Scrum PSPO-I Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 2

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog, collaborating with the stakeholders and the Developers, and ordering the items in a way that best achieves goals and missions. The Product Owner represents the interests of everyone with a stake in the product and ensures that the Scrum Team works on the right things at the right time.

To ensure that the product delivers value, a Scrum Product Owner might focus on the following aspects:

How much of the functionality of the product is being used: This is an indicator of how well the product meets or exceeds the needs and expectations of the customers and users. It can also reveal which features or functions are more or less valuable or useful for them. The Product Owner can use various methods or metrics to measure the usage of the product functionality, such as analytics, user behavior, retention, or engagement.

Direct customer feedback: This is a source of valuable input and insights from the people who use or benefit from the product. It can also help to validate or invalidate assumptions or hypotheses about the product value and quality. The Product Owner can use various methods or channels to collect and incorporate customer feedback, such as surveys, ratings, reviews, interviews, focus groups, or social media.

How quickly or easily the product can be absorbed and used by its customers: This is a measure of how well the product delivers value to customers or users in a timely and convenient manner. It can also affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. The Product Owner can use various methods or metrics to measure the ease of use or adoption of the product, such as time to value, learning curve, usability testing, or net promoter score (NPS).

The other options are not valid or relevant aspects that a Scrum Product Owner might focus on to ensure that the product delivers value. They are either too narrow, unrealistic, or unrelated to the product value delivery. They are:

Velocity is increasing over time: This is not a valid aspect that a Scrum Product Owner might focus on to ensure that the product delivers value. Velocity is a measure of how much work a Scrum Team can deliver in a Sprint. It is not a measure of value or quality. It is also not a goal or target for improvement. It is only a planning tool that helps the Scrum Team forecast their future work based on their past performance. Focusing on increasing velocity over time may lead to unrealistic expectations, pressure, or compromise on quality.

Minimizing changes to project scope: This is not a valid aspect that a Scrum Product Owner might focus on to ensure that the product delivers value. Scrum is an agile framework that embraces change as an opportunity for delivering more value to customers and users. Scrum does not have a fixed project scope, but rather an adaptive Product Backlog that evolves as the product and the market change. The Product Owner should welcome and respond to changes in customer needs and expectations, rather than resist or avoid them.

Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Product Owner: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner

Value: https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/value-scrum-value

Velocity: https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/velocity

The Sprint Review is an event that occurs at the end of each Sprint, where the Scrum Team and the stakeholders inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. The Sprint Review is an opportunity for the Product Owner to validate that the Increment meets their expectations and delivers value to the customers and users. The Sprint Review is also an opportunity for the Developers to demonstrate their work and receive feedback from the Product Owner and the stakeholders.

The purpose of a Sprint Review is to inspect the product Increment with the stakeholders and collect feedback on next steps. The Sprint Review is a collaborative and interactive session where the Scrum Team and the stakeholders discuss what was done in the Sprint, what problems were encountered, what was learned, and what can be improved or changed. The Sprint Review also provides input for updating the Product Backlog to maximize value in future Sprints.

The other options are not valid or relevant purposes of a Sprint Review. They are either too vague, unrelated, or incorrect. They are:

To build team spirit: This is not a valid purpose of a Sprint Review. While team spirit is important for any Scrum Team, it is not the main focus or outcome of a Sprint Review. A Sprint Review is a formal event that has a specific agenda and goal, not a casual or social gathering.

To take time to judge the validity of the project: This is not a valid purpose of a Sprint Review. Scrum does not have a concept of a project, but rather a product. A product is a valuable solution that evolves over time to meet customer needs and market conditions. A project is a temporary endeavor with a fixed scope, time, and cost. A Sprint Review is not a time to judge or evaluate the validity of the product or its development, but rather to inspect and adapt it based on empirical evidence and feedback.

To review the Scrum Team's activities and processes during the Sprint: This is not a valid purpose of a Sprint Review. This is the purpose of another Scrum event called the Sprint Retrospective. The Sprint Retrospective is an event that occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning, where the Scrum Team inspects how they worked during the Sprint and identifies improvements for the next Sprint. The Sprint Retrospective focuses on improving the Scrum Team's performance and process, not on inspecting the product Increment or its value.

Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Sprint Review: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-review

The Scrum Master should talk to the IT manager and explain that progress in Scrum comes from inspecting an Increment at the Sprint Review. This is because:

The Scrum Team is self-managing and does not need to report to anyone outside the team1.

The Sprint Review is an event where the Scrum Team and the stakeholders collaborate on the product and inspect the Increment2.

The Increment is a concrete and usable outcome of the Sprint that provides a measure of progress and value delivery3.

The IT manager can attend the Sprint Review as a stakeholder and provide feedback on the product and the process4.

Scrum Guide, page 7, section "The Scrum Team"

Scrum Guide, page 13, section "Sprint Review"

Scrum Guide, page 10, section "Increment"

Scrum Guide, page 14, section "Sprint Review"

The metrics that will help a Product Owner determine if a product is delivering value are customer satisfaction and time to market. This is because:

Customer satisfaction is a measure of how well the product meets the needs and expectations of the customers5. It reflects the value proposition of the product and the feedback from the users.

Time to market is a measure of how quickly the product can be delivered to the market. It reflects the agility and responsiveness of the Scrum Team and the ability to deliver value early and often.

Other metrics, such as productivity, velocity, and percentage of scope implemented, are not directly related to value delivery. They may indicate how efficiently or effectively the Scrum Team is working, but they do not necessarily reflect how valuable or desirable the product is for the customers or stakeholders.

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 5, section "Product Value"

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 6, section "Product Vision"

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 7, section "Product Backlog Management"

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 8, section "Release Management"

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 9, section "Business Strategy"

Professional Scrum Product Owner Training, page 10, section "Stakeholders & Customers"

The ideal time for refinement to take place and who should participate are the Scrum Team during the current Sprint, if they have been unable during preceding Sprints to define Product Backlog items with enough precision to begin work, and the Scrum Team on an ongoing basis, defining Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items that are ready for selection. This is because:

Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to Product Backlog items. It is an ongoing and collaborative process that involves the whole Scrum Team.

The Scrum Team should refine the Product Backlog as needed to ensure that there are enough items that are sufficiently clear and ready for selection in Sprint Planning. The amount of time spent on refinement usually varies from one Scrum Team to another, but it is recommended not to exceed 10% of the capacity of the Developers.

The Scrum Team may also use a Sprint to refine the Product Backlog if they have not been able to do so in previous Sprints. This may happen when the product is new or complex, or when there is a significant change in the product vision or direction. However, this should be an exception rather than a rule, as it may delay the delivery of value and feedback.

Other options, such as business analysts doing the refinement work for the Scrum Team, the Product Owner doing the refinement alone in Sprint 0 or between Sprints, or handing off the ownership of the Product Backlog to someone else, are not consistent with the principles and values of Scrum. They may lead to misunderstandings, misalignment, or loss of ownership and accountability.

[Scrum Guide], page 11, section "Product Backlog"

[Scrum Guide], page 12, section "Product Backlog Refinement"

[Professional Scrum Product Owner Training], page 7, section "Product Backlog Management"

[Professional Scrum Product Owner Training], page 8, section "Release Management"

[Professional Scrum Product Owner Training], page 9, section "Business Strategy"

The advantages of a Product Owner sharing a clearly defined Product Goal with the Scrum Team are:

It provides a good overall direction so Sprints will feel less like isolated pieces of work. The Product Goal is a long-term objective for the product that guides all the activities of the Scrum Team. It helps the Scrum Team align their efforts and focus on delivering value that contributes to the product vision.

It helps the Scrum Team keep focus and they can weigh any decision against the Product Goal. The Product Goal serves as a filter for deciding what to work on and what not to work on. It helps the Scrum Team prioritize and optimize their work based on value and impact.

It is easier to inspect incremental progress at the Sprint Review. The Sprint Review is an event where the Scrum Team and the stakeholders collaborate on the product and inspect how it meets the Product Goal. The Increment is a concrete and usable outcome of the Sprint that provides a measure of progress towards the Product Goal.

Other options, such as helping the Developers estimate the date that the Product Backlog will be complete or being not mandatory in Scrum, are not valid advantages of having a Product Goal. They may reflect a misunderstanding of what a Product Goal is or how Scrum works.

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section "Product Goal"

[Professional Scrum Product Owner Training], page 6, section "Product Vision"

[Professional Scrum Product Owner Training], page 7, section "Product Backlog Management"

[Scrum Guide], page 13, section "Sprint Review"

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section "Increment"

The Product Owner should not have the entire Product Backlog documented in detail before the first Sprint can start. This is because:

The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is never complete and constantly changes to reflect the needs and desires of the customers, users, and stakeholders.

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are responsible for identifying and articulating the Product Goal, which is a long-term objective for the product that guides all the activities of the Scrum Team.

The Product Owner collaborates with the Developers and the stakeholders to refine the Product Backlog as needed to ensure that there are enough items that are sufficiently clear and ready for selection in Sprint Planning. The amount of detail and precision required for each Product Backlog item depends on its order, size, and complexity.

The Product Owner does not need to have the entire Product Backlog documented in detail before the first Sprint can start, as this would imply a fixed and upfront plan that does not allow for feedback, learning, and adaptation. Instead, the Product Owner only needs to have enough items that are well understood and valuable for the Scrum Team to start working on them in the first Sprint.

[Scrum Guide], page 11, section "Product Backlog"

[Scrum Guide], page 6, section "Product Owner"

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section "Product Goal"

[Scrum Guide], page 12, section "Product Backlog Refinement"

The Product Owner is responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog, which is the single source of truth for the plan of the product development. The Product Backlog is a living artifact that changes as the product and the market evolve. The Product Owner updates the Product Backlog continuously based on feedback, learning, and stakeholder needs. There is no separate project plan document in Scrum.

[Scrum Guide], section 3.1: "The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product."

[Professional Scrum Product Owner], chapter 5: "The Product Backlog represents everything necessary to develop and launch a successful product."

[What is a Product Backlog?]: "The Product Backlog is a list of all things that need to be done within the project."

Answer: : TrueDependencies are relationships between Product Backlog items that affect their order of implementation. For example, a Product Backlog item may depend on another one to be completed first, or it may have a dependency on a third-party system or resource. Dependencies could influence how the Product Owner orders Product Backlog items, as they may introduce risks, constraints, or uncertainties that affect the value delivery. The Product Owner should try to minimize dependencies and order the Product Backlog items in a way that maximizes value and minimizes waste.[Professional Scrum Product Owner], chapter 6: "Dependencies are relationships between Product Backlog items that affect their order of implementation."[Managing Dependencies on Agile Projects]: "Dependencies can have a significant impact on the delivery of value."