Answering: “Which answer best describes the topics covered in Sprint Planning?” (PSPO I)

Sprint Planning covers why the Sprint is valuable, what can be Done this Sprint and how the chosen work will get done. It is not about assigning people, reviewing the last Sprint or adapting the Product Backlog to market changes.

Exam Question

Which answer best describes the topics covered in Sprint Planning?
(choose the best answer)
A. Who is on the team and what team member roles will be.
B. What to do and who will do it.
C. How conditions have changed and how the Product Backlog should evolve.
D. What went wrong in the last Sprint and what to do differently this Sprint.
E. What can be done, how to do it, and why to do it.

Correct Answer

E. What can be done, how to do it, and why to do it.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The 2020 Scrum Guide lists three Sprint Planning topics. Topic one asks why the Sprint is valuable, and the Scrum Team crafts a Sprint Goal from it. Topic two asks what can be Done this Sprint, as the Developers select items from the Product Backlog in discussion with the Product Owner. Topic three asks how the chosen work will get done, and the Developers plan the work needed to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. Together these produce the Sprint Backlog. Option E covers all three, even though it lists them in a different order than the Guide does.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

A. Who is on the team and what their roles are. Team membership is not a Sprint Planning topic, and Scrum has no individual roles within the Developers.

B. What to do and who will do it. Scrum does not assign work during planning. The Developers self-manage who does what, and the option leaves out why.

C. How conditions changed and how the Product Backlog should evolve. This describes the Sprint Review, where the team and stakeholders inspect changes and adapt the Product Backlog.

D. What went wrong last Sprint and what to change. This describes the Sprint Retrospective.

Exam Tip

Memorize the three Sprint Planning topics as why, what and how. If an option leaves one out or adds “who,” it is wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Sprint Planning answers why, what and how.
• The Sprint Goal comes from the why topic.
• The Developers decide who does what during the Sprint.