The Product Backlog is transparent when it is ordered and available to all stakeholders. MoSCoW labels, web tools and a two-Sprint horizon do not make it transparent.
Exam Question
All Scrum artifacts must be transparent to ensure sufficient accuracy of inspection. Which two measures ensure that the Product Backlog is transparent?
(choose the best two answers)
A. The Product Backlog is ordered.
B. Each Product Backlog item has a MoSCoW priority.
C. The Product Backlog is managed using a web-based tool.
D. The Product Backlog is available to all stakeholders.
E. The Product Backlog only has work for the next 2 Sprints.
Correct Answer
A and D.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The Scrum Guide calls the Product Backlog “an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product.” Ordering makes clear what the team will work on next and why. Visibility matters just as much. The Product Owner is accountable for ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood. When stakeholders can see the backlog and its order, they can inspect it, question it and offer better information to the Product Owner. Artifacts with low transparency lead to decisions that diminish value and increase risk, which is why both conditions are needed.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
B. Each item has a MoSCoW priority. MoSCoW groups items into buckets, so many items share the same label. Scrum needs a single ordered list, not categories.
C. The backlog is managed in a web-based tool. A tool can help, but it does not make the backlog ordered or understood. A wall of cards can be just as transparent.
E. The backlog only holds work for the next two Sprints. The Product Backlog holds everything known to be needed for the product. Cutting it to two Sprints hides information from stakeholders.
Exam Tip
Questions about artifact transparency usually reward visibility and shared understanding. Options naming a specific tool or prioritization technique are rarely correct.
Key Takeaways
- The Product Backlog is a single ordered list.
- Stakeholders should be able to see it.
- Tools and labeling schemes do not create transparency on their own.
Get ready for the official PSPO I exam
320 PSPO I practice questions, each with an in-depth explanation like the one above.
- Practice Mode: study at your own pace and choose the test length.
- Mock Exam Mode: 80 random questions in 60 minutes, like the real exam.
$29 is ScrumPrep's one-time price. The official PSPO I exam fee ($200) is paid separately to Scrum.org.
More PSPO I exam questions
- Who can cancel a Sprint?
- True or False: The Product Owner makes sure the right stakeholders are invited to the Sprint Retrospective. They might have important instructions for team improvements.” (PSPO I)
- You are the Scrum Master for four Scrum Teams working from the same Product Backlog. Several of the developers come to you complaining that work identified for the upcoming two Sprints will require full-time commitment from a specialist who is external to the teams.” (PSPO I)
- Who should make sure everyone on the Scrum Team does their tasks for the Sprint?” (PSPO I)
- The Daily Scrum is an event that happens every day. What would be three key concerns if the frequency were to be lowered to every two or three days?” (PSPO I)