C. Coach the Scrum Team about the purpose of the Daily Scrum.
D. Tell the Product Owner your concerns about how his behavior may impact the Developers, and ask him to stop attending the Daily Scrum for some time.

B. Managing the Scrum process.
D. The way Scrum is understood and enacted within the organization.
E. Removing organizational impediments that limit the team's progress and productivity.

Answer DescriptionExplanation: A Scrum Master is not a management position in the traditional sense of the word. A Scrum Master does not have authority over the team members, the product, or the project. A Scrum Master is a servant leader who helps the team self-organize, collaborate, and deliver value. A Scrum Master is accountable for managing the Scrum process, ensuring that the team follows the Scrum values and principles, and facilitating the team’s interactions with stakeholders and the organization. A Scrum Master is also accountable for removing organizational impediments that limit the team’s progress and productivity, such as bureaucracy, silos, or conflicts. A Scrum Master is not accountable for reporting on the performance of a team, managing the project plan and the project deliverables, or managing the capacity and utilization of the Developers. These are responsibilities of the Product Owner, the Developers, or other roles in the organization.

A. Encourage the Product Owner to bring the performance concerns to the rest of the Scrum Team and work together to improve the Definition of Done

Answer DescriptionExplanation: As a Scrum Master, you are accountable for establishing an environment where the Scrum Team can be effective and deliver valuable products1. One of the ways to do this is by supporting the Product Owner in managing the Product Backlog and engaging with the stakeholders2. In this situation, where there is a performance issue with the product, your best option is:
Encourage the Product Owner to bring the performance concerns to the rest of the Scrum Team and work together to improve the Definition of Done. This option aligns with the principle of empiricism, which is the foundation of Scrum3. Empiricism means that you make decisions based on what is known, rather than what is assumed or predicted3. By encouraging the Product Owner to bring the performance concerns to the rest of the Scrum Team, you are helping them inspect the product Increment and adapt the Product Backlog based on transparent feedback from the stakeholder4. You are also helping them collaborate on improving the Definition of Done, which is a shared understanding of what it means for a product Increment to be complete and potentially releasable. The Definition of Done should reflect the quality standards and expectations of the stakeholders, and should be updated as needed to ensure that the product meets their needs and delivers value.
The other options are not advisable because:
Wait to bring this up in the next Sprint Retrospective as this is the appropriate time for the Developers to re-consider the Definition of Done. This option is incorrect because it contradicts your accountability as a Scrum Master. The Sprint Retrospective is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to reflect on their performance and identify improvements for the next Sprint. However, it is not the only time for them to inspect and adapt their product and process. As a Scrum Master, you should promote continuous improvement and help the Scrum Team address any issues or impediments as soon as they arise1. Waiting to bring this up in the next Sprint Retrospective would mean delaying feedback and action, which can lead to waste or dissatisfaction.

Bring the concern to the quality assurance members of the Scrum Team and ask them to improve how the system is tested. This option is incorrect because it goes against your role as a facilitator, who helps the participants have constructive and respectful conversations. By bringing the concern to only a subset of the Scrum Team, you are creating silos and excluding others from contributing or learning. You are also implying that quality is only their responsibility, rather than a shared accountability of the whole Scrum Team. Moreover, you are not asking them for their input or feedback, but telling them what to do, which can undermine their autonomy and motivation.

Explain to the Product Owner that it is up to the Developers to decide on acceptable performance standards as they own the Definition of Done. This option is incorrect because it contradicts your role as a coach, who helps people grow and improve their skills and behaviors. By explaining to the Product Owner that it is up to the Developers to decide on acceptable performance standards, you are dismissing their concern and creating a gap between them and the Developers. You are also ignoring their valuable perspective and input as a stakeholder representative, who has a clear vision of what value means for the product. Instead of explaining, you should be asking questions and listening actively, and facilitating a dialogue between them and the Developers.

C. You suggest 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.

Answer DescriptionExplanation:

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”

B. Developers with an interest in Stella's domain could volunteer to take on this work in their respective Scrum Teams.
C. Ask Stella for a plan to hire and train additional people in her domain, and in the meantime work with the Product Owner and Scrum Teams to re-prioritize the work so that tasks not depending on Stella can be done first.

B. The Scrum Teams pull in work from a shared Product Backlog in agreement with the Product Owner and the other teams.

Answer DescriptionExplanation: When multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, they share one Product Backlog that contains all the requirements for the product. The Product Owner is responsible for ordering and refining the Product Backlog items, but does not assign them to specific teams. Instead, the Scrum Teams pull in work from the Product Backlog in agreement with the Product Owner and the other teams, based on their capacity, skills, dependencies, and Sprint Goals. This way, the Scrum Teams can self-organize and collaborate to deliver a coherent and valuable product Increment.

A. Having an Increment that could be released to end users.
C. All work performed meets the Definition of Done.

Answer DescriptionExplanation:

Done means that the Increment is in a usable condition and meets the Scrum Team’s Definition of Done. The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. Having an Increment that could be released to end users means that it is potentially releasable, which is one of the goals of Scrum. All work performed meets the Definition of Done means that the Developers have ensured that every Product Backlog item selected for the Sprint conforms to the agreed quality standards.

References:

• The Scrum Guide, November 2020, p. 10-11
• What is a Definition of Done?, Scrum.org, accessed on September 30, 2023
• DONE Understanding Of The Definition Of "Done”, Scrum.org, December 16, 2019

D. All Scrum Teams agree on a shared Definition of Done that describes all work needed to deliver an Increment that is the integrated sum of the work from all Scrum Teams.