CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
During a Sprint, the development team realizes they have taken on more work than they can complete. According to Scrum, what should they do?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMI-CAPM often tests the misconception that Scrum teams should simply 'do their best' and deliver partial work (Option B) or escalate to management (Option C), but the correct Scrum behavior is proactive scope negotiation with the Product Owner within the fixed Sprint timebox.
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 remove or defer some Product Backlog items.
In Scrum, the development team is self-managing and responsible for committing to a Sprint Goal. If they realize they have taken on too much work, the correct action is to collaborate with the Product Owner to remove or defer Product Backlog items, as this preserves the Sprint's timebox and focus on the highest-value work. This aligns with the Scrum principle of transparency and inspection, allowing the team to adjust the Sprint Backlog without changing the Sprint duration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to remove or defer some Product Backlog items.
Why this is correct
Scrum encourages the team to negotiate with the Product Owner to adjust scope while protecting the Sprint Goal.
- ✗
Continue working and deliver whatever is done at the end of the Sprint, regardless of missing items.
Why it's wrong here
This approach lacks transparency and collaboration; the team should adjust scope proactively.
- ✗
Inform management about the issue and ask for more resources.
Why it's wrong here
Management is not involved in Sprint scope adjustments; this bypasses the Product Owner.
- ✗
Extend the Sprint duration to complete all the work.
Why it's wrong here
Sprints are timeboxed; extending them would violate Scrum's core principle.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CAPM exam.