Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II) — Question 15

Paul is a Product Owner for multiple products. Each product is allocated a dedicated Scrum Team and a set budget. Based on the average velocity of a previous product release, Paul had estimated a new product to take 9 Sprints to complete. The average velocity of the previous product release was 50 completed units of work per Sprint. Over the first 3 Sprints, the Development Team reported an average velocity of 40 completed units per Sprint, while not fully completing the required integration tests. The Development Team estimates that integration testing would require additional effort to make the increments shippable. The
Development Team is unsure if the required velocity is achievable.
What is the most effective way to recover?

Answer options

• A. In the next Sprints, the Development Team strives to make the selected work as close to 'done' as possible and at the minimum 90% completed. Any undone work is divided into new Product Backlog Items that will be deferred to the last Sprint in order to maintain stable velocity.
• B. The Development Team informs Paul that the progress he has perceived to date is not correct. The Increment is not releasable. They give Paul their estimate of the effort it would take to get the previous work 'done', and suggest doing that work first before proceeding with new features. The team also re-estimates the effort to make the remaining Product Backlog items 'done', including all integration effort. In the end, it is Paul's call to continue the project or to cancel.
• C. The Scrum Master will manage the Sprint Backlog and assign work to the Development Team members to ensure maximum utilization of each member. He/ she will keep track of unused resources so that it does not impact the budget. Unused budget can be allocated for additional Sprints if needed.
• D. The Scrum Master sets the open work aside to be performed in one or more release Sprints. They remind Paul to find funding for enough Release Sprints in which this remaining work can be done. Up to one release Sprint per three development Sprints may be required. It is Paul's role to inform users and stakeholders of the impact on the release date.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The most effective way to recover is for the Development Team to communicate openly with Paul about the current state of progress and the unreleasability of the Increment. This ensures that the team addresses the existing issues before moving forward, allowing for accurate re-estimation and informed decision-making, which is not addressed by the other options.