Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum FrameworkMedium
A new Developer joins an existing Scrum Team. During their first Sprint, they struggle to understand the team's progress and upcoming tasks, despite attending the Daily Scrum. They observe that other Developers often discuss highly technical implementation details without clearly linking them to the Sprint Goal. What aspect of the Daily Scrum is MOST likely being missed or misapplied by the team?
- AThe Daily Scrum is not focused on the Sprint Goal and progress toward it.
- BThe Scrum Master is not actively moderating the discussion to keep it high-level.
- CThe Daily Scrum is not time-boxed to 15 minutes, leading to excessive detail.
- DThe Developers are not using the Sprint Backlog as a visual aid during the meeting.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. The Daily Scrum is not focused on the Sprint Goal and progress toward it.
The primary purpose of the Daily Scrum is for the Development Team to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary. Discussing technical implementation details without linking them to the Sprint Goal detracts from this focus and makes it difficult to understand overall progress.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The Scrum Master is a servant-leader, not a moderator in the traditional sense; the Developers are self-managing and responsible for their Daily Scrum. The issue lies in the team's understanding and application of the event's purpose.
- C. While exceeding the time-box is an issue, the core problem described is *what* is discussed, not just *how long*.
- D. Using the Sprint Backlog as a visual aid is good practice, but the fundamental issue is the content of the discussion, not just the tools used.
Daily Scrum Focus
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute time-boxed event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog, and to plan work for the next 24 hours.
- For Developers only.
- Inspects progress toward the Sprint Goal.
- Adapts the Sprint Backlog for the next 24 hours.
Memory trick: Goal-Oriented, Time-boxed, Team-Led.