Quick Answer
The answer is managing the Product Backlog. This is correct because the Scrum Guide explicitly defines the Product Owner as the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog, which includes clearly expressing items, ordering them to maximize value, and ensuring the backlog is visible, transparent, and understood by the team. On the Certified Associate in Project Management CAPM exam, this concept tests your grasp of Scrum roles versus traditional project management, often appearing as a multiple-select item where distractors like “assigning tasks to developers” or “leading daily stand-ups” are common traps. A key memory tip is to remember that the Product Owner owns the *what* and the *why* (the backlog’s content and priority), while the Development Team owns the *how* of execution. Think of the Product Owner as the backlog’s single gatekeeper—if it involves ordering, refining, or communicating backlog items, it is their responsibility.
This CAPM practice question tests your understanding of agile frameworks and methodologies. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Which TWO of the following are responsibilities of the Product Owner in Scrum?
Facilitating the Daily Scrum.
Why wrong: The Development Team facilitates the Daily Scrum.
Prioritizing the Product Backlog items.
The PO orders backlog items to maximize value.
Managing the Product Backlog.
The PO owns the Product Backlog.
Removing impediments for the team.
Why wrong: This is the Scrum Master's responsibility.
Enforcing timeboxes for Sprint events.
Why wrong: The Scrum Master ensures events happen within timeboxes.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Prioritizing the Product Backlog items.
The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. This includes clearly expressing Product Backlog items and ordering them to best achieve goals and missions, which is prioritizing the Product Backlog. Managing the Product Backlog, which encompasses ensuring its visibility, transparency, and understanding, is also a core responsibility of the Product Owner as defined in the Scrum Guide.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Facilitating the Daily Scrum.
Why it's wrong here
The Development Team facilitates the Daily Scrum.
Prioritizing the Product Backlog items.
Why this is correct
The PO orders backlog items to maximize value.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Managing the Product Backlog.
Why this is correct
The PO owns the Product Backlog.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Removing impediments for the team.
Why it's wrong here
This is the Scrum Master's responsibility.
Enforcing timeboxes for Sprint events.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master ensures events happen within timeboxes.
Common exam traps
PMI often tests the distinction between the Scrum Master's role (process facilitation, impediment removal, timebox enforcement) and the Product Owner's role (value maximization, backlog management, stakeholder alignment), leading candidates to confuse servant-leader duties with product-value responsibilities.
Detailed technical explanation
The Product Owner is a single person, not a committee, and is accountable for the Product Backlog's content, availability, and ordering. While the Development Team may help refine items, the Product Owner holds the final authority on priority and value decisions. In a real-world scenario, the Product Owner must constantly reorder the backlog based on stakeholder feedback, market changes, and technical dependencies, balancing short-term needs with long-term product vision.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CAPM exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Agile Frameworks and Methodologies — This question tests Agile Frameworks and Methodologies — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Prioritizing the Product Backlog items. — The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. This includes clearly expressing Product Backlog items and ordering them to best achieve goals and missions, which is prioritizing the Product Backlog. Managing the Product Backlog, which encompasses ensuring its visibility, transparency, and understanding, is also a core responsibility of the Product Owner as defined in the Scrum Guide.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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