The answer is to coach the team on how to estimate and commit to a realistic amount of work based on velocity. This is correct because the Scrum Master’s core responsibility is to foster self-management and continuous improvement; when a sprint goal is consistently missed due to overcommitment, the root cause is a flawed estimation process, not a lack of effort. By teaching the team to use historical velocity as a data-driven baseline, the Scrum Master empowers them to set achievable sprint backlogs, directly addressing the demotivation and frustration. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the Scrum Master’s servant-leader role versus a project manager’s directive style—a common trap is choosing to “reassign tasks” or “adjust the sprint goal externally,” which undermines team ownership. Remember the mnemonic “Coach, Don’t Command”: when the team identifies the problem, your job is to guide their estimation skills, not to fix the backlog for them.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. 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 a Scrum project, the development team consistently fails to meet the sprint goal. The product owner is frustrated, and the team is demotivated. During the retrospective, the team identifies that the sprint backlog is too ambitious. What is the BEST action for the Scrum Master?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Coach the team on how to estimate and commit to a realistic amount of work based on velocity
The Scrum Master's primary role is to coach the team in self-management and continuous improvement. Since the team identified that the sprint backlog is too ambitious, the best action is to coach them on estimating and committing to a realistic amount of work based on their historical velocity. This empowers the team to make accurate commitments, directly addressing the root cause of missed sprint goals and demotivation.
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.
✗
Reduce the sprint backlog yourself to ensure the team can succeed
Why it's wrong here
The team should own their commitment; the SM should not impose changes.
✓
Coach the team on how to estimate and commit to a realistic amount of work based on velocity
Why this is correct
Coaching empowers the team to improve their estimation and commitment process.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Add more team members to increase capacity
Why it's wrong here
Adding members takes time and may not address estimation issues.
✗
Extend the sprint duration to give the team more time
Why it's wrong here
Changing sprint length is a process change that should be decided by the team, not imposed.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think the Scrum Master should directly fix the problem by reducing the backlog (Option A), but the PMI exam emphasizes servant leadership and coaching over directive actions.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Velocity is a key empirical metric in Scrum, calculated as the sum of story points completed per sprint. Coaching the team to use historical velocity as a baseline for sprint planning ensures that the sprint backlog is sized realistically. In practice, a team's velocity stabilizes over 3-5 sprints, and using it prevents overcommitment, which is a common cause of sprint failures and team burnout.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Coach the team on how to estimate and commit to a realistic amount of work based on velocity — The Scrum Master's primary role is to coach the team in self-management and continuous improvement. Since the team identified that the sprint backlog is too ambitious, the best action is to coach them on estimating and committing to a realistic amount of work based on their historical velocity. This empowers the team to make accurate commitments, directly addressing the root cause of missed sprint goals and demotivation.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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