SSM Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach Role Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  Facilitate a team-building session focused on psychological safety and shared norms, using techniques like working agreements and conflict resolution.

  Why this is correct

  Facilitating a team-building session on psychological safety and shared norms directly addresses the low trust and blame culture. It helps the team establish working agreements and practice constructive conflict resolution. This action creates a safe environment for open discussion, which is essential for effective retrospectives and continuous improvement. It aligns with the Scrum Master's role as a coach and facilitator of team health.

• ✗

  Publicly reprimand the individuals who blame others, to set an example of acceptable behavior.

  Why it's wrong here

  Public reprimand increases fear and defensiveness, worsening the blame culture. It damages psychological safety and may cause individuals to withdraw further. The Scrum Master should model respectful behavior and coach privately, not punish publicly. This action contradicts the servant-leader role and is likely to erode trust even more, making open discussion less likely.

• ✗

  Recommend that the team skip retrospectives until they can interact without conflict, to avoid further tension.

  Why it's wrong here

  Skipping retrospectives removes the team's primary inspect-and-adapt mechanism and avoids the very conversations needed to heal. It may temporarily reduce tension but will allow underlying issues to fester. The Scrum Master should instead create a safe structure for difficult conversations. This action fails to build the team's capacity for conflict resolution and undermines continuous improvement.

• ✗

  Ask the Release Train Engineer to reassign the most vocal team members to other teams to reduce friction.

  Why it's wrong here

  Reassigning team members avoids the problem and disrupts team stability. It does not teach the team how to resolve conflict or build trust. The Scrum Master should help the team develop these skills, not remove individuals. This action may also be seen as punitive and could damage morale across the ART. It fails to address the root cause of low trust and poor conflict resolution.

• ✓

  Model constructive conflict by acknowledging team members' perspectives and facilitating discussions that focus on issues rather than personalities.

  Why this is correct

  Modeling constructive conflict and facilitating issue-focused discussions helps the team learn healthier interaction patterns. The Scrum Master demonstrates how to separate people from problems and encourages open dialogue. This action builds trust and gives the team a practical example to follow. It directly addresses the blame culture by shifting the focus to process and outcomes, which supports the team's journey toward self-management.