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The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team who are accountable for creating a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done each Sprint. The Developers are responsible for planning and executing the Sprint Backlog, designing and building the product functionality, testing and improving the product quality, and delivering a potentially releasable Increment. The Developers work closely with the Product Owner to understand and clarify the Product Backlog items, provide feedback and estimates, and suggest improvements and innovations.

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 is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment.

The amount of work required of the Developers to complete a Product Backlog item selected during the Sprint Planning depends on the Definition of Done. The Definition of Done may vary from one Scrum Team to another, depending on the context and domain of work. However, it must be consistent within one team. If there are multiple Scrum Teams working on one product, they must share a common Definition of Done. If there is an organizational standard for a Definition of Done, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum.

The Developers must ensure that each Product Backlog item they complete during a Sprint meets the Definition of Done. This means that they must perform all the necessary tasks and activities to deliver a high-quality product functionality that is usable, valuable, and potentially releasable. This may include analysis, design, development, testing, documentation, integration, deployment, or any other aspects that contribute to the quality and usability of the product.

The other options are not valid or relevant measures for the amount of work required of the Developers to complete a Product Backlog item. They are either too vague, arbitrary, or unrealistic. They are:

As much as they can fit into the Sprint, with remaining work deferred to the next Sprint: This is a too vague and unrealistic measure for the amount of work required of the Developers. It does not account for the quality or value of the product functionality delivered. It also does not respect the timebox or scope of the Sprint. It may lead to incomplete or unfinished work, technical debt, or scope creep.

All development work and at least some testing: This is a too arbitrary and insufficient measure for the amount of work required of the Developers. It does not account for the quality or value of the product functionality delivered. It also does not respect the Definition of Done or the potentially releasable nature of the Increment. It may lead to low-quality or unusable work, defects, or rework.

A proportional amount of time on analysis, design, development, and testing: This is a too restrictive and prescriptive measure for the amount of work required of the Developers. It does not account for the complexity or variability of the product functionality delivered. It also does not respect the self-organization or cross-functionality of the Developers. It may lead to over-engineering or waste.

References:

Scrum Guide: https://www.scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html

Definition of Done: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-definition-of-done

Developers: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-developer-in-scrum

 In order to maximize the value of the product, a Product Owner needs awareness of the following:

Competitive research. The Product Owner should be aware of the competitive landscape and the market trends that affect the product. They should know who are the competitors, what are their strengths and weaknesses, how do they differentiate themselves, and what are their strategies and goals. This can help the Product Owner to identify opportunities, threats, and gaps in the market, and to position the product accordingly.

Customer feedback. The Product Owner should be aware of the customer needs, preferences, expectations, and satisfaction with the product. They should collect and analyze feedback from various sources, such as surveys, interviews, reviews, analytics, etc. This can help the Product Owner to validate assumptions, test hypotheses, measure outcomes, and discover insights that can inform the product decisions and priorities.

Product vision. The Product Owner should be aware of the product vision, which is a clear and compelling statement of the desired future state of the product. The product vision describes the purpose, value proposition, target audience, and key features of the product. It also aligns with the organizational vision and mission. This can help the Product Owner to communicate and inspire the stakeholders, to guide and focus the Scrum Team, and to evaluate and adjust the product direction.

Forecasting & feasibility. The Product Owner should be aware of the forecasting and feasibility of the product. They should estimate and plan the scope, time, cost, quality, and risk of delivering the product. They should also assess the technical, operational, legal, ethical, and social feasibility of developing and releasing the product. This can help the Product Owner to optimize the value of the work of the Scrum Team, to manage expectations and dependencies, and to handle uncertainties and changes.

References:

Scrum Guide 2020, page 6: “The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.”

Scrum Guide 2020, page 11: “The Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against.”

Scrum Guide 2020, page 11: “The Product Owner is accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes … optimizing the value of the work the Scrum Team performs.”

The ideal time for refinement to take place and who should participate are the Scrum Team during the current Sprint, if they have been unable during preceding Sprints to define Product Backlog items with enough precision to begin work, and the Scrum Team on an ongoing basis, defining Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items that are ready for selection. This is because:

Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to Product Backlog items. It is an ongoing and collaborative process that involves the whole Scrum Team.

The Scrum Team should refine the Product Backlog as needed to ensure that there are enough items that are sufficiently clear and ready for selection in Sprint Planning. The amount of time spent on refinement usually varies from one Scrum Team to another, but it is recommended not to exceed 10% of the capacity of the Developers.

The Scrum Team may also use a Sprint to refine the Product Backlog if they have not been able to do so in previous Sprints. This may happen when the product is new or complex, or when there is a significant change in the product vision or direction. However, this should be an exception rather than a rule, as it may delay the delivery of value and feedback.

Other options, such as business analysts doing the refinement work for the Scrum Team, the Product Owner doing the refinement alone in Sprint 0 or between Sprints, or handing off the ownership of the Product Backlog to someone else, are not consistent with the principles and values of Scrum. They may lead to misunderstandings, misalignment, or loss of ownership and accountability.

References:

[Scrum Guide], page 11, section “Product Backlog”

[Scrum Guide], page 12, section “Product Backlog Refinement”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 7, section “Product Backlog Management”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 8, section “Release Management”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 9, section “Business Strategy”

 A Product Owner should not measure product value by the increase in the team’s velocity. This is because:

Velocity is a measure of how much work a Scrum Team can deliver in a Sprint. It is based on the estimation of Product Backlog items that are selected for a Sprint and completed according to the Definition of Done.

Velocity is not a measure of product value. It does not reflect how well the product meets the needs and expectations of the customers, users, and stakeholders. It does not reflect how much value or impact the product creates in terms of revenue, satisfaction, or social good.

Velocity is not a goal or a target for a Scrum Team. It is a planning tool that helps them forecast their future work based on their past performance. It is not a metric that should be used to compare or judge teams or individuals.

A Product Owner should measure product value by using indicators that are relevant, meaningful, and actionable for their product context. These may include metrics such as customer feedback, usage data, market share, return on investment, or social impact.

References:

[Scrum Guide], page 7, section “Developers”

[Scrum Guide], page 10, section “Definition of Done”

[Scrum Guide], page 15, section “Sprint Backlog”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 5, section “Product Value”

[Professional Scrum Product Owner™ Training], page 9, section “Business Strategy”

The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies. It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are responsible for creating and communicating a vision, ordering the Product Backlog, and ensuring that the best possible job is done to delight customers. The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to delivering a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal. They are responsible for managing and organizing their work within the Sprint, collaborating with the Product Owner and the Scrum Master, and applying their skills and creativity to create a product that delivers value to the stakeholders and customers. A Project Manager is not a role in the Scrum Team, as Scrum does not recognize titles for Developers, regardless of the work being performed by the person. There is no need for a Project Manager, as the Scrum Team is self-managing and accountable for delivering value.

References:

The Scrum Guide

The Scrum Team

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I Certification

Answer: False

Very Short Explanation: According to Scrum.org, the Product Owner is not required to create clear and unambiguous acceptance criteria for each item in the product’s backlog before it can be selected in Sprint Planning1. Acceptance Criteria is optional and is not prescribed by Scrum12. It can be valuable, but it’s not a must12. The Developers can inspect and adapt the Sprint Backlog in any way they see fit, in order to help meet the Sprint Goal2.

 If the Product Backlog is not sufficiently clear at Sprint Planning, the Developers will find it difficult to create a Sprint forecast they are confident they can meet. This is because:

Sprint Planning is an event where the Scrum Team plans for the upcoming Sprint. The purpose of Sprint Planning is to align the entire Scrum Team around a common goal and a plan for delivering an Increment that meets that goal.

The Developers are accountable for creating a Sprint forecast, which is a selection of Product Backlog items that they intend to work on during the Sprint. The Sprint forecast should be realistic, achievable, and valuable.

The Product Owner is accountable for ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood by everyone who needs to work on it. They must collaborate with the Developers and provide clarifications, feedback, and guidance on what items are most important and valuable for the product.

If the Product Backlog is not sufficiently clear at Sprint Planning, it means that there are items that are not well defined, ordered, or estimated. This may make it hard for the Developers to understand what they are supposed to build and why. It may also make it hard for them to estimate how much work they can do or how long it will take them to do it. This may result in a poor or inaccurate Sprint forecast that may affect the quality or value of the Increment.

Other options, such as the Product Owner selecting the Sprint Goal for the Scrum Team so that work can begin, nothing in particular happening, the Scrum Master not allowing this to happen or looking for a new Scrum Master and re-starting the Sprint, or Sprint Planning being canceled so refinement can be done first, are not valid answers as they do not reflect what typically happens or what should happen in Scrum.

References:

[Scrum Guide], page 14, section “Sprint Planning”

[Scrum Guide], page 7, section “Developers”

[Scrum Guide], page 6, section “Product Owner”

[Scrum Guide], page 11, section “Product Backlog”

The Scrum Guide states 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”. It also states that “at the end of a Sprint, the new Increment must be ‘Done’, which means it must be in useable condition and meet the Scrum Team’s definition of ‘Done’”. Therefore, the Scrum Team must deliver a valuable, useful Increment that meets the Definition of Done at the end of a Sprint. The other options are not acceptable, as they do not meet the criteria of being valuable, useful, or done.

References:

The Scrum Guide, section 3.4. Increment

Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) Learning Path, section 2.1. The Product Owner and the Development Team

Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) Sample Questions, question 10

The typical size for a Scrum Team is 10 or fewer people, including the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Developers. The Scrum Guide states that "The Scrum Team is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint. Fewer than three people decrease interaction and results in smaller productivity gains. Having more than ten people requires too much coordination. Large teams generate too much complexity for an empirical process to be useful."1 This means that the optimal Scrum Team size is between 3 and 10 people, depending on the context and the nature of the work.

References:

1: The Scrum Guide2, page 6

2: The Scrum Guide

It is true that the Sprint Backlog is a result of Sprint Planning, and it includes the Sprint Goal. This is because:

Sprint Planning is an event where the Scrum Team plans for the upcoming Sprint. The purpose of Sprint Planning is to align the entire Scrum Team around a common goal and a plan for delivering an Increment that meets that goal.

The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering them as a “Done” Increment. The Sprint Backlog is owned by the Developers who use it to organize and manage their work during the Sprint.

The Sprint Goal is a short-term objective that provides guidance and focus to the Scrum Team throughout the Sprint. It is a flexible and negotiable commitment that can be adjusted as more is learned throughout the Sprint.

The Sprint Backlog is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team during Sprint Planning. The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and utility in the current Sprint. The Developers discuss how they can deliver a “Done” Increment that meets this proposal. Together, they define a Sprint Goal that summarizes why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders. Then, they select enough Product Backlog items from the top of the ordered Product Backlog to satisfy the Sprint Goal. Finally, they create a plan for how they will deliver those items as a “Done” Increment.

References:

[Scrum Guide], page 14, section “Sprint Planning”

[Scrum Guide], page 15, section “Sprint Backlog”

[Scrum Guide], page 15, section “Sprint Goal”