SPS: Scaled Professional Scrum

The best answer for this question is A. Integrating more frequently. This answer is correct because integrating more frequently can help the Scrum Teams in a Nexus to detect and resolve integration issues or dependencies earlier and faster, and to deliver a potentially releasable product increment at the end of each Sprint. Integrating more frequently can also reduce the complexity and risk of integration, and increase the quality and feedback of value delivery 112233.

The other answers are not correct for the following reasons:

B . Doing more acceptance testing. This answer is not sufficient because doing more acceptance testing does not address the root cause of the problem, which is the late integration of the work. Acceptance testing can help to verify the quality and functionality of the product increment, but it does not ensure that the integration is done early and often. Moreover, doing more acceptance testing may consume more time and resources, and delay the delivery of the product increment 44.

C . Doing more exploratory testing. This answer is not helpful because doing more exploratory testing does not solve the issue of the late integration of the work. Exploratory testing can help to discover and learn more about the product increment, but it does not guarantee that the integration is done smoothly and quickly. Furthermore, doing more exploratory testing may introduce more uncertainty and variability, and hinder the delivery of the product increment 55.

D . Using Behavior-Driven Development. This answer is not relevant because using Behavior-Driven Development does not directly affect the integration of the work. Behavior-Driven Development is a technique that can help to define and communicate the expected behavior and outcomes of the product increment, but it does not ensure that the integration is done frequently and effectively. Additionally, using Behavior-Driven Development may require more collaboration and coordination, and complicate the delivery of the product increment [6].

E . Investing in more Requirements Traceability. This answer is not useful because investing in more Requirements Traceability does not improve the integration of the work. Requirements Traceability is a practice that can help to track and document the origin and evolution of the product requirements, but it does not ensure that the integration is done timely and efficiently. Also, investing in more Requirements Traceability may increase the overhead and bureaucracy, and slow down the delivery of the product increment [7].

F . All of the above. This answer is not correct because none of the above answers are effective for addressing the issue of the late integration of the work. As explained above, each of the above answers has its own limitations and drawbacks, and does not directly or sufficiently help the Scrum Teams in a Nexus to integrate their work more frequently and successfully. Therefore, the best answer is A. Integrating more frequently.

When a Nexus, which is a group of approximately three to nine Scrum Teams working on the same product, faces many dependencies during Nexus Sprint Planning, it can use some techniques to manage them effectively. One technique is to reorganize team members between the teams to eliminate cross-team dependencies. This can be done by forming feature teams or component teams based on the nature of the work and the skills required. By doing so, the Nexus can reduce the need for coordination and integration across teams, and increase the autonomy and ownership of each team 1122. Therefore, statement B is correct.

Another technique is to reorder Product Backlog items to better accommodate dependencies. This can be done by applying dependency management techniques such as dependency mapping, dependency inversion, dependency breaking, and dependency prioritization. By doing so, the Nexus can identify, visualize, resolve, and minimize the dependencies that affect the delivery of the Integrated Increment, which is the combined work of all the Scrum Teams in the Nexus that meets the Nexus Sprint Goal 334455. Therefore, statement D is also correct.

Statement A is incorrect because it implies that the Nexus Integration Team, which is a group of people who are accountable for ensuring the integration and delivery of the Integrated Increment, should do the dependent work ahead of the Sprint for the teams. This would create a bottleneck and a single point of failure, as well as undermine the self-organization and collaboration of the Scrum Teams 1122. Statement C is incorrect because it suggests that the Nexus should extend the Sprint so that the teams can have more time to complete the dependent work. This would violate the Scrum principle of time-boxing, which ensures that the Nexus delivers value frequently and incrementally, and inspects and adapts its process regularly 1122.

The purpose of Nexus Sprint Retrospective is all of the above, meaning that it aims to:

Plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness across the whole Nexus. The Nexus Sprint Retrospective is a formal opportunity for a Nexus to inspect and adapt itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint to ensure continuous improvement 11.

To inspect how the last Sprint went with regards to individuals, teams, interactions, processes, tools, and its Definition of Done. The Nexus Sprint Retrospective follows the same format and principles as the Scrum Team Sprint Retrospective, but at a larger scale. The Nexus inspects the aspects of the product development that affect the Nexus as a whole, such as the collaboration, the integration, the dependencies, the quality, and the value 22.

To complement the Scrum Teams' Sprint Retrospectives by using bottom-up intelligence to focus on issues that affect the Nexus as a whole. The Nexus Sprint Retrospective does not replace the Scrum Teams' Sprint Retrospectives, but rather enhances them by using the input and output from the individual teams to identify and address the shared challenges and opportunities 33.

The Nexus Sprint Retrospective is an event where the Nexus, consisting of multiple Scrum Teams, inspects and adapts its processes, tools, interactions, and dependencies to improve its quality and effectiveness 11. The Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs after the Nexus Sprint Review and before the next Nexus Sprint Planning 11. The Nexus Sprint Retrospective has two parts: a first part where representatives from each Scrum Team identify shared challenges and opportunities, and a second part where each Scrum Team conducts its own Sprint Retrospective 23.

The Nexus Integration Team is a role that consists of the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and other members who are responsible for coordinating, coaching, and supervising the integration of the work done by the Scrum Teams in the Nexus 11. The Nexus Integration Team has the overall responsibility for ensuring the Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs 11. The Nexus Integration Team facilitates the first part of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective, where the representatives from each Scrum Team share their insights and challenges 11. The Nexus Integration Team also participates in the second part of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective, where each Scrum Team reflects on its own performance and improvement actions 11. The Nexus Integration Team helps the Scrum Teams to identify and resolve any cross-team impediments or dependencies that may affect the quality and delivery of the Integrated Increment 11.

The other three answers are not correct because:

The Scrum Master on the Nexus Integration Team. This is answer A. This is not a valid answer because the Scrum Master on the Nexus Integration Team is not the only one responsible for ensuring the Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs. The Scrum Master on the Nexus Integration Team is a member of the Nexus Integration Team, but not the sole accountable person for the event. The Scrum Master on the Nexus Integration Team helps to facilitate the Nexus Sprint Retrospective, but does not own or control it 11.

Any Scrum Master from the Nexus. This is answer B. This is not a valid answer because any Scrum Master from the Nexus does not have the authority or the responsibility to ensure the Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs. Any Scrum Master from the Nexus is a member of a Scrum Team, but not a member of the Nexus Integration Team. Any Scrum Master from the Nexus helps to facilitate the Sprint Retrospective of their own Scrum Team, but does not have the visibility or the influence over the other Scrum Teams or the Nexus as a whole 11.

The Developers. This is answer D. This is not a valid answer because the Developers do not have the responsibility for ensuring the Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs. The Developers are the people who do the work of delivering a potentially releasable Increment of product value in each Sprint 11. The Developers participate in the Nexus Sprint Retrospective, but they do not organize or facilitate it. The Developers provide feedback and suggestions for improvement, but they do not have the accountability or the authority to ensure the Nexus Sprint Retrospective occurs 11.