The Professional Scrum Master II (PSM-II)

When multiple Scrum Teams work from the same Product Backlog, they need to collaborate and coordinate their work to deliver a potentially releasable Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This requires minimizing dependencies between Scrum Teams, such as technical, functional, or organizational dependencies. Dependencies can cause delays, rework, waste, and lower quality.  Scrum Teams should strive to be cross-functional and autonomous, and use techniques such as feature slicing, dependency mapping, and integration testing to reduce dependencies 1 2 3 .  References :  1 : https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/dependencies-between-scrum-teams  2 : https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/feature-slicing-how-make-it-work  3 : https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/integration-testing-scrum-projects

The Sprint Review is an event that inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations. The Product Owner has the authority to release the Increment to production at any time, but this does not mean that the Sprint has to be stopped or changed. The stakeholders can provide feedback and suggestions for the product, but they cannot interfere with the Sprint Goal or the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint. The Scrum Team can decide to:

Continue sprinting but shorten the Sprint length to allow for shorter feedback loops (A), which is a valid option if the Scrum Team agrees that this will improve their agility and value delivery. However, this should not be done frequently or arbitrarily, as it may disrupt the rhythm and focus of the team.

Continue sprinting and include the customer feedback in the Product Backlog ©, which is the most appropriate option as it respects the empirical nature of Scrum and allows the Product Owner to prioritize and order the Product Backlog based on new insights and stakeholder needs.

References:  : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Review : [Scrum Guide] , The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint : [Scrum Guide] , The Product Backlog

A: You organize an offsite team building activity to establish a foundation of trust. You observe whether the problem persists after the offsite activity. This is a good way to foster a positive team culture and improve the relationships among the team members. The offsite activity can help the team to have fun, relax, and bond with each other. It can also create an opportunity for the team to discuss their issues and concerns in a more informal and friendly setting. The Scrum Master can observe whether the problem of disagreement is resolved or reduced after the offsite activity, and provide feedback and support as needed.

E: To every team member expressing this concern you suggest raising this with the full team. You offer to help initiate the conversation but not to resolve the concern yourself. This is a good way to empower the team to address their own problems and find their own solutions. The Scrum Master can encourage the team members to speak up and share their perspectives and feelings with the whole team, rather than keeping them to themselves or complaining to others. The Scrum Master can also facilitate the conversation and ensure that it is respectful, constructive, and productive, but not intervene or impose their own opinion or decision.

References:

Scrum Guide 2020, page 13: “The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 20: “The Scrum Master can help the team to build trust by creating a safe environment where people can express themselves openly and honestly, without fear of judgment or retaliation.”

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 21: “The Scrum Master can help the team to resolve conflicts by facilitating dialogue, listening actively, asking powerful questions, and supporting collaborative decision making.”

A Product Backlog item is a description of a feature or functionality that adds value to the product. It is selected by the Scrum Team during the Sprint Planning, based on the Product Owner’s proposal and the Developers’ forecast. It is expected that the Product Backlog item will be completed by the end of the Sprint, meaning that it meets the Definition of Done, which is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality standards required for the product.

However, if a Product Backlog item is not completed by the end of the Sprint, meaning that it does not meet the Definition of Done, then:

The item is not included in the Increment for this Sprint (B), which is a valid option as it ensures that only “Done” work is delivered to the customer and stakeholders. The Increment is a concrete and usable outcome of a Sprint that provides value and feedback. It should not contain any undone or partially done work that may compromise its quality, usability, or value.

It is put on the Product Backlog for the Product Owner to decide what to do with it (D), which is another valid option as it respects the authority and accountability of the Product Owner to manage the Product Backlog, which is an ordered list of what is needed in the product. The Product Owner can decide whether to re-prioritize, re-estimate, refine, or remove the incomplete Product Backlog item based on new insights and stakeholder needs.

The other options are not correct because they:

Review the item, add the done part of the estimate to the velocity and create a Story for the remaining work (A), which is not a good option as it violates the principle of commitment and transparency that underlies the Definition of Done. The Scrum Team should not count or report any work that is not “Done” as part of their progress or performance. The Scrum Team should also not split or create new Product Backlog items during or after the Sprint, as this may affect their alignment and focus on the Sprint Goal.

Only the stakeholders decide over acceptance of undone work and whether to release it ©, which is not a good option as it violates the role and responsibility of the Product Owner and the Developers to deliver a potentially releasable Increment at the end of each Sprint. The stakeholders can provide feedback and suggestions for the product, but they cannot accept or release any work that does not meet the Definition of Done.

References:  : [Scrum Guide], The Product Backlog : [Scrum Guide] , The Definition of Done : [Scrum Guide], The Increment : [Scrum Guide] , The Sprint Planning : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide] , The Developers

The Sprint Goal is a short and clear description of what the Scrum Team wants to achieve in the Sprint. It is a commitment that provides guidance and focus for the Scrum Team throughout the Sprint. The Sprint Goal is:

Created by the Scrum Team during the Sprint Planning, based on the Product Owner’s proposal and the Developers’ forecast (A).

Respected by the Product Owner, who does not change it or add new work that endangers it during the Sprint (B).

Helpful for increasing focus, as it helps the Scrum Team align their actions and decisions with a common objective ©.

Discussed openly by the Scrum Team, who can explore different ways to reach it and adapt their plan as needed within the Sprint (D).

Fixed and immutable for the duration of the Sprint, unless a significant change occurs that makes it obsolete or invalid. In that case, the Sprint may be cancelled by the Product Owner (E).

Communicated courageously by the Developers, who inform the Product Owner as soon as possible if they encounter any impediments or risks that may prevent them from achieving it (F).

Therefore, the statement that is incorrect is that the Sprint Goal is only a forecast and may change within the Sprint as more is learned (E), because this contradicts the principle of commitment and stability that underlies the Sprint Goal.

References:  : [Scrum Guide], The Sprint Goal : [Scrum Guide] , The Sprint Planning : [Scrum Guide], The Product Owner : [Scrum Guide] , The Developers : [Scrum Guide], Cancelling a Sprint : [Scrum Guide] , Scrum Values

 As a Scrum Master, you could help the Product Owner by suggesting working with the program manager and the project managers of the other components on the ordering and the value of your open Product Backlog items to redefine the possible delivery date. This would allow you to collaborate with the stakeholders and align on the expectations and priorities of the product. You could also inspect and adapt your integration process and communication channels with the other teams to minimize the impact of changes and dependencies.

References:

The Scrum Guide 2020, section “The Scrum Master”

The Scrum Master Learning Path, module “The Scrum Master as a Coach”

The Professional Scrum Master II Course, topic “Stakeholder Management”

Adding a second team to work on the same product will introduce some challenges and overheads that can affect the velocity of the original team. For example, the teams will need to coordinate and communicate more frequently, integrate their work more often, resolve any dependencies or conflicts, and align their standards and practices. These activities will consume some time and effort that could otherwise be spent on delivering value. Therefore, the velocity of the original team is likely to decrease and be lower than 18, at least in the short term.

References:

Professional Scrum Master II Course, page 16: “Adding more people to a complex product development effort does not necessarily increase productivity or reduce time to market. In fact, it often has the opposite effect.”

Nexus Guide 2020, page 5: “When multiple Scrum Teams are working together on the same product, there are additional complexities that arise. These complexities can be reduced by having the teams adhere to a common definition of “Done” and a single Product Backlog.”

The Scrum Guide states that “the moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born” and that “the Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints”. Therefore, to deliver a product Increment that is integrated and potentially releasable, all Scrum Teams must have a shared understanding of what “Done” means and ensure that their work meets that standard. This also enables transparency, inspection, and adaptation across the Scrum Teams.

References:

The Scrum Guide, section 3.4 (The Increment), page 10

The Scrum Master Learning Path, module 5 (The Increment), lesson 1 (What is an Increment?) and lesson 2 (Definition of Done)

Scrum is a framework for addressing complex adaptive problems, such as product development, that require empirical process control and frequent inspection and adaptation. Scrum helps to mitigate the risks of:

The timescale of the planned work (A), by delivering potentially releasable increments of value at the end of each Sprint, which is a fixed time-box of one month or less.

The stability and complexity of the technology (B), by allowing the Development Team to self-organize and choose the best way to create a “Done” increment that meets the Definition of Done.

The complexity and unpredictability of the requirements ©, by enabling the Product Owner to manage the Product Backlog, which is an ordered list of what is needed in the product and can change as more is learned about the product, users, market, and technology.

The skills and working relationships of the people on the teams (D), by fostering a culture of collaboration, transparency, and accountability among the Scrum Team members and stakeholders.

References:  : [Scrum Guide], Introduction : [Scrum Guide] , The Sprint : [Scrum Guide], The Development Team : [Scrum Guide] , The Product Backlog : [Scrum Guide], Scrum Values