Answering: “In the Sprint Retrospective, there is discussion that the quality of the Increment is not sufficient for going to production. In response, a Scrum Team member points out the high velocity reached by the team. What are the two best actions for the Scrum Master to take?”

The Scrum Master should stress that working product matters more than velocity, and facilitate a discussion on reaching production quality even if velocity drops. Praising velocity while quality is lacking rewards the wrong thing.

Exam Question

In the Sprint Retrospective, there is discussion that the quality of the Increment is not sufficient for going to production. In response, a Scrum Team member points out the high velocity reached by the team. What are the two best actions for the Scrum Master to take? (choose the best two answers)

• A. Stress the value of working product over measured velocity.
• B. Agree and praise the Developers for their hard work, so they are motivated to do even more in the next Sprint.
• C. Acknowledge the hard work but remind the Developers that they need to improve in order to do even more in the next Sprint.
• D. Facilitate a discussion on how to improve the quality to a level sufficient for production, even if the measured velocity will drop in the next Sprint.

Correct Answer

A and D.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

Velocity is an optional measure of how much work a team moves, not how much value it delivers. The Scrum Guide insists that quality does not decrease and that an Increment must be usable. If the Increment cannot go to production, high velocity is misleading, because undone work will come back as technical debt. Pointing out that working product is the real measure resets the conversation. Facilitating a discussion on improving quality, such as strengthening the Definition of Done, lets the team own the fix. Accepting a short-term drop in velocity is a sign of honest transparency, not failure.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Praise the team so they do even more next Sprint. This rewards output while ignoring the quality problem. It encourages more of the same debt.

C. Acknowledge the work but push for more next Sprint. Asking for more output still treats velocity as the goal and ignores the quality gap.

Exam Tip

When velocity and quality conflict in a question, Scrum.org always sides with quality and working product.

Key Takeaways

• Working product beats measured velocity.
• Undone quality work becomes technical debt.
• A drop in velocity can reflect healthier transparency.