PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
In a Scrum project, the product owner wants to add a new high-priority story to the current sprint, but the sprint is already full. The team is concerned about overcommitment. What should the Scrum Master do?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMP often tests the servant-leader role of the Scrum Master, so candidates who default to 'the Scrum Master decides' or 'the team works overtime' pick a directive answer instead of facilitation.
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 between the product owner and the team to negotiate trade-offs
The Scrum Master is a servant-leader and facilitator, not a decision-maker on scope; the correct move is to bring the product owner and the team together to negotiate trade-offs. This respects the sprint goal, protects the team from overcommitment, and lets the product owner decide what to swap if the new story is truly higher priority. It also upholds the principle that scope within a sprint is fixed unless the sprint is cancelled.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Extend the sprint duration to accommodate the new work
Why it's wrong here
Extending the sprint duration mid-sprint directly violates the Scrum principle of time-boxing and fixed-length sprints. Sprints are designed to be short, consistent time-boxes to provide predictability, enable frequent inspection and adaptation, and manage risk. Altering the sprint length during execution undermines the team's ability to forecast, distorts velocity metrics, and disrupts the established rhythm, leading to instability rather than effective adaptation.
- ✗
Remove a lower-priority story to make room for the new one
Why it's wrong here
Unilaterally removing a lower-priority story, even if it seems logical, bypasses the collaborative decision-making process central to Scrum. While the Product Owner is responsible for maximizing value and managing the Product Backlog, changes to the Sprint Backlog during a sprint require discussion and agreement with the Development Team. The team's commitment to the Sprint Goal and their understanding of the work's interdependencies are crucial for making informed trade-offs.
- ✗
Add the story to the sprint and ask the team to work overtime
Why it's wrong here
Forcing the Development Team to work overtime to accommodate new scope is unsustainable and directly contradicts Scrum's emphasis on a sustainable pace. Such a practice leads to burnout, decreased morale, reduced quality, and ultimately diminishes the team's long-term productivity and ability to deliver value. Scrum advocates for realistic commitments and managing scope within a fixed time-box, not sacrificing team well-being.
- ✓
Facilitate a discussion between the product owner and the team to negotiate trade-offs
Why this is correct
As a Scrum Master, the most appropriate action is to facilitate a collaborative discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team. This allows for transparent negotiation of potential trade-offs, such as swapping the new high-priority item for an existing one of similar size, deferring the new item to a future sprint, or re-evaluating the Sprint Goal. This approach respects the team's commitment, protects the sprint's integrity, and ensures any changes are mutually agreed upon to maintain a sustainable pace and focus on value delivery.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Leading Teams and Empowering Team Members
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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