Answering: “You are the Scrum Master of a new, to be developed product. Development is going to require 45 people. What is a good first question for you to suggest the group thinks about when forming into teams?” (PSM I)

A good first question is how to make sure every team has the right expertise. The aim is cross-functional teams that can each deliver a usable Increment, not choosing leads or balancing seniority.

Exam Question

You are the Scrum Master of a new, to be developed product. Development is going to require 45 people. What is a good first question for you to suggest the group thinks about when forming into teams? (choose the best answer)

• A. How will we make sure all teams have the right amount of expertise?
• B. Who are the subject matter experts on each team?
• C. What is the right mixture of senior and junior people on each team?
• D. Who are going to be the team leads?

Correct Answer

A. How will we make sure all teams have the right amount of expertise?

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Scrum Guide says Scrum Teams are cross-functional, “meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint.” With 45 people, the group will form several teams that each need enough skills to turn Product Backlog items into done work. Starting with expertise puts the focus on what each team must be able to deliver. Questions about leads, experts or seniority mixes come from traditional structures and can lead to hierarchies the Scrum Guide rules out, since “within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies.”

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Who are the subject matter experts on each team? Labelling experts encourages hand-offs to individuals. The team as a whole needs the skills, not a named expert.

C. What is the right mix of senior and junior people? Seniority balance may matter later, but it does not ensure each team can deliver a done Increment.

D. Who are going to be the team leads? Scrum Teams have no team leads. Accountability is shared, and the team self-manages.

Exam Tip

When teams are being formed, the Scrum answer starts with cross-functionality: can each team deliver a done Increment on its own?

Key Takeaways

• Each Scrum Team needs all the skills to create value each Sprint.
• Scrum Teams have no team leads or hierarchies.
• Team formation should start from the product’s needs.