POPM Iteration Execution Practice Question
A Product Owner notices that the team's velocity has dropped significantly over the last three iterations. The team reports that they are spending more time on unplanned maintenance work. What should the Product Owner do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that velocity can be forced upward or that maintenance work should be ignored or outsourced, rather than addressing it as part of the team's regular work.
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
✓
Work with the team to allocate a portion of each iteration's capacity to address technical debt and maintenance.
When velocity drops due to unplanned maintenance, the Product Owner should collaborate with the team to address the root cause. Allocating capacity for technical debt and maintenance in each iteration is a sustainable approach. This allows the team to reduce unplanned work over time while continuing to deliver new value. Ignoring the issue or simply pushing for higher velocity will not solve the underlying problem and can lead to further degradation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask the Scrum Master/Team Coach to reassign the maintenance work to a separate team.
Why it's wrong here
Reassigning maintenance to a separate team may not be feasible and could create dependencies and knowledge silos. The current team has the context and expertise to address the maintenance efficiently. The Product Owner should instead work with the team to incorporate maintenance into the backlog. Creating a separate team for maintenance could also increase handoffs and reduce overall flow.
- ✗
Increase the team's velocity target for the next iteration to make up for lost ground.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the velocity target is counterproductive when the team is already struggling with unplanned work. It could lead to burnout and further quality issues. The Product Owner should instead address the root cause of the maintenance work. Pressuring the team to do more without removing impediments will likely reduce morale and may cause more defects, perpetuating the cycle.
- ✓
Work with the team to allocate a portion of each iteration's capacity to address technical debt and maintenance.
Why this is correct
Allocating capacity for technical debt and maintenance is a proactive way to address the root cause. By dedicating a percentage of each iteration to these activities, the team can reduce unplanned work over time. The Product Owner should collaborate with the team to prioritize maintenance items in the Team Backlog. This approach balances new feature development with necessary upkeep, improving predictability and quality.
- ✗
Ignore the drop in velocity and focus on delivering new features to satisfy stakeholders.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the drop in velocity and the underlying maintenance work will likely lead to further declines and potential system failures. Stakeholder satisfaction may suffer if quality issues escalate. The Product Owner should address the issue transparently and work with the team to find a sustainable solution. Focusing solely on new features without addressing maintenance is short-sighted and risky.
About these practice questions
This POPM question is part of Courseiva's 336-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
This POPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scaled Agile 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 POPM exam.