more value than the current work being done.

  D. When the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete.

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 8:

  A time-box is:

  A. An event that starts at a specific time.

  B. An event with a minimum set time.

  C. An event that cannot take more than a maximum amount of time.

  D. An event that must happen by a specific time.

  Correct Answer: C

  All events are time-boxed events, such that every event has a maximum duration. Once a Sprint begins, its duration is fixed and cannot be shortened or lengthened. The remaining events may end whenever the purpose of the event is achieved, ensuring an appropriate amount of time is spent without allowing waste in the process.

• Question 9:

  The Sprint length should be:

  A. Short enough to keep the business risk acceptable to the Product Owner.

  B. Short enough to be able to synchronize the development work with other business events.

  C. No more than one month.

  D. All of these answers are correct.

  Correct Answer: D

• Question 10:

  How should a Scrum Master respond if the Product Owner plans the first Sprint to only focus on setting up the infrastructure and architecture in order to work on functionality in a subsequent Sprint?

  A. Help the Product Owner understand the value of including business functionality into every Sprint and explain to him/her that the best architecture and infrastructure emerge alongside the development of the functionality.

  B. Support the Product Owner's decision as he/she is accountable for maximizing the value of the work that the Development Team does.

  C. Explain that one Sprint may be too short to finish the architecture and he should pre-allocate subsequent Sprints just in case.

  D. Add at least one technical architect to the Development Team to ensure the architecture can be completed in the first Sprint.

  Correct Answer: A

  Getting feedback from the Users and Stakeholders is a crucial activity in Scrum. It reduces waste from building items that add no value. Saying that, the best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.