POPM PI Execution Practice Question
Exhibit
LOG_ENTRY: { 'sprint_id': 4, 'burndown_status': 'stagnant', 'tasks_remaining': 15, 'days_remaining': 2 }Refer to the exhibit. The burndown chart is stagnant with 15 tasks remaining and 2 days left. What should the PO do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates tend to select options that urge the team to push through and complete everything despite being stuck, ignoring the reality of a stagnant burndown chart near the deadline.
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
✓
Help the team prioritize the most critical tasks and de-scope the rest.
The PO needs to help the team focus on the most important work and possibly de-scope the rest. A stagnant burndown indicates that the team is likely stuck or overwhelmed. By facilitating a conversation about which tasks are truly essential to the sprint goal, the PO helps the team achieve the most valuable outcomes in the remaining time, preventing the team from failing to deliver any value by trying to do everything.
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 team to work 24 hours a day until the tasks are done.
Why it's wrong here
Demanding 24-hour work is unethical and unsustainable. It leads to poor quality, burnout, and long-term damage to the team. The PO should focus on rationalizing the remaining work based on the sprint goals and stakeholder priorities, rather than forcing the team into an unreasonable and unhealthy working schedule.
- ✗
Ignore the chart and hope the team finishes everything.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a clear sign of trouble is a failure of the PO's responsibility to provide transparency and support. If the team is behind, the PO needs to be involved in the solution. Waiting for the end of the sprint to realize that the commitment was not met is unacceptable.
- ✓
Help the team prioritize the most critical tasks and de-scope the rest.
Why this is correct
Prioritizing the most critical work allows the team to deliver the most value even when faced with time constraints. De-scoping low-priority items is a standard, professional approach to sprint management when capacity is limited. This ensures that the team delivers the most impactful work despite the challenges.
- ✗
Ask the team to manually mark the tasks as finished in the system.
Why it's wrong here
Falsifying data to make the burndown look better is a direct violation of Agile values like transparency. It misleads stakeholders and prevents the team from learning from the sprint performance. The PO should encourage honest communication about the team's progress, even when that progress falls short of the plan.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every POPM question from scratch — 336 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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.