Ask the Developers what value they get from all being at the Daily Scrum and what could go wrong if someone is missing. This helps them see the issue and decide how to handle it.
Exam Question
One of the Developers is always missing the Daily Scrum. She feels that as long as she is doing her job well it doesn’t matter whether she attends or not. The other Developers are not doing anything about it. You are the Scrum Master of this team, how would you respond to this situation? (choose the best answer)
- A. Teach the Developers how to deal with this situation by attending the Daily Scrum yourself.
- B. Talk to the Developer who is missing the Daily Scrum and ask her to always attend the Daily Scrum.
- C. Ask the Developers what value they get by having the Daily Scrum with all team members present and what might go wrong if all Developers do not attend.
- D. You do not intervene. The Developers own the Daily Scrum, so they should deal with any issues with attendance.
Correct Answer
C. Ask the Developers what value they get by having the Daily Scrum with all team members present and what might go wrong if all Developers do not attend.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The Daily Scrum is where the Developers inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust their plan together. When one person is always absent, the team’s plan lacks her input and she misses changes to it, which raises the risk of duplicated work or missed dependencies. The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching self-management, not by enforcing attendance. Powerful questions help the Developers discover these risks themselves, including the absent Developer and the teammates who have accepted the situation. Once they see the cost, they can hold each other accountable as professionals, which the Scrum Guide lists as an accountability of the Developers.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
A. Attend the Daily Scrum yourself to show them how. Presence alone does not address the problem. It also risks making the Scrum Master the event’s owner.
B. Tell the absent Developer to always attend. An instruction may change behavior briefly but builds no understanding. It also bypasses the team’s own accountability.
D. Do not intervene because the Developers own the event. Owning the event does not mean the Scrum Master ignores a clear problem. Coaching is still part of the role.
Exam Tip
When a team ignores a dysfunction, the best PSM II answer is often a coaching question that helps them discover why it matters.
Key Takeaways
- Coaching questions let the team find the problem itself.
- Developers hold each other accountable as professionals.
- Missing the Daily Scrum weakens the team’s shared plan.
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More PSM II exam questions
- The relationship between the Product Owner and the Developers has degraded over time.
- You are the Scrum Master of a Scrum Team that has one Developer who disagrees with team decisions. Their disagreements are becoming disruptive and slowing progress. The Developer often returns to earlier team decisions and re-opens the issue.
- A Scrum Team selected a Product Backlog item during the Sprint Planning. However, at the end of the Sprint the work does not meet the Definition of Done. What two things should happen with this incomplete Product Backlog item?
- Eight months ago your company started development of a new platform consisting of several components and systems. You are the Scrum Master on the team building the “core” application of the platform; your application connects all other systems.
- You are the Scrum Master for four 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 Stella, an external specialist who is not a member of any of the four Scrum Teams. What would you consider acceptable solutions for the problem?