Scrum PSM-II Professional Scrum Master II Exam Practice Test

Answer : A, C

According to the Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) framework, one of the principles for scaling agile development is to descale the organization, which means simplifying the structure and reducing dependencies and handoffs. A well-structured Product Backlog can help achieve this by enabling feature teams, which are cross-functional and cross-component teams that can deliver a complete customer-centric feature. Feature teams minimize and often eliminate Developers working on multiple Scrum Teams during a Sprint, as they can focus on one Product Backlog item at a time. This also improves productivity, quality, and learning, as Developers can avoid context switching and multitasking, which are known to reduce efficiency and effectiveness. A person working on multiple Scrum Teams at the same time is often less productive than when that person can focus on the Sprint Backlog of a single Scrum Team.

The Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) framework also states that Scrum does not change when scaling up to multiple teams. The core Scrum framework remains intact, with one Product Owner, one Product Backlog, and potentially releasable Increments every Sprint. The only changes are adding a few coordination practices to cope with the increased complexity and interdependencies. Therefore, changes to the core Scrum framework are not needed to be successful with Scrum at large scale.

Scrum Team members do not have to be working full time on a team, as long as they are committed to the Sprint Goal and deliver a Done Increment every Sprint. However, it is recommended that they spend as much time as possible with their team, as this fosters collaboration, communication, and alignment.

The Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) framework | Atlassian, accessed on September 30, 2023

Overview - Large Scale Scrum (LeSS), accessed on September 30, 2023

Practices for Scaling Lean & Agile Development: Large, Multisite, and Offshore Product Development with Large-Scale Scrum, Craig Larman and Bas Vodde, 2010

Leading Large Scale Product Development with Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Kamlesh Ravlani, 2015

Answer : C

The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum, which includes helping the Scrum Team and the organization understand and enact Scrum values, principles, and practices. The Scrum Master should offer guidance that:

Addresses the root cause of the conflict, not just the symptoms or the consequences.

Empowers the Scrum Team to self-organize and collaborate effectively, without relying on external intervention or authority.

Fosters a culture of transparency, inspection, and adaptation, where feedback is welcomed and used to improve the product and the process.

Focuses on delivering value to the customer and meeting the Sprint Goal, not on following a fixed plan or satisfying individual preferences.

Therefore, the best option is to address why requirements change during the Sprint Retrospective , which is an event that allows the Scrum Team to inspect how they worked together and create a plan for improvements. The Scrum Master should ask the Developers and the Product Owner to talk about why the requirements are changing and consider the impact on value during this discussion. This will help them understand each other's perspectives, clarify their expectations, and align their goals.

The other options are not appropriate because they:

Take everyone to a 2-day off-site event to relax and re-align (A), which may be a nice gesture, but does not solve the underlying problem or help the Scrum Team improve their collaboration skills. It may also be seen as a distraction or a reward for poor performance.

Ask each person's functional manager to instruct their employees that they must collaborate better, or be removed from the team (B), which undermines the self-organization and autonomy of the Scrum Team and introduces a threat of punishment that may damage trust and motivation. It also violates the Scrum value of respect and the principle of servant leadership.

Ask for a project manager or other external resource to mediate and temporarily take over for the Product Owner (D), which creates a dependency on an outsider who may not have the necessary knowledge, authority, or vision to manage the product. It also violates the Scrum role of the Product Owner and the principle of single-wringable-neck.

Answer : B, C, D

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality standards required for the product. The purpose of the Definition of Done is to:

During the Sprint, it helps the Developers identify the work remaining for an Increment to be ready for release by the end of a Sprint (B), by providing a clear and shared understanding of what ''Done'' means for each Product Backlog item and the Increment as a whole.

It creates transparency into the state of the Increment when it is inspected at the Sprint Review , by ensuring that everyone involved in the product development has the same expectations and criteria for evaluating the value, usability, and quality of the Increment.

It guides the Developers when creating a forecast at the Sprint Planning (D), by enabling them to estimate how much work they can realistically complete within a Sprint, based on their capacity, skills, and Definition of Done.

Answer : A, C

The Sprint Review is an event that inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations. The Product Owner has the authority to release the Increment to production at any time, but this does not mean that the Sprint has to be stopped or changed. The stakeholders can provide feedback and suggestions for the product, but they cannot interfere with the Sprint Goal or the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint. The Scrum Team can decide to:

Continue sprinting but shorten the Sprint length to allow for shorter feedback loops (A), which is a valid option if the Scrum Team agrees that this will improve their agility and value delivery. However, this should not be done frequently or arbitrarily, as it may disrupt the rhythm and focus of the team.

Continue sprinting and include the customer feedback in the Product Backlog , which is the most appropriate option as it respects the empirical nature of Scrum and allows the Product Owner to prioritize and order the Product Backlog based on new insights and stakeholder needs.

Answer : A, B, C, D

Scrum is a framework for addressing complex adaptive problems, such as product development, that require empirical process control and frequent inspection and adaptation. Scrum helps to mitigate the risks of:

The timescale of the planned work (A), by delivering potentially releasable increments of value at the end of each Sprint, which is a fixed time-box of one month or less.

The stability and complexity of the technology (B), by allowing the Development Team to self-organize and choose the best way to create a ''Done'' increment that meets the Definition of Done.

The complexity and unpredictability of the requirements , by enabling the Product Owner to manage the Product Backlog, which is an ordered list of what is needed in the product and can change as more is learned about the product, users, market, and technology.

The skills and working relationships of the people on the teams (D), by fostering a culture of collaboration, transparency, and accountability among the Scrum Team members and stakeholders.

Answer : A, E

A: You organize an offsite team building activity to establish a foundation of trust. You observe whether the problem persists after the offsite activity. This is a good way to foster a positive team culture and improve the relationships among the team members. The offsite activity can help the team to have fun, relax, and bond with each other. It can also create an opportunity for the team to discuss their issues and concerns in a more informal and friendly setting. The Scrum Master can observe whether the problem of disagreement is resolved or reduced after the offsite activity, and provide feedback and support as needed.

E: 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. This is a good way to empower the team to address their own problems and find their own solutions. The Scrum Master can encourage the team members to speak up and share their perspectives and feelings with the whole team, rather than keeping them to themselves or complaining to others. The Scrum Master can also facilitate the conversation and ensure that it is respectful, constructive, and productive, but not intervene or impose their own opinion or decision.

Scrum Guide 2020, page 13: ''The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality.''

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 20: ''The Scrum Master can help the team to build trust by creating a safe environment where people can express themselves openly and honestly, without fear of judgment or retaliation.''

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 21: ''The Scrum Master can help the team to resolve conflicts by facilitating dialogue, listening actively, asking powerful questions, and supporting collaborative decision making.''

Answer : B, C

B: Productivity, in terms of lines of code or story points, will probably suffer during the transition, although even then delivery of business value is still likely to increase. This is a realistic expectation, as the teams will need to learn new skills, collaborate more effectively, and adapt to changing requirements. However, the benefit of feature teams is that they can deliver working software that provides value to the customers and stakeholders every Sprint, rather than waiting for the integration of different components.

C: Feature teams will require time to become productive as people from the different layers and components become accustomed to working and delivering unified functionality together, as one Scrum Team. This is a natural consequence of changing the team structure and culture, as the teams will need to overcome some challenges and conflicts, build trust and rapport, and establish a shared vision and goal. The Scrum Master can help the teams with this transition by facilitating communication, coaching, and mentoring.

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 17: ''Feature teams are cross-functional teams that can deliver end-to-end functionality for a product. They have all the skills and competencies needed to work on multiple layers of the system.''

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 18: ''Component teams are teams that specialize in one layer or component of the system. They often depend on other teams to deliver a complete functionality for a product.''

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 19: ''Feature teams have many advantages over component teams, such as faster feedback, higher quality, lower complexity, and more customer value.''