A Scrum team has committed to a Sprint Goal, but during the Sprint, a critical bug is discovered in a previously released feature that requires immediate attention and resources. The Development Team determines that addressing this bug will prevent them from completing a significant portion of their planned Sprint work. What is the most appropriate action?
- AThe Development Team should work overtime to complete both the planned Sprint work and the bug fix.
- BThe Development Team should inform the Product Owner and Scrum Master, who will then collaborate to assess the impact on the Sprint Goal and determine the best course of action, potentially canceling the Sprint.
- CThe Product Owner should unilaterally remove items from the Sprint Backlog to make room for the bug fix.
- DThe team should ignore the critical bug until the current Sprint is complete to protect the Sprint Goal.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The Development Team should inform the Product Owner and Scrum Master, who will then collaborate to assess the impact on the Sprint Goal and determine the best course of action, potentially canceling the Sprint.
When a critical impediment like a major bug threatens the Sprint Goal, the Development Team should inform the Product Owner and Scrum Master. Together, they assess the impact and decide the best course of action. If the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, the Product Owner may cancel the Sprint, but this is a collaborative decision.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Working overtime is not a sustainable Agile practice and often leads to burnout and reduced quality.
- C. While the Product Owner has authority over the Product Backlog, changes to the Sprint Backlog during a Sprint should be a collaborative decision with the Development Team, especially when the Sprint Goal is at risk.
- D. Ignoring a critical bug in a released feature is irresponsible and could lead to significant negative consequences for the product and users.
Handling Major Impediments in Sprint
When a significant impediment threatens the Sprint Goal, the Development Team collaborates with the Product Owner and Scrum Master to assess, decide on the best course of action, and potentially renegotiate the Sprint Backlog or cancel the Sprint.
- Significant impediment threatens Sprint Goal.
- Collaborative decision (Dev Team, PO, SM).
- May lead to Sprint Backlog renegotiation.
- Product Owner can cancel Sprint if Goal obsolete.
Memory trick: When a critical bug crashes the Sprint party, the team, PO, and SM must huddle and chart a new start-y.