Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum Theory & PrinciplesHard
A Product Owner is struggling to prioritize Product Backlog items because stakeholders have conflicting visions for the product's direction. The Scrum Master encourages the Product Owner to engage these stakeholders in a collaborative session to articulate a unified product vision and align priorities. Which Lean Thinking principle is the Scrum Master promoting?
- AOptimize the Whole
- BAmplify Learning
- CEliminate Waste
- DDecide as Late as Possible
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Optimize the Whole
Conflicting stakeholder visions and unaligned priorities lead to sub-optimization, where different parts of the system (or different stakeholders) pull in separate directions. Encouraging collaboration to unify the product vision aims to optimize the entire system, ensuring everyone works towards a common goal.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Amplify Learning is about continuous feedback, but 'Optimize the Whole' addresses the systemic issue of misalignment.
- C. Eliminate Waste is about removing non-value-adding activities, which is a consequence, but not the primary principle addressed by unifying vision.
- D. Decide as Late as Possible is about deferring irreversible decisions, not about aligning conflicting visions.
Lean Principle: Optimize the Whole
Focus on optimizing the entire value stream from end to end, rather than individual components or departments.
- Avoids local optimization at the expense of the system.
- Requires cross-functional collaboration and shared understanding.
- Ensures alignment towards a common goal and maximizes overall value.
Memory trick: See the whole, not just the parts, to hit the global target.