PSM1: Notes from “The Scrum Guide”

The essence of the Scrum Guide, in a question and answer format. I used this for my PSM-1 assessment preparation.

Scrum Definition

1) What is scrum?

A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while creatively and productively delivering products of highest possible value.

2) What does Scrum framework consist of?

Scrums teams and their roles, events, artifacts and rules.

Scrum Usage

3) What are the scenarios where you can use scrum?

a) Research and identify markets, technologies and product capabilities

b) Develop products and enhancements

c) Release products and enhancements

d) Develop and sustain cloud and other operational environments

e) Sustain and renew products

f) Develop software, hardware, embedded software, networks of interacting function, autonomous vehicles, schools, government, marketing, managing the operations of organizations

4) What is the essence of scrum?

A small team of highly flexible and adaptive people.

Scrum Theory

5) What is Scrum founded on?

Empiricism or empirical process control theory.

6) What does empiricism assert?

Knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is known.

7) What does scrum do to optimize predictability and control risk?

Scrum adopts an iterative and incremental approach.

8) What are the 3 pillars of empirical process control?

Transparency, inspection and adaptation.

Transparency

9) What is transparency?

A significant aspect of process must be defined by a common standard so that observers can share a common understanding — Definition of Done.

Inspection

10) How frequent must a scrum inspection be?

Frequent, but not too frequent that it gets in the way of work.

Adaptation

11) When are adaptations made?

As soon as possible, to avoid further deviation.

12) What are the 4 formal events for inspection and adaptation?

a) Sprint Planning

b) Daily Scrum

c) Sprint Review

d) Sprint Retrospective

Scrum Values

13) What are the scrum values?

Commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect.

Scrum Team

14) What is the scrum team made up of?

Product Owner, Scrum Master and the Development team.

15) What are the characteristics of Scrum teams?

Self-organizing and cross functional.

16) What does Self-organizing mean?

Teams know how best to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team.

17) What does Cross functional mean?

The team has all the competencies needed to accomplish the work without depending on others who are not part of the team.

18) What does the team model in scrum optimize?

Flexibility, creativity and productivity.

Product Owner

19) What is the product owner responsible for?

a) Maximizing the value of the product and development team

b) Managing the product backlog

20) What does Product Backlog management include?

a) Clearly expressing product backlog items

b) Ensuring dev team understands the product backlog items

c) Ordering the items in the product backlog

d) Ensuring that the product backlog is clear, visible and transparent

e) Optimizing the value of work the development team performs

Development Team

21) What are the characteristics of the development team?

a) Self-organized

b) Cross Functional

c) No sub teams

d) No sub titles

e) Share collective Accountability

22) What is the ideal development team size?

3–9

Scrum Master

23) What is the scrum master responsible for?

Supporting and promoting scrum.

24) What are the Scrum Master characteristics?

a) Ensures scrum is understood and enacted

b) Servant leader

c) Maximizes productivity of scrum team

d) Helps those outside the team understand which of their interactions are helpful

25) What is Scrum Master’s Service to the Product Owner?

a) Product Backlog management techniques

b) Ensuring team understands need for clear and concise PBIs

c) Ensuring Product owner knows how to arrange PBIs to maximize value

d) Ensuring team knows how to understand and practice agility

e) Facilitate scrum events as needed

f) Ensuring that goals, scope and product domain are understood by the scrum team

g) Understanding product planning in an empirical environment

26) What is Scrum Master’s service to the development team?

a) Coaching development team in self-organization and cross functionality

b) Removing impediments

c) Creating products of high value

d) Facilitate scrum events as needed

e) Coaching dev teams in environments where scrum is not yet fully adopted or understood

27) What is Scrum Master’s service to the organization?

a) Leading and coaching the organization in scrum adoption

b) Planning scrum implementations within the organization

c) Helping employees and stake holders understand and enact scrum and empirical product development

d) Causing changes that increase productivity of scrum team

e) Working with other scrum masters to increase effectiveness of scrum

Scrum Events

Sprint

28) What are the events in scrum for inspection and adaptation?

Sprint Planning, Daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective.

29) Is sprint an event for inspection?

No, the sprint is just a container event.

30) When does a new sprint start?

Immediately after the conclusion of the previous sprint.

31) Once a sprint begins

Its duration is fixed and cannot be lengthened or shortened.

32) What does a Sprint contain and consist of?

Sprint planning, daily scrum, the development work, sprint review, sprint retrospective.

33) What happens during the sprint?

a) Quality goals do not decrease

b) No change is made that would endanger the sprint goal

c) Scope may be clarified and re-negotiated between the PO and dev team

34) What happens if the sprint is more than one month?

a) The definition of what is being built may change

b) Complexity may rise

c) Risk may increase

35) Who has the authority to cancel a sprint?

The product owner.

36) When can a sprint be cancelled?

The sprint goal becomes obsolete.

37) When does the sprint goal become obsolete?

a) Company changes direction

b) Market or technology changes

38) What happens when a sprint is cancelled?

a) Done product items are reviewed

b) If it is potentially releasable, Product Owner accepts it

c) Incomplete PBIs are re-estimated and put in the backlog

Sprint Planning

39) Who create the sprint plan?

Scrum team.

40) What is the time box for a monthly sprint’s sprint planning?

Eight hours. For shorter sprints, it is shorter.

41) What does a sprint planning meeting clarify?

a) What can be delivered in the increment in the upcoming sprint?

b) How will the work needed to deliver the increment be achieved?

42) What are the inputs for sprint planning meeting?

a) Product backlog

b) Increment

c) Projected capacity

d) Past performance

43) Number of PBIs to be selected for a sprint is determined by whom?

Development team.

44) The sprint goal is crafted by whom?

Scrum team.

45) What is the sprint goal’s purpose?

Provides guidance to the development team as to why it is building the increment.

46) What is the Sprint Backlog?

a) PBI for the current sprint

b) Sprint plan

47) What happens at the end of the sprint planning meeting?

a) Work planned for the first few days is decomposed often into units of one day or less.

b) Development team should be able to explain to the Product Owner and Scrum Master how it intends to work as a self-organizing team to accomplish the sprint goal and create the increment.

Daily Scrum

48) What is the time box for a daily scrum?

15 minutes.

49) Why is the daily scrum held at the same place and time?

The consistency reduces the complexity.

50) Is the structure of the daily scrum fixed?

It is not fixed, and is set by the development team.

51) What are the recommended questions for a daily scrum?

a) What did I do yesterday to meet the sprint goal?

b) What will I do today to meet the sprint goal?

c) What are the impediments?

52) Which team is responsible for conducting daily scrum?

Development team.

53) Who is the person who is responsible for teaching the dev team to keep daily scrum within 15 min?

Scrum master.

54) Who participates in the Daily scrum?

Development team.

55) Who ensures that the daily scrum happens?

Scrum master.

56) Can other nonmembers be present in the daily scrum?

They can be present/attend, but cannot participate.

Sprint Review

57) What is the time box for a sprint review meeting?

4 hours or less for a monthly sprint.

58) What is the purpose of the sprint review?

To inspect the increment and adapt the product backlog.

59) What is the role of scrum master in sprint review?

a) Ensure that the event takes place and attendees understand its purpose

b) Teaches everyone to keep it within the time box

60) What are the elements of the sprint review?

a) Product owner invites attendees including the scrum team and key stakeholder

b) Product Owner explains items that are done/not done from Product Backlog

c) Dev team discusses what went well, problems and their resolution

d) Dev team demonstrates work done, and answers questions about the increment

e) Product Owner discusses the product backlog as it stands and projects likely target date based on progress made

f) Entire group collaborates on what to do next ; inputs for the subsequent sprint planning

g) Review market, any changes and what is most valuable to do next

h) Review timeline, budget, potential capabilities etc.

61) What is the outcome of the sprint review?

A revised product backlog that defines probable PBIs for the next sprint.

Sprint Retrospective

62) What is the time-box for a sprint retrospective?

3 hours or less for a monthly sprint.

63) Define sprint retrospective?

An opportunity for the scrum team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements during the next sprint.

64) What does the scrum master ensure during a sprint retrospective?

a) Attendees attend the meeting

b) The meeting is positive and productive

c) Meeting is kept within time-box

65) Who participates as a peer team member in a sprint retrospective?

Scrum master.

66) What is the purpose of the sprint retrospective?

a) Inspect how the last sprint went with regards to people, process, relationships and tools

b) Identify the things that went well, and potential improvements

c) Create a plan for implementing the potential improvement

67) What happens at the end of the sprint retrospective?

Scrum team identifies improvements that it will implement in the next sprint.

Scrum Artifacts

Product Backlog

68) Responsibility for the product backlog lies with whom?

The Product Owner.

69) What is the Product Backlog?

a) An ordered list of everything that is required for the product

b) It is the single source of requirements for any changes to made on the product

70) Is the Product Backlog complete?

Never Complete. It exists as long as the product exists.

71) What are the characteristics of the product backlog?

a) Dynamic

b) Never complete, and exists as long as the product exists

c) Living artifact

72) What are the attributes of a product backlog?

a) Description

b) Order

c) Estimate

d) Value

73) What does a Product Backlog often include?

Test descriptions that will prove its completeness when done.

74) How many number of product backlogs can we have for multiple teams?

One.

75) What can multiple teams working on the same product use?

A product backlog attribute that groups items.

76) What is Product Backlog Refinement?

The act of adding details, order and estimate to the items. It is an ongoing process in which product owner and dev team collaborate.

77) What is the time taken for refinement in a sprint?

No more than 10% of dev team capacity.

78) Who is responsible for the estimates?

Development team.

79) Where are the items with less detail placed in the product backlog?

Items with less detail are placed lower in the order.

80) Which items are “Ready” for selection in sprint planning?

Product items that can be done by development team within one sprint.

81) Who is responsible for Product backlog?

Product owner.

82) Who is responsible for managing the product backlog?

Product Owner.

83) Who can refine the product backlog?

Product Owner

Development team, with the consent of the product owner.

Sprint Backlog

84) What is the Sprint Backlog as an artifact?

A forecast by the dev team about what functionality will be done in the next increment and the work needed to deliver that functionality.

85) What is there in the sprint backlog to ensure continuous improvement?

At least one high priority process improvement identified in the previous retrospective meeting.

86) What is the level of detail in a sprint backlog?

Detailed enough such that changes in progress can be understood in the daily scrum.

87) What do you know about the completeness of sprint backlog?

The dev team modifies the sprint backlog throughout the sprint and sprint backlog emerges during the sprint.

88) Who can make modifications to the sprint backlog?

Only the development team can make modifications to the sprint backlog.

89) Who is the sole owner of the sprint backlog?

Development team.

90) What happens when new work is required?

Development team adds it to the sprint backlog.

Increment

91) What is an increment?

The sum of all PBI s completed during a sprint + value of increments from previous sprints.

92) When is an increment done?

a) When it is usable

b) When it meets the scrum team’s definition of done

Definition of Done

93) What are the benefits of a complete definition of done?

a) Guides development team in knowing how many product items it can select during the sprint planning

b) Helps people understand when work is complete on the product increment

c) Ensures Transparency

94) What are factors to be considered while formulating a definition of done?

a) Conventions, standards or guidelines for the organization

b) Definitions of done of other teams working on the same product

95) What is the Definition of done for multiple teams working on the same product?

Dev teams on all scrum teams must mutually define the definition of done

96) Who is responsible for creating the definition of done?

Development team

Measuring Progress

Progress towards project goal

97) Who measures the progress towards the project goal?

Product Owner

98) What is the frequency of tracking progress towards the project goal?

At least once every sprint review

99) How to assess progress towards a goal?

Track total work remaining at the end of sprint review and compare with amount of work remaining in previous sprint reviews

100) What is the principle of empiricism?

What will happen is unknown, and what has already happened may be used for forward looking decision making

Progress towards sprint goal

101) How to measure progress towards sprint goal?

Tracking and summing up total work remaining in the sprint backlog

102) What is the frequency of measuring progress towards sprint goal?

At least every daily scrum

Artifact Transparency

103) Who is responsible for ensuring artifact transparency?

Scrum master

104) What are the consequences of incompletely transparent artifacts?

a) Decisions can be flawed

b) Value may diminish

c) Risk may increase

105) How can scrum master detect incomplete artifact transparency?

a) Inspecting artifacts

b) Sensing patterns

c) Listening close to what is being said

d) Detecting difference between expected and actual results

106) What does scrum master’s work to increase transparency involve?

a) Learning

b) Convincing

c) Change