The Purpose of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective
The Nexus Sprint Retrospective is a crucial event in the Nexus framework, which is designed to scale Scrum for larger product development initiatives involving multiple Scrum Teams.
Exam Question
What is the purpose of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective?
(choose the best answer)
A. To review the feedback from the Sprint Review and decide what actions to take.
B. To ensure all Scrum Teams are working on the same improvement actions.
C. To identify underperforming team members and recommend corrective action.
D. None of the above.
Correct Answer
D. None of the above.
Explanation
Correct Answer
D. None of the above:
The primary purpose of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective is to identify and address issues that affect multiple teams within the Nexus, with a focus on improving how they work together to create an Integrated Increment. It does not directly deal with reviewing feedback from the Sprint Review, ensuring identical improvement actions across all teams, or identifying underperforming team members for corrective action.
Why the Other Options Are Incorrect
A. To review the feedback from the Sprint Review and decide what actions to take:
While feedback from the Sprint Review can inform the retrospective, the main focus of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective is to inspect and adapt the processes and interactions within the Nexus, rather than just deciding actions based on feedback.
B. To ensure all Scrum Teams are working on the same improvement actions:
The Nexus Sprint Retrospective aims to address systemic issues and improve coordination across teams, not necessarily to enforce the same improvement actions for all teams. Each team may have different areas to improve based on their specific contexts.
C. To identify underperforming team members and recommend corrective action:
Scrum and Nexus focus on team performance and collective responsibility rather than singling out individuals. The retrospective is a collaborative event to improve the process and teamwork, not to evaluate individual performance.
Benefits of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective
- Enhanced Coordination: It ensures that teams are aligned and working effectively together.
- Continuous Improvement: By regularly inspecting and adapting, the Nexus can continuously improve its processes.
- Collective Problem Solving: Teams collaboratively address issues that impact the entire Nexus, leading to more effective solutions.
Relevance to the SPS Exam
Understanding the purpose and structure of the Nexus Sprint Retrospective is crucial for the SPS exam. It demonstrates the ability to facilitate and participate in retrospectives that drive continuous improvement in a multi-team environment.
Key Takeaways
- The Nexus Sprint Retrospective focuses on identifying and addressing issues that affect multiple teams.
- It aims to improve coordination, communication, and overall performance within the Nexus.
- The event is about collaborative problem-solving and continuous improvement, not individual performance evaluation.
Conclusion
The Nexus Sprint Retrospective is a pivotal event in the Nexus framework, designed to enhance the way multiple Scrum Teams work together. By focusing on systemic issues and fostering continuous improvement, the Nexus can deliver high-quality, integrated increments effectively.

Get ready for the official SPS exam
182 SPS practice questions, each with an in-depth explanation like the one above.
- Practice Mode: study at your own pace and choose the test length.
- Mock Exam Mode: 40 random questions in 60 minutes, like the real exam.
$29 is ScrumPrep's one-time price. The official SPS exam fee ($250) is paid separately to Scrum.org.
More SPS exam questions
- A six team Nexus is developing a full-featured e-commerce application. There are different parts of the application that only certain Scrum Teams can work on. In fact, there are some highly specialized individuals outside the Nexus that are required for some of the work. In past Sprints the Nexus encountered challenges dealing with the many dependencies between Scrum Teams. Some individual Scrum Teams in this Nexus have said that they do not see how the work they are doing is contributing to the product’s progress. What is the best remedy for this situation?
- There are five Scrum Teams working on a Product. During the Nexus Sprint Review, the teams present the results of the Sprint. After introductions, each team takes time to present their work for inspection by individually showing the new features they have built. They are not using a shared environment. The stakeholders do not provide much feedback. The event ends and people filter out of the room. What could help this Nexus create a single Integrated Increment for inspection at the Nexus Sprint Review?
- Management has planned for over two hundred developers to work on a new, critical product. Prior to the developers being formed into teams and beginning to develop the software, an overall architecture and cohesive design is needed. Which of the following approaches employs Scrum and Agile principles most effectively?
- In the first part of Nexus Sprint Planning, representatives from each of the 9-member Scrum Teams identify many dependencies. This makes it hard for them to choose the work they could pull into their individual teams for the next Sprint. No matter how they reorganize the Product Backlog items, they continually find more or new dependencies. There are especially two teams that have a lot of dependent work. What would you recommend to the two teams that are continually dependent on each other to help them manage their work?
- During Cross-Team Refinement, the ordered Product Backlog (1 through 9) is mapped out so the Nexus can visualize dependencies. For example, PBI 5 for Team Orange is dependent on Team Red completing PBI 1.
