Every Tuesday we'll give you three challenging Scrum Mastery questions. The following week I will share the answers with you in a new blog post, or you can get the answers by adding your email to my mailing list in the Contacts section at the bottom of the page. If you are feeling courageous, add your answers in the comment section of this blog.
My advice is to read each question thoroughly, and time-box each question to four minutes. To challenge yourself, keep the Scrum Guide and other browser windows closed. Have fun with the quiz, I hope this helps you learn and to be a better Scrum Master!
Question 1
You are the Scrum Master for a Scrum Team that has been together for 3 months. Several of the Development Team members approach you after the Daily Scrum, and mention that they are frustrated with one particular developer and ask you to take action. They complain that they are having a hard time getting timely updates from her, because she either fails to show up to the Daily Scrum several days a week, and when she does is writing software on her laptop. As Scrum Master, what is the next best action to take?
Take over facilitation of the Daily Scrum, require everyone to close their computers for 15 minutes, and call on her for a status. Advise anyone who is not going to be in attendance that it is mandatory to email updates to the Scrum Master right by the start of the Daily Scrum.
Meet with the developer before the next Daily Scrum and respectfully yet firmly ask for her participation. Try to find out why she isn't participating, and teach her why it is important for the Development Team to get timely updates on progress towards and impediments blocking the Sprint Goal.
Coach the Development Team members to resolve this situation directly with the their teammate. Remind them about Scrum values, and to use courage, openness and respect when discussing the situation with her. In the near future facilitate team building exercises to build up trust within the team.
Schedule a meeting with the developer and her manager to escalate the situation, because the lack of communication and collaboration has turned into an impediment. If the situation does not improve in the next Sprint, ask her manager to have her removed from the Scrum Team.
Question 2
Who creates the Sprint Goal, and when is the Sprint Goal created?
The Product Owner creates the Sprint Goals ahead of Sprint Planning, and shares it with the Development Team in Sprint Planning.
The Product Owner determines and creates the Sprint Goal in Sprint Planning, and shares it with the Scrum Team in Sprint Planning.
The Scrum Team collaboratively works together to create the Sprint Goal in Sprint Planning.
The Product Owner collaborates with the Development Team to create the Sprint Goal in Product Backlog refinement.
Question 3
Choose the one best answer which describes velocity.
Velocity is an indication of the number of story points completed during the Sprint by the Development Team, on average, and tracked by the Scrum Master, generally for use in Sprint Planning to determine how many points the Development Team should commit to.
Velocity measures the productivity and the amount of value delivered by the Scrum Team, on average, every Sprint.
Velocity is an an optional, but often used, indication of the average amount of Product Backlog turned into an Increment of product during a Sprint by a Scrum Team, tracked by the Development Team for use within the Scrum Team.
Velocity is an indication of the average number of task hours completed during the Sprint by the Development Team for use within the Scrum Team.