PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
In a Scrum project, the product owner asks the team to add a new user story during the sprint. The team is currently working on committed stories. What should the Scrum Master do?
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
✓
Explain to the product owner that new stories cannot be added during the sprint without removing an equal amount of work
In Scrum, the sprint backlog is fixed once the sprint starts. The product owner can add new stories only after the current sprint is completed, unless a story is swapped out with equal effort. The Scrum Master should protect the team from scope changes during the sprint.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Immediately schedule a sprint planning meeting to add the new story
Why it's wrong here
Immediately scheduling a sprint planning meeting to add a new story mid-sprint is incorrect because Sprint Planning is a formal event conducted at the beginning of each sprint. Its purpose is to establish the Sprint Goal and select Product Backlog items for the upcoming sprint, not to reactively incorporate new work during an ongoing sprint. Such an action would disrupt the team's focus and commitment to the current Sprint Goal.
- ✓
Explain to the product owner that new stories cannot be added during the sprint without removing an equal amount of work
Why this is correct
This is the correct approach because Scrum emphasizes protecting the Sprint Goal and the Development Team's commitment for the duration of the sprint. While the Sprint Backlog can be refined, adding new scope without removing an equivalent amount of work jeopardizes the team's ability to achieve the Sprint Goal and deliver a 'Done' increment. Any significant mid-sprint change requires negotiation and agreement between the Product Owner and the Development Team to maintain the sprint's integrity.
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Add the story to the sprint backlog and ask the team to work overtime
Why it's wrong here
Adding a new story directly to the Sprint Backlog and asking the team to work overtime violates fundamental Scrum principles, particularly sustainable pace and the team's self-organizing commitment. Forcing additional work mid-sprint without adjusting the existing scope overburdens the team, leading to burnout, reduced quality, and an inability to predictably deliver. Scrum promotes a consistent, sustainable rhythm, not ad-hoc overtime to accommodate unplanned scope additions.
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Tell the team to finish current stories first and then work on the new story
Why it's wrong here
Telling the team to finish current stories first and then work on the new story is incorrect because Sprints have a fixed duration, a core principle of Scrum. Extending the sprint or simply adding new work on top of the existing commitment without removing anything would either violate the fixed timebox or compromise the Sprint Goal by over-committing the Development Team. The Sprint Goal and timebox must be respected to maintain predictability and focus.
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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.