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

Sprint Planning covers why the Sprint is valuable, what can be Done, and how the chosen work will get done. The other options describe team setup, task assignment, the Sprint Review or the Retrospective.

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 Scrum Guide lists three Sprint Planning topics: why this Sprint is valuable, what can be Done this Sprint, and how the chosen work will get done. The why leads to the Sprint Goal, which the whole Scrum Team defines together. The what is the selection of Product Backlog items, made by the Developers with the Product Owner. The how is the Developers’ plan for turning those items into an Increment. Together they form the Sprint Backlog. Option E is the only one that covers all three topics, even though it lists them in a different order.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

A. Who is on the team and their roles. Team composition is not a Sprint Planning topic, and Scrum has accountabilities, not assigned roles per Sprint.

B. What to do and who will do it. Assigning people to tasks up front is not a Sprint Planning topic. The Developers self-manage who does what during the Sprint.

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

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

Exam Tip

Map each option to the event it actually describes. Sprint Planning is the why, what and how. Any option about who does what is a trap.

Key Takeaways

• Sprint Planning has three topics: why, what and how.
• The why becomes the Sprint Goal.
• Task assignment is not part of Sprint Planning.