Answering: “Scrum is based on empiricism. All of its artifacts must be transparent to ensure sufficient accuracy of inspection. How can the Scrum Team maintain the Product Backlog to maximize its transparency?” (PSPO I)

The Product Backlog stays transparent when it is continually updated with the latest insights. Limiting updates to particular meetings or forcing item sizes into fixed point limits does not make it more accurate.

Exam Question

Scrum is based on empiricism. All of its artifacts must be transparent to ensure sufficient accuracy of inspection. How can the Scrum Team maintain the Product Backlog to maximize its transparency?
(choose the best answer)
A. The Product Backlog items must be sized such that the highest ordered items are no bigger than a Sprint.
B. Product Backlog is only updated at the Sprint Review, when both the Scrum Team and the stakeholders are available.
C. Product Backlog is only updated at a release planning meeting with the stakeholders and the change control board present.
D. The Product Backlog is continually kept up to date with the most recent insights.
E. Product Backlog items should hold no more than 8 points of work, which is average in the range of acceptable sizes of 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 13.

Correct Answer

D. The Product Backlog is continually kept up to date with the most recent insights.

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.” Emergent means it changes whenever the team or stakeholders learn something. Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing activity that breaks down and further defines items, adding details like description, order and size. If the Product Backlog only changed at certain meetings, it would often show an outdated picture, and inspection based on it would lead to poor decisions. Keeping it current lets anyone inspect it at any time and see what is really planned next.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

A. Size top items so none is bigger than a Sprint. Right-sizing top items helps Sprint Planning, but it does not by itself keep the whole Product Backlog current and transparent.

B. Update only at the Sprint Review. Restricting updates to one event lets the Product Backlog go stale between Reviews.

C. Update only at release planning with a change control board. Scrum has no change control board, and infrequent updates hide new learning.

E. Keep items at 8 points or less. Scrum prescribes no estimation scale or size limit. Point thresholds add rules without adding transparency.

Exam Tip

Options that say an artifact is “only” updated at a certain meeting are almost always wrong. Scrum artifacts change whenever new information appears.

Key Takeaways

• The Product Backlog is emergent and always current.
• Refinement is ongoing, not tied to one meeting.
• Scrum prescribes no estimation scale.