Answering: “A Scrum Master is working with a Scrum Team that has Developers in different physical locations. The Developers meet in a variety of meeting rooms and have much to do logistically (for example: reserve meetings rooms and set up conference calls) before the Daily Scrum. What action should the Scrum Master take?” (PSM I)

The Scrum Master should let the Developers self-manage and work out the logistics themselves. Setting it up for them, assigning a rotation or escalating to management takes away a problem the team can solve.

Exam Question

A Scrum Master is working with a Scrum Team that has Developers in different physical locations. The Developers meet in a variety of meeting rooms and have much to do logistically (for example: reserve meeting rooms and set up conference calls) before the Daily Scrum. What action should the Scrum Master take? (choose the best answer)

• A. Allow the Developers to self-manage and determine for themselves what to do.
• B. Set up the meeting and tell the Scrum Team that is how it will be done.
• C. Ask the Developers to alternate who is responsible for meeting setup.
• D. Inform management and ask them to solve it.

Correct Answer

A. Allow the Developers to self-manage and determine for themselves what to do.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Daily Scrum is the Developers’ event. The Scrum Guide says they “can select whatever structure and techniques they want, as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work.” Booking rooms and setting up calls is part of how they hold that event. The Scrum Guide also describes Scrum Teams as self-managing, deciding “who does what, when, and how.” The Scrum Master can coach and ask questions if the overhead becomes a real impediment, but the Developers own the solution.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Set up the meeting and tell the team that is how it will be done. This is command and control. It removes ownership from the Developers and makes the Scrum Master an administrator.

C. Ask the Developers to alternate who sets up the meeting. A rotation might be a fine idea, but it should come from the Developers. Prescribing it still takes the decision away from them.

D. Inform management and ask them to solve it. Meeting logistics are well within the team’s control. Escalating them signals the team cannot manage its own work.

Exam Tip

If the problem sits inside the Developers’ own work and they can solve it, the Scrum Master answer is usually to let them self-manage, not to fix it or escalate.

Key Takeaways

• The Daily Scrum belongs to the Developers.
• Self-managing teams solve their own logistics.
• The Scrum Master coaches instead of imposing solutions.