Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum Theory & PrinciplesHard
A Product Owner is struggling to prioritize Product Backlog items because stakeholders have conflicting perspectives on what is most valuable. The Scrum Master suggests organizing a workshop to bring all key stakeholders together to discuss and align on value. Which Lean Thinking principle does this suggestion best support?
- AEliminate Waste
- BAmplify Learning
- CDeliver Fast
- DOptimize the Whole
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Optimize the Whole
Conflicting stakeholder perspectives and prioritization struggles indicate a lack of alignment across the entire value stream. By bringing stakeholders together to align on value, the Scrum Master is attempting to ensure that decisions benefit the entire product system rather than just individual parts or perspectives, which is the essence of 'Optimize the Whole'. This reduces sub-optimization and ensures a more coherent direction.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Eliminate Waste focuses on removing non-value-adding activities, not directly on aligning disparate value definitions.
- B. Amplify Learning is about gaining knowledge through feedback, but the primary issue is alignment of existing knowledge, not acquiring new knowledge.
- C. Deliver Fast is a goal, not a principle for resolving conflicting value definitions.
Lean Principle: Optimize the Whole
Focus on the entire system and value stream, rather than optimizing individual components in isolation.
- Prevents sub-optimization at the expense of overall value.
- Encourages holistic thinking and collaboration across boundaries.
- Ensures decisions benefit the end-to-end flow of value.
Memory trick: See the forest, not just the trees, for optimal outcomes.