Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum Theory & PrinciplesHard
A new Scrum Team is struggling to deliver a "Done" Increment every Sprint. The Product Owner is frequently changing the order of Product Backlog items mid-Sprint, and the Developers are often blocked waiting for external dependencies. Which aspect of Empiricism is most directly impacted by these challenges?
- ATransparency
- BInspection
- CSelf-management
- DAdaptation
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Transparency
The frequent changes and external blockers obscure the true state of the work and the team's progress, making it difficult to understand what is actually happening. This directly undermines transparency, which is a prerequisite for effective inspection and adaptation.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Inspection is hampered because there isn't a clear, shared understanding of the current state to inspect.
- C. Self-management is a characteristic of the team, but the issues described are systemic and affect the visibility of the work, not just the team's ability to organize itself.
- D. Adaptation becomes difficult or ineffective because decisions are based on unclear or misleading information.
Empiricism: Transparency
Significant aspects of the process must be visible to those responsible for the outcome. Transparency requires common standards so that what is seen means the same thing to all.
- Enables shared understanding of the current state.
- Crucial for effective decision-making.
- Lack of transparency leads to poor inspection and adaptation.
Memory trick: Trust in the truth, then inspect and adapt.