PMP Question 646

[admin]

Your Scrum team has completed 6 sprints. In the last two sprints, the team’s velocity dropped significantly despite no changes in team composition or sprint length. The Product Owner is concerned about forecast accuracy and wants to commit to more work in the next sprint to catch up on the release plan. The team feels pressured and demotivated.

As the Scrum Master, what should you do first?

A. Facilitate a root cause discussion during the retrospective
B. Advise the Product Owner to increase the sprint commitment
C. Recalculate velocity using the average of the best 3 sprints
D. Push the team to increase productivity to restore confidence

[admin]

✅ Correct Answer: A. Facilitate a root cause discussion during the retrospective

🔍 Explanation:
A. Facilitate a root cause discussion during the retrospective
✅ Correct.
A sudden drop in velocity with no clear reason should prompt the team to inspect and adapt. The Sprint Retrospective is the right forum to explore potential causes like technical debt, unclear requirements, distractions, or hidden risks. The Scrum Master’s role is to foster reflection and continuous improvement, not enforce speed.

B. Advise the Product Owner to increase the sprint commitment
❌ Wrong direction.
Agile teams commit to what they believe is achievable. Increasing scope without solving underlying issues will likely increase burnout and reduce quality.

C. Recalculate velocity using the average of the best 3 sprints
❌ Misleading metric.
Velocity is a team-owned historical measure, not something to be gamed or massaged. Using inflated historical data gives false confidence and erodes trust.

D. Push the team to increase productivity to restore confidence
❌ Anti-Agile.
Velocity is not a performance target; it’s a planning guide. Pushing the team undermines psychological safety and Agile values like sustainable pace.

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