The Developers have struggled to get all of their forecasted work done during the last three
Sprints. As a Product Owner what steps could you take to help the Developers improve their
ability to deliver a done Increment?
(choose the best two answers)
Ask the Scrum Master to help the Developers learn techniques for improving
their ability to forecast work.
The Product Owner can spend more time with the Developers.
Ensure that all Developers are top performers.
Add more people to the team so they can get more done.
= As a Product Owner, you are accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers. To do this, you need to collaborate with the Developers and the Scrum Master to ensure that the Product Backlog is clear, ordered, and refined, and that the Sprint Goal and the Sprint Backlog are aligned with the product vision and strategy. You also need to provide feedback and guidance to the Developers throughout the Sprint, and to inspect and adapt the product based on the Sprint Review and the stakeholders’ input.
One of the challenges that the Developers may face is to forecast the amount of work that they can complete within a Sprint, and to deliver a potentially releasable Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This requires the Developers to have the skills and the tools to estimate the complexity and the effort of the Product Backlog items, to plan and manage their work effectively, and to adhere to the quality standards and the technical practices that enable them to build a valuable and usable product increment.
To help the Developers improve their ability to deliver a done Increment, the Product Owner can take the following steps:
The other options are not the best steps to take, because they either do not address the root cause of the problem, or they may have negative consequences. Ensuring that all Developers are top performers may not be realistic or feasible, and it may also create a culture of blame or competition, rather than collaboration and learning. Adding more people to the team may not necessarily increase the productivity or the quality of the work, and it may also introduce communication and coordination challenges, as well as additional costs and risks. References := Scrum Guide, Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework, Managing Products with Agility
When many Scrum Teams are working on the same product, should all of their Increments be
combined every Sprint?
(choose the best answer)
No, each Scrum Team stands alone.
Yes, otherwise the Product Owner and stakeholders are unable to accurately inspect
the Increment.
Yes, but only for Scrum Teams whose work has dependencies.
No, that is far too hard and must be done in a hardening Sprint.
When multiple Scrum Teams are working on the same product, it is essential that all of their Increments be combined every Sprint. This ensures that the Product Owner and stakeholders can accurately inspect the Increment, which is a fundamental aspect of transparency and empiricism in Scrum1. Combining Increments allows for a clear understanding of the current state of the product, which is crucial for effective inspection and adaptation.
You started measuring product feature usage in your last release. You are surprised to learn
that a sizable percentage of the features you thought were very important are never or rarely
used.
Which of the following actions could you take to further evaluate this unexpected result?
(choose all that apply)
Spend more time talking to users to identify the impact they seek.
Disable the features that have never been used and listen for feedback.
Run experiments to increase your understanding of what customers find
valuable.
Examine whether the rarely used features solve the intended problem.
References:
In order to justify the price increase of a product, your primary objective should be to:
(choose the best answer)
Reduce the price for a period of time before increasing it above the original price.
Improve the value experienced by the customer.
Reduce the number of features to make the product easier to use.
Add more features to make the product more attractive.
According to the PSPO II resources, a product owner should optimize the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team1. One way to do this is to improve the value experienced by the customer, which is the perception and evaluation of the product by the customer2. A price increase can be justified if the customer perceives that the product delivers more value than the cost3. This can be achieved by enhancing the product quality, functionality, usability, or design, or by providing additional benefits or services to the customer4. The other options are not effective ways to justify a price increase, as they may either reduce the value experienced by the customer, or increase the cost without increasing the value. References:
The Definition of Done is used to:
(choose the best three answers)
Increase transparency.
Describe the purpose, objective, and timebox of each Scrum event.
Create a shared understanding of when work is complete.
Describe the work that must be done before the Sprint can be declared
complete.
Inform the Developers on how many Product Backlog items to select in a Sprint.
The Developers inform the Product Owner during the Sprint that they are not likely to complete
everything they forecasted. What would you expect a Product Owner to do?
(choose the best answer)
Reduce the scope of the Sprint, if possible, to still meet the Sprint Goal.
Skip Product Backlog refinement activities.
End the Sprint, since the goal cannot be achieved.
Change the Sprint Goal to match what the Developers can deliver.
Inform management that more resources are needed.
According to the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II certification guide1, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This means that the Product Owner should collaborate with the Developers and the Scrum Master to find the best way to deliver value in the current Sprint, even if the initial forecast is not met. The Product Owner should not change or abandon the Sprint Goal, as it is a commitment made by the Scrum Team during Sprint Planning. The Product Owner should also not skip Product Backlog refinement activities, as they are essential for preparing the Product Backlog for future Sprints. The Product Owner should not end the Sprint prematurely, as it may cause more disruption and waste than delivering a potentially releasable Increment. The Product Owner should not inform management that more resources are needed, as it may imply that the Scrum Team is not self-organizing and cross-functional. The Product Owner should respect the Developers’ autonomy and professionalism and support them in finding the best solution to the problem. Therefore, the best answer is to reduce the scope of the Sprint, if possible, to still meet the Sprint Goal. This means that the Product Owner and the Developers should negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint, removing or adding Product Backlog items that are aligned with the Sprint Goal and the value delivery. References: 1: Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II Certification | Scrum.org
If a Product Owner finds themselves with more work to do than they can give attention to, what
strategy can help them achieve the things that need to be done?
(choose the best answer)
Break the product into components, each with their own Product Owner, and create a
"Chief Product Owner" role who is responsible for the integrated product.
Split the Product Owner role into "Business Product Owner" and "Technical Product
Owner" roles to spread the work.
Delegate tasks like detailing Product Backlog items, interviewing users, and
analyzing data to Developers.
All of the above.
None of the above.
The Scrum framework encourages the delegation of tasks to promote team ownership and efficiency. Delegating tasks like detailing Product Backlog items, interviewing users, and analyzing data to Developers allows the Product Owner to focus on value maximization and leverage the skills of the Developers12. This approach aligns with the Scrum principle of self-organization and empowerment of the Development Team.
An effective Product Owner must:
(choose the best answer)
Ensure that every stakeholder need is met.
Be the "expert" opinion for all Product Backlog items.
Ensure that the team is as productive as possible.
Be the single point of contact for all stakeholders.
All of the above.
None of the above.
None of the options given are accurate descriptions of what an effective Product Owner must do. According to the PSPO II resources, an effective Product Owner must12345:
If a Scrum Team uses Product Backlog refinement, when should it occur?
(choose the best two answers)
The Product Owner takes the time between the Sprints to do it.
Business Analysts in the organization should do this work for the Scrum Team 1-
2 Sprints ahead of the development Sprints.
The Product Owner and the Developers can refine the Product Backlog during
any Sprint as needed, ideally in advance of the upcoming Sprint.
The Product Owner must do this as essential work in Sprint 0.
The Product Owner and the Developers do it in the current Sprint if they have
been unable to do it in preceding Sprints.
Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing activity that can occur at any time during a Sprint, as needed. The Product Owner and Developers collaborate on this task, ideally in advance of the upcoming Sprint to ensure clarity and readiness of the work ©. If refinement has not been done in preceding Sprints, it should be done in the current Sprint to maintain the flow of valuable work (E). This approach is consistent with the Scrum principle of continuous improvement and the iterative, incremental nature of Scrum12.
How much of the Sprint Backlog must be defined during Sprint Planning?
(choose the best answer)
Enough so the Developers can create a forecast of what they can do during the
Sprint.
All of the potential work. Sprint Planning is not over until 100% of the work is
identified and estimated.
Just enough to understand design and architectural implications.
Just enough tasks for the Scrum Master to be confident in the Developer's
understanding of the Sprint.
The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal1. The Sprint Backlog is a forecast by the Developers about what functionality will be in the next Increment and the work needed to deliver that functionality into a “Done” Increment2. The Sprint Backlog is a plan with enough detail that changes in progress can be understood in the Daily Scrum2. The Developers modify the Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, and the Sprint Backlog emerges during the Sprint. This emergence occurs as the Developers work through the plan and learn more about the work needed to achieve the Sprint Goal2. The Sprint Backlog is not a commitment to deliver a fixed scope of work, but rather a forecast of what the Developers believe they can do in the Sprint3. Therefore, the Sprint Backlog does not need to be fully defined during the Sprint Planning, but only enough so the Developers can create a realistic forecast of what they can do during the Sprint. References: 1: Sprint Backlog, 2: The Scrum Guide, 3: Commitment vs. Forecast
Who owns the Sprint Backlog?
(choose the best answer)
The Developers.
The Scrum Master.
The Product Owner.
The Scrum Team.
When determining the ordering of an item on the Product Backlog, what are some things a
Product Owner should consider?
(choose the best four answers)
Importance to users or customers.
Alignment with organizational strategy and goals.
Risk. For example; business risk, market risk, or technology risk.
Alignment with other Product Backlog items.
The techniques the Developers will use to implement the item.
When the Product Owner is too busy to work with all of the teams in a multi-team product
development effort, which strategy will help them?
(choose the best answer)
Add component team Product Owners.
Communicate a clear Product Goal and delegate some activities to the Developers.
Enlist the Program Management Office to help coordinate work.
Assign sub-Product Owners to each Scrum Team.
All of the above.
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes clearly expressing Product Backlog items, ordering them to best achieve goals and missions, ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood. The Product Owner may do the above work or may delegate the responsibility to others. However, the Product Owner remains accountable1.
When working with multiple Scrum Teams on the same product, the Product Owner should ensure that there is a shared understanding of the Product Goal among all the teams and stakeholders. The Product Goal is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. They must fulfill (or abandon) one objective before taking on the next2. The Product Owner should also collaborate with the Developers to create and refine Product Backlog items that are valuable, feasible, and testable. The Developers are accountable for creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog1. The Product Owner should trust the Developers to self-organize and deliver the most valuable increments possible.
The other options are not recommended strategies for the Product Owner, as they may introduce unnecessary complexity, confusion, and waste. Adding component team Product Owners, enlisting the Program Management Office, or assigning sub-Product Owners may create silos, dependencies, and conflicts among the teams and stakeholders. These roles may also undermine the authority and accountability of the Product Owner, and reduce the transparency and alignment of the Product Backlog. The Product Owner should work with the Scrum Master and the Developers to find ways to optimize the value delivery and collaboration across the teams, rather than creating intermediaries or proxies34. References: 1: Scrum Guide 2: Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework 3: Managing Products with Agility 4: Evolving the Agile Organization
You work for a large financial institution. Your products have many interdependencies: you have
mobile, web, and ATM product interfaces to financial products like savings, checking, spending,
electronic payments, credit cards, and investments. When any of these financial products
change, the changes ripple throughout the mobile, web, and ATM clients, and maintaining
consistency is challenging. What should you do to reduce this problem?
(choose the best answer)
Form products that are as independent as possible and let each product determine
their own release plans, but ensure coordination.
Create a centralized, coordinated cross-product Development Plan to ensure
consistency.
Appoint a Project Lead to oversee all the products.
Ensure that the PMO manages the inter-product dependencies.
All of the above.
A is correct because forming products that are as independent as possible reduces the complexity and dependency of the product development, and allows each product to deliver value faster and more frequently1. Coordination among the products is still necessary to ensure alignment and consistency, but it should not be centralized or imposed by a higher authority2. B is incorrect because creating a centralized, coordinated cross-product Development Plan goes against the principles of empiricism, self-organization, and agility that Scrum promotes3. C is incorrect because appointing a Project Lead to oversee all the products undermines the accountability and autonomy of the Product Owners and the Scrum Teams4. D is incorrect because ensuring that the PMO manages the inter-product dependencies creates a layer of bureaucracy and control that hinders the collaboration and innovation of the Scrum Teams5. E is incorrect because it includes all the wrong answers.
Which of the following would likely be the least effective way to enhance the agility of your
future product development?
(choose the least effective approach)
Consider whether there is a significantly large enough market for your product.
Form a holistic view of how the customer sees your product.
Clearly understand the producer, buyer/consumer relationship.
Lean on your organizational efficiency and existing architecture to build your product
aligned to the current organization.
As a Product Owner, you need to embrace agility and empiricism in your product development. This means that you should be able to inspect and adapt your product based on feedback from the market, customers, users, and stakeholders. You should also be able to experiment and learn from your failures and successes. To do this, you need to have a flexible and adaptable product architecture that can support frequent changes and new features. You also need to collaborate with your Scrum Team and other teams in the organization to deliver value incrementally and iteratively. Therefore, leaning on your organizational efficiency and existing architecture to build your product aligned to the current organization is the least effective way to enhance your agility. This approach can limit your innovation, creativity, and responsiveness to the changing needs and expectations of your customers and users. It can also create silos, dependencies, and conflicts within and across teams, and reduce the quality and value of your product.
References:
Managing a Product Backlog involves which of the following activities?
(choose all that apply)
Forecasting the effort of Product Backlog items.
Reducing or eliminating dependencies between Product Backlog items.
Reviewing the Product Backlog with stakeholders.
Breaking large Product Backlog items into multiple smaller Product Backlog
items.
Ordering the Product Backlog.
Product Backlog involves the following activities12:
Forecasting the effort of Product Backlog items is not an activity that is explicitly required for managing a Product Backlog. The Product Owner is mainly responsible for maximizing the value of the product, not the effort or cost of development. The effort of Product Backlog items may be estimated by the Developers, but this is not a mandatory practice and it does not affect the ordering of the Product Backlog. References: 1: Product Backlog Management, 2: Managing Products with Agility, 3: Reducing Dependencies, 4: Reviewing the Product Backlog, 5: Breaking Down Product Backlog Items, : Ordering the Product Backlog, : The Product Owner, : Estimating Product Backlog Items
Product A is a big revenue producer; it has:
. High Current Value and Low Unrealized Value.
Product B is a new product with a lot of potential; it has:
. Low Current Value and High Unrealized Value.
Using those two data points and taking a long-term view, which of the options below should you
pursue?
(choose the best answer)
Weight your investment toward Product B; since it has more potential.
Weight your investment toward Product A; you do not want to risk losing customers.
Invest equally in both products.
According to the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II certification guide1, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This means that the Product Owner should have a clear vision of the product, understand the needs and desires of the customers and stakeholders, and prioritize the Product Backlog items based on their value and urgency. The Product Owner should also use evidence-based management to measure the value delivered by the product and make informed decisions about the product strategy and direction.
In this question, Product A has a high current value, which means that it is generating a lot of revenue and satisfying the existing customers. However, it also has a low unrealized value, which means that it has little room for improvement or innovation, and may face competition or obsolescence in the future. Product B has a low current value, which means that it is not generating much revenue or satisfying many customers. However, it also has a high unrealized value, which means that it has a lot of potential for improvement or innovation, and may capture new markets or opportunities in the future.
Taking a long-term view, the Product Owner should weight the investment toward Product B, since it has more potential to deliver value in the future. This does not mean that the Product Owner should neglect Product A, but rather balance the investment between the two products based on the expected return on investment and the risk involved. Investing equally in both products may not be optimal, as it may result in underinvesting in Product B and overinvesting in Product A. Weighting the investment toward Product A may not be wise, as it may result in missing out on the opportunities offered by Product B and losing the competitive edge in the market.
References: 1: Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II Certification | Scrum.org
Sharing people with unique skills across multiple teams will likely result in which of the
following conditions?
(choose the best answer)
Teams may wait more often, impeding the delivery of value.
Teams do not have to develop deep technical skills.
Costs are lower since expensive resources are shared.
More work gets done since people are better utilized.
Sharing people with unique skills across multiple teams will likely result in teams having to wait more often for those people to be available, impeding the delivery of value. This is because those people will have to context-switch between different teams, products, and domains, reducing their focus and efficiency1. Moreover, sharing people with unique skills will create bottlenecks and dependencies in the delivery process, increasing the risk of delays and quality issues2. Furthermore, sharing people with unique skills will discourage teams from developing deep technical skills themselves, making them less cross-functional and self-organizing3. Therefore, the best answer is A.
The other options are not correct because:
Which of the following is true about Scrum?
(choose all that apply)
Each component of Scrum serves a specific purpose and is essential to the
successful usage of Scrum for building complex products.
Scrum is a framework for generating value through adaptive solutions for
complex problems.
Scrum is a methodology, where you can "pick and choose" which parts of Scrum
you think will work for your environment.
Scrum is based on empiricism.
Scrum is like traditional processes but with self-management to replace Project
Managers.
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. Scrum consists of three roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner and Developers), five events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective), and three artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog and Increment). Each component of Scrum serves a specific purpose and is essential to the successful usage of Scrum. Scrum is not a methodology, where you can “pick and choose” which parts of Scrum you think will work for your environment. Scrum is a whole, and each part of Scrum complements the others. Scrum is based on empiricism, which means that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize predictability and control risk. Scrum is not like traditional processes but with self-management to replace Project Managers. Scrum is a different way of working that requires a shift in mindset and culture. Scrum promotes self-organization, collaboration, transparency, inspection and adaptation.
References:
When should the Product Owner update the project plan?
(choose the best answer)
After the Daily Scrum to ensure an accurate daily overview of project progress.
The project plan must be updated prior to the Sprint Retrospective.
The Product Backlog is the plan in Scrum. It is updated as new information and
insights emerge.
Before the Sprint Planning to know how much work will have to be done in the Sprint.
In Scrum, there is no separate artifact called a project plan. The Product Backlog is the plan for the product development, and it contains all the features, requirements, enhancements, and fixes that are needed to deliver a valuable product. The Product Backlog is not a static or fixed document, but rather an emergent and dynamic one. It is constantly updated and refined by the Product Owner and the Developers as they learn more about the product, the users, the market, and the technology. The Product Backlog is updated whenever new information and insights emerge, which can happen at any time during the product development process. Therefore, option C is the best answer.
Option A is not correct because the Daily Scrum is not a status meeting, but rather a time-boxed event for the Developers to inspect their progress towards the Sprint Goal and adapt their Sprint Backlog accordingly. The Product Owner does not need to update the Product Backlog after the Daily Scrum, unless there is a significant change in the product vision, strategy, or value proposition that affects the Product Backlog items.
Option B is not correct because the Sprint Retrospective is not a time to update the Product Backlog, but rather a time-boxed event for the Scrum Team to inspect their way of working and identify potential improvements. The Product Owner does not need to update the Product Backlog before the Sprint Retrospective, unless there is a need to communicate a change in the Product Goal or the product roadmap that affects the Product Backlog items.
Option D is not correct because the Sprint Planning is not a time to know how much work will have to be done in the Sprint, but rather a time-boxed event for the Scrum Team to collaborate on selecting and planning the Product Backlog items that will deliver the Sprint Goal. The Product Owner does not need to update the Product Backlog before the Sprint Planning, unless there is a need to reorder or clarify the Product Backlog items that are the most valuable and relevant for the upcoming Sprint. References:
The environment in which a product will be used changes and emerges continually. What is the
effect on the Product Backlog?
(choose the best answer)
The requirements specification document, describing the Product Backlog items,
must be updated to ensure stability.
The Product Backlog evolves to reflect what the product needs to be most valuable.
There is no effect, the Product Backlog must stay the same until the end of the
project.
The Product Backlog is archived and a new Product Backlog is created to take its
place
References: