Scrum does not require the Product Owner to use any of these items. Burndowns, burn-ups, Gantt charts and critical path analysis are optional practices, and refactoring is an engineering technique.
Exam Question
Scrum requires that the Product Owner must use which of the following items? (choose all that apply)
- A. Release burndown diagram.
- B. Burndown chart.
- C. Feature burn-up.
- D. Critical Path Analysis.
- E. Refactoring.
- F. Project Gantt chart.
- G. None of the above.
Correct Answer
G. None of the above.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The Scrum Guide describes itself as purposefully incomplete, defining only the parts required to implement Scrum theory. It names three artifacts: the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog and the Increment. It also notes that practices such as burn-downs, burn-ups or cumulative flows have proven useful for forecasting, but adds that they do not replace empiricism. Useful is not the same as required. A Product Owner may track progress toward the Product Goal however they choose. Gantt charts and critical path analysis come from predictive planning and fit poorly with empirical work. Refactoring is something Developers do in code, not a Product Owner tool.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
A. Release burndown diagram. A valid forecasting aid, but Scrum does not mandate it.
B. Burndown chart. Optional. Many teams use it, and many do not.
C. Feature burn-up. Also optional. The Scrum Guide mentions burn-ups only as one possible practice.
D. Critical Path Analysis. A predictive planning technique that Scrum does not use or require.
E. Refactoring. An engineering practice for Developers. It is not a Product Owner tool and is not required by Scrum.
F. Project Gantt chart. Gantt charts assume a fixed plan. Scrum neither requires nor relies on them.
Exam Tip
When a question asks what Scrum “requires,” check each option against the three artifacts, five events and three accountabilities. Anything outside that list is a practice, not a rule.
Key Takeaways
- Scrum only requires the elements defined in the Scrum Guide.
- Burndowns and burn-ups are optional forecasting practices.
- The Product Owner chooses how to track progress toward the Product Goal.
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