A Scrum Master raises a team’s productivity mainly by causing the removal of impediments and by facilitating the team’s decisions. Keeping meetings on time and managing backlog order are not the main levers.
Exam Question
What are the two primary ways a Scrum Master helps a Scrum Team work at its highest level of productivity?
(choose the best two answers)
A. By removing impediments that hinder the Scrum Team.
B. By facilitating Scrum Team decisions.
C. By starting and ending the meetings at the proper time.
D. By keeping high value features high in the Product Backlog.
Correct Answer
A and B.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The Scrum Guide lists “Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress” among the ways the Scrum Master serves the team. Impediments are anything that slows the team that it cannot easily fix itself, from blocked environments to organizational rules. Facilitation is the other major contribution. The Scrum Master helps the team reach decisions and makes sure events are positive, productive and kept within the timebox, while leaving the actual decisions to the team. Both actions increase the team’s effectiveness, which is what the Scrum Master is accountable for. Simply watching the clock or managing backlog order adds little by comparison.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
C. Starting and ending meetings at the right time. Respecting timeboxes matters, but it is a small part of facilitation and not a primary driver of productivity.
D. Keeping high value features high in the Product Backlog. Ordering the Product Backlog is the Product Owner’s accountability, not the Scrum Master’s.
Exam Tip
When the question is about how a Scrum Master helps the team perform, look for removing impediments and facilitating. Options about owning the backlog belong to the Product Owner.
Key Takeaways
- The Scrum Master causes impediments to be removed.
- Facilitation helps the team make its own decisions.
- Ordering the Product Backlog is the Product Owner’s work.
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