Scrum Basics Practice Test

The 2020 Scrum Guide has different wording for the same statement:

Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.

Further reading: The Definition of Scrum

The question targets the Scrum roles. The incorrect answers are flawed in various ways:

• There is no project manager in Scrum
• The Development Team has been eliminated in 2020 and the role has been renamed to Developer
• Tester and architect are job titles, not roles, therefore irrelevant to Scrum

Further reading: The Scrum Team

The answer which claims that the Product Backlog is optional contradicts the Scrum Guide in multiple ways:

• The Product Backlog is not optional in Scrum.
• User Stories can be used in Scrum (as an optional technique) for describing Product Backlog Items but these two are not the same.

Further reading: Product Backlog

The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management. - The Scrum Guide

Since the Scrum Team is self-managing, nobody assigns tasks to the team members.

The Sprint Backlog is under the authority of the Developers of the Scrum Team.

Further reading: The Product Owner

The 2020 Scrum Guide does not explicitly detail monitoring Sprint-progress. Previously it was the responsibility of the Development Team, which has also been eliminated by the 2020 Scrum Guide. It could be still the responsibility of the Developers since they are in the best position to do so: the Daily Scrum and the Sprint Backlog are good inputs or tools for monitoring the progress. However, the 2020 Scrum Guide also changed an important aspect of Scrum. Previously the Development Team was self-organizing, now the entire Scrum Team is self-managing. This means monitoring progress is either the responsibility of the Developers or the Scrum Team, depending on the offered choices.

The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team.

Further reading: The Daily Scrum

The Scrum Guide canonized the names of the events (it even canonized that these are events and not ceremonies and not even meetings). No more stand-up and demo. Grooming is called Refinement and is not an event but a process.

Further reading: Scrum Events

The current Scrum Guide states:

Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into value. They are fixed length events of one month or less to create consistency.

Accuracy matters on a PSM exam. Further reading: The Sprint

Why are the other answers wrong?

Before the release of the first Scrum Guide, various definitions and recommendations existed. Some of the offered answers reflect these.

• "30 days" was mentioned by Sutherland as a synonym of a month, however, shorter sprints were never disfavoured.
• 1-4 weeks is the practical advice and this is the typical length in practice, however, it is not a rule.
• The 'as long as needed' is used by other agile frameworks, however, Scrum prefers fixed-length Sprints and no (frequent) changes in Sprint length.

Only the Developers of the Scrum Team are in the position to produce an educated guess on the effort needed to implement a Product Backlog item or to estimate what can be delivered within a Sprint. They can negotiate trade-offs with the Product Owner, though.

The Scrum Board is a potential representation of the Sprint Backlog, but not a Scrum artifact.

The Burndown Chart is an optional technique for monitoring Sprint progress, but not a Scrum artifact.

There is no project plan in Scrum.

Further reading: Scrum Artifacts

The correct answer is: "Scrum Teams and their associated roles, events, artifacts, and rules", so much that this statement was part of the Scrum guide until the 2020 overhaul. The other answers are wrong for various reasons, e.g. Scrum has no ceremonies and detailed processes, elaborate methods and instructions. The "values, principles, pillars and rules" list is vaguely related to Scrum, however, it clearly misses the point.

Defined by the Scrum Guide:

Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.

Further reading: Sprint Planning

This is how Scrum was described in the pre-2020 Scrum Guides. The current one also mentions that it is lightweight and simple. But if not anymore explicitly stated, is it really difficult to master? Have no doubt about it.

The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management

The Product Owner

The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers.

Sprint Backlog

The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum Team.

Daily Scrum

Changing the core design or ideas of Scrum, leaving out elements, or not following the rules of Scrum, covers up problems and limits the benefits of Scrum, potentially even rendering it useless.

Further reading: Purpose of the Scrum Guide

The purpose of the Sprint is to build one or more increments embodying the Sprint Goal.

Wrong answers:

• The Sprint Review is just an event, an element of the Scrum framework but at most a 'by-product'. It is a means, not a result.
• Increments are only released when they provide value to the users or the business, in their current form.

The Scrum Guide does not define strict limits. Previously 3-9 was recommended for the Developers, even before 7+/-2. However, the current Scrum Guide only states that a Scrum Team (including the Scrum Master, the Product Owner and the Developers) has typically 10 members or less.

Further reading: The Scrum Team

The false statement makes a direct connection between the Sprint Goal and the Definition of Done, which is wrong:

• The Sprint Goal has a business purpose and is peculiar to a Sprint;
• The Definition of Done is a generic statement. All Product Backlog Items must meet the Definition of Done when claimed to be done.

Further reading: The Definition of Done, Sprint Planning

As per the rules of Scrum, it is the Scrum Master.

One of the services of the Scrum Master to the Scrum Team is "Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress".

Further reading: The Scrum Master