PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that they are consistently overcommitting during sprint planning, leading to incomplete work. Which action should the project manager take to address this issue?
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
✓
Encourage the team to use historical velocity data to set sprint goals
Using historical velocity data allows the team to make realistic commitments based on past performance, addressing the root cause of overcommitment. Option A is wrong because the project manager should not set sprint goals; the team self-organizes. Option B is wrong because increasing hours leads to burnout and does not solve overcommitment. Option C is wrong because reducing sprint length without analyzing data does not address the planning issue.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign the project manager to set sprint goals for the team
Why it's wrong here
In Scrum, the Development Team is self-organizing and responsible for determining how to best achieve the Sprint Goal. Assigning the Project Manager to set sprint goals directly contradicts the core Agile principle of self-management and empowerment within the team. This approach undermines team autonomy and reduces their commitment to goals they did not collaboratively define, potentially leading to decreased motivation and accountability. The Product Owner defines *what* to build, but the team decides *how much* they can realistically commit to.
- ✗
Increase the number of working hours per day for the team
Why it's wrong here
Increasing working hours per day is an unsustainable short-term fix that often leads to burnout, reduced quality, and decreased long-term productivity. This tactic fails to address the underlying causes of planning issues, such as unrealistic commitments or inefficient processes, and instead places an undue burden on the team. Agile principles emphasize a sustainable pace, recognizing that consistent, focused effort within reasonable hours yields better results than sporadic bursts of overwork.
- ✗
Reduce the sprint length to force the team to be more focused
Why it's wrong here
Arbitrarily reducing sprint length without addressing the team's planning capabilities or capacity can be counterproductive. Shorter sprints increase overhead for planning, review, and retrospective meetings relative to the development time, potentially reducing overall productivity rather than increasing focus. While shorter sprints can provide quicker feedback loops, they must be chosen deliberately to match the team's maturity and the product's nature, not as a punitive measure for planning challenges.
- ✓
Encourage the team to use historical velocity data to set sprint goals
Why this is correct
Encouraging the team to leverage historical velocity data is a sound Agile practice that promotes realistic sprint planning and predictability. Velocity, which measures the amount of work a team has completed in previous sprints, provides an empirical basis for forecasting how much work can be reasonably committed to in an upcoming sprint. This data-driven approach helps prevent overcommitment, fosters a sustainable pace, and improves the team's ability to meet its sprint goals consistently.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning is a time-boxed meeting at the start of a Scrum sprint where the team decides what work they can deliver and how they will do it.
Key term
Sprint Retrospective
A Sprint Retrospective is a time-boxed meeting at the end of a Scrum sprint where the team reflects on their process and identifies improvements for the next sprint.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP 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 PMP exam.