True or False: A Product Owner is essentially the same thing as a traditional Project Manager.
Correct Answer:
B
✑ A Product Owner is not the same thing as a traditional Project Manager. A Product Owner is a role in Scrum, a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. A Project Manager is a role in traditional project management, a discipline for planning, executing, and controlling projects.
✑ A 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.
✑ A Project Manager is accountable for delivering the project within the predefined scope, time, and cost constraints. The Project Manager is responsible for defining and managing the project plan, resources, risks, issues, and dependencies. The Project Manager coordinates and controls the activities of the project team and the stakeholders and ensures that the project meets the quality standards and expectations.
✑ Some of the main differences between a Product Owner and a Project Manager are:
References:
✑ Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html
✑ Product Owner: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner
✑ Project Manager: https://www.pmi.org/about/learn-about-pmi/what-is-project- management
The length of a Sprint should be: (choose the best answer)
Correct Answer:
D
✑ The length of a Sprint is the timebox within which the Scrum Team creates a potentially releasable product Increment. The Sprint is a container for all the other Scrum events, such as the Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective. The Sprint is also a feedback loop that allows the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect and adapt the product and the process.
✑ The length of a Sprint should be no more than one calendar month. This is the maximum duration allowed by Scrum, as longer Sprints can increase the complexity and risk of the product development. Longer Sprints can also reduce the agility and responsiveness of the Scrum Team to changing customer needs and market conditions.
✑ The length of a Sprint should also be short enough to keep the business risk acceptable to the Product Owner. 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. The length of a Sprint affects how frequently and effectively the Product Owner can validate, verify, and deliver value to the customers and users.
✑ The length of a Sprint should also be short enough to be able to synchronize the development work with other business events. The Scrum Team operates within a broader organizational context that may have other events, cycles, or deadlines that affect or depend on product development. For example, there may be marketing campaigns, sales promotions, regulatory compliance, or contractual obligations that require coordination and alignment with the product delivery. The length of a Sprint affects how well and timely the Scrum Team can synchronize their work with these other business events.
References:
✑ Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html
✑ Sprint: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-sprint-in-scrum
✑ Product Owner: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner
True or False: Product Owners must create clear and unambiguous acceptance criteria for each Product Backlog item before it may be selected in Sprint Planning.
Correct Answer:
B
It is not true that a Product Owner must create clear and unambiguous acceptance criteria for each Product Backlog item before it may be selected in Sprint Planning. This is because:
✑ Acceptance criteria are a set of conditions that a Product Backlog item must satisfy to be accepted by the Product Owner or the stakeholders. They are used to verify that the item meets the expected quality and value standards.
✑ Acceptance criteria are not mandatory or prescribed in Scrum. They are one of the possible techniques that a Product Owner may use to communicate their expectations and requirements to the Developers and the stakeholders. They are not part of the Scrum Guide or the Definition of Done.
✑ Acceptance criteria do not need to be created before Sprint Planning. They can be created or refined at any time during the product development process, as long as they are clear and agreed upon before the item is considered complete. They can also be changed or updated based on feedback or new insights.
✑ The only requirement for a Product Backlog item to be selected in Sprint Planning is that it is sufficiently clear and ready for selection. This means that it has enough detail and precision for the Developers to understand what they are supposed to build and why. It also means that it has been refined and ordered by the Product Owner based on value and impact.
References:
✑ [Scrum Guide], page 14, section “Sprint Planning”
✑ [Scrum Guide], page 12, section “Product Backlog Refinement”
✑ [Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 7, section “Product Backlog Management”
When might a Sprint be cancelled? (choose the best answer)
Correct Answer:
D
A Sprint may be cancelled when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This is because:
✑ The Sprint Goal is a short-term objective that provides guidance and focus to the Scrum Team throughout the Sprint. It is a flexible and negotiable commitment that can be adjusted as more is learned throughout the Sprint.
✑ The Sprint is a container for all other Scrum events and activities. It is a time-box of one month or less during which a “Done” Increment is created that meets the Sprint Goal. The Sprint has a consistent duration throughout a development effort and only changes duration between Sprints.
✑ A Sprint may be cancelled before it is over by the Product Owner if they determine that the Sprint Goal is no longer valid or valuable. This may happen due to various reasons, such as a significant change in the market, technology, business direction, or customer needs.
✑ A cancelled Sprint should be rare and exceptional. It implies a waste of time and resources that could have been spent on delivering value. It also disrupts the rhythm and flow of the Scrum Team and the stakeholders.
✑ When a Sprint is cancelled, any completed and “Done” Product Backlog items are reviewed and potentially released. Any incomplete Product Backlog items are re- estimated and put back on the Product Backlog. The Scrum Team then plans for a new Sprint.
Other options, such as when the Developers determine the product plan is infeasible, when it becomes clear that not everything will be finished by the end of the Sprint, or when the sales department has an important new opportunity, are not valid reasons for cancelling a Sprint. They may reflect a misunderstanding of what a Sprint Goal is or how Scrum works. References:
✑ [Scrum Guide], page 15, section “Sprint Goal”
✑ [Scrum Guide], page 9, section “Sprint”
✑ [Scrum Guide], page 16, section “Cancelling a Sprint”
What are three advantages of a Product Owner sharing a clearly defined Product Goal with the
Scrum Team?
(choose the best three answers)
Correct Answer:
CDE
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.
References:
✑ [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”
