CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
A Scrum team is halfway through a two-week Sprint when the Product Owner asks the developers to add a new high-value feature immediately. The Sprint Goal is still achievable. What should the developers do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is believing the Sprint Backlog is immutable once the Sprint begins, when in fact it is designed to be updated as the team learns.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the Sprint Backlog, adding the new item and removing or deferring items of comparable size if needed.
In Scrum, the Sprint Backlog belongs to the developers and is expected to evolve during the Sprint. When the Product Owner brings a valuable new item and the Sprint Goal remains achievable, the team can negotiate scope by adding the item and removing or deferring comparable work. This preserves the Sprint's purpose while allowing the team to respond to new information, which is a core benefit of empirical planning.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add the new feature on top of existing commitments and ask the developers to work additional hours to complete everything.
Why it's wrong here
Scrum does not rely on overtime to absorb scope changes, and piling work onto a fixed capacity undermines sustainable pace and quality. Adding scope without removing or deferring something else makes the Sprint forecast unreliable and increases the chance of unfinished work. The right move is to trade scope, not extend hours.
- ✗
Reject the request outright because the Sprint Backlog is frozen once Sprint Planning ends.
Why it's wrong here
The Sprint Backlog is not frozen; it is updated throughout the Sprint as the team learns more. Rejecting a high-value request without discussion ignores the Product Owner's role in maximizing value and treats a planning artifact as a contract. The developers should engage in dialogue rather than refuse, especially since the Sprint Goal remains achievable.
- ✗
Cancel the Sprint and start a new one so the new feature can be planned properly from the beginning.
Why it's wrong here
Cancelling a Sprint is a drastic action reserved for situations where the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, and only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel. Here the goal is still achievable, so cancellation would waste the work already done and disrupt the team's cadence. Starting over is not proportionate to adding one valuable item.
- ✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the Sprint Backlog, adding the new item and removing or deferring items of comparable size if needed.
Why this is correct
Scrum allows the scope of a Sprint to be clarified and renegotiated between the Product Owner and the developers as more is learned, provided the Sprint Goal is not endangered. The developers own the Sprint Backlog and can adjust it. This response keeps the goal intact while responding to new value, which is exactly the flexibility Scrum intends.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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