- A
Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify actions to reduce technical debt and improve velocity.
The scrum master should coach the team to identify and resolve impediments, such as technical debt, to improve performance.
- B
Ask the product owner to reduce the sprint backlog to match the lower velocity.
Why wrong: While velocity may need adjustment, the immediate focus should be on addressing the root cause, not just accommodating the lower velocity.
- C
Report the velocity drop to management and escalate the technical debt issue.
Why wrong: Escalation is premature; the scrum master should first work with the team to find solutions.
- D
Add more developers to the team to increase velocity.
Why wrong: Adding people to a late project often delays it further (Brooks' law) and does not address technical debt.
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
In an agile project, the team's velocity has decreased over the last three sprints from 30 story points to 22. During the retrospective, the team cites increasing technical debt as the cause. What should the scrum master do FIRST?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify actions to reduce technical debt and improve velocity.
Option A is correct because the Scrum Master's primary role is to facilitate the team's self-improvement. When technical debt is identified as the root cause of velocity decline, the first action is to guide the team in a retrospective discussion to analyze the debt, prioritize refactoring, and agree on concrete actions (e.g., dedicating sprint capacity to debt reduction, implementing coding standards, or using static analysis tools). This aligns with the agile principle of continuous improvement and directly addresses the cause rather than just the symptom.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify actions to reduce technical debt and improve velocity.
Why this is correct
The scrum master should coach the team to identify and resolve impediments, such as technical debt, to improve performance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Ask the product owner to reduce the sprint backlog to match the lower velocity.
Why it's wrong here
While velocity may need adjustment, the immediate focus should be on addressing the root cause, not just accommodating the lower velocity.
- ✗
Report the velocity drop to management and escalate the technical debt issue.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation is premature; the scrum master should first work with the team to find solutions.
- ✗
Add more developers to the team to increase velocity.
Why it's wrong here
Adding people to a late project often delays it further (Brooks' law) and does not address technical debt.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'escalating' (Option C) with 'facilitating' (Option A), mistakenly thinking that management must be informed first, when in agile the team is empowered to solve its own process issues through the retrospective.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Technical debt in agile projects often manifests as code that is difficult to modify or extend due to shortcuts, lack of tests, or outdated dependencies. The Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion that uses techniques like the 'Technical Debt Quadrant' (Martin Fowler) to categorize debt as reckless vs. prudent and deliberate vs. inadvertent. A real-world scenario might involve a team that deferred unit tests to meet a deadline; the retrospective action could be to allocate 20% of each sprint to writing tests, which gradually improves velocity by reducing regression bugs and refactoring time.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP 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
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Process — Managing Technical Aspects — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Facilitate a discussion with the team to identify actions to reduce technical debt and improve velocity. — Option A is correct because the Scrum Master's primary role is to facilitate the team's self-improvement. When technical debt is identified as the root cause of velocity decline, the first action is to guide the team in a retrospective discussion to analyze the debt, prioritize refactoring, and agree on concrete actions (e.g., dedicating sprint capacity to debt reduction, implementing coding standards, or using static analysis tools). This aligns with the agile principle of continuous improvement and directly addresses the cause rather than just the symptom.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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