PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your agile team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. Upon investigation, you discover that the product owner has been adding unplanned work directly to the sprint backlog without consulting you or the team. What is the most appropriate action?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the product owner's authority to prioritize the backlog with the right to unilaterally change the sprint backlog, ignoring the Scrum rule that only the development team can modify the sprint backlog during the sprint.
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
✓
Discuss the issue with the product owner and remind them that scope changes should go through the backlog refinement process
The product owner is violating the Scrum framework by adding unplanned work directly to the sprint backlog, which undermines the team's commitment and velocity. The appropriate action is to discuss the issue with the product owner and remind them that all scope changes must go through the backlog refinement process to ensure the sprint goal remains achievable. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and maintaining team autonomy within agile practices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Discuss the issue with the product owner and remind them that scope changes should go through the backlog refinement process
Why this is correct
This is the most appropriate first action because it directly addresses the likely root cause of declining velocity: uncontrolled scope changes. Engaging the Product Owner in a collaborative discussion reinforces the agreed-upon agile process, specifically the importance of backlog refinement for managing new requirements and maintaining sprint stability. This approach protects the team's sprint commitment, fosters a sustainable pace, and ensures that all stakeholders understand and adhere to the framework for predictable delivery.
- ✗
Tell the team to accept the extra work to keep the product owner happy
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to simply accept additional work is detrimental and undermines core agile principles. This action disregards the team's capacity, jeopardizes the sprint goal, and can lead to burnout and decreased morale. Prioritizing stakeholder appeasement over process adherence and team well-being ultimately reduces predictability and further destabilizes velocity, creating an unsustainable working environment.
- ✗
Allow the product owner to continue as they are the voice of the customer
Why it's wrong here
While the Product Owner indeed serves as the voice of the customer and is responsible for maximizing product value, this authority operates within the defined agile framework. Allowing continuous, unplanned scope injection during a sprint directly violates the principle of sprint commitment and stability. Such disruptions prevent the team from achieving their sprint goal, reduce predictability, and are a primary cause of declining velocity, demonstrating a failure to respect the established process.
- ✗
Immediately escalate the issue to the project sponsor
Why it's wrong here
Immediately escalating to the project sponsor is a premature and often counterproductive step. Agile principles emphasize resolving issues at the lowest possible level through direct communication and collaboration. Bypassing a direct conversation with the Product Owner can damage working relationships, erode trust, and indicates a failure to attempt conflict resolution within the team's immediate sphere of influence. Escalation should be reserved for situations where direct resolution attempts have failed.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Leading Teams and Empowering Team Members
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
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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