SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Question
A Scrum Master is facilitating a team's first Iteration Retrospective after a challenging Iteration. The team is frustrated and wants to skip the Retrospective to focus on fixing defects. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is agreeing to skip or shorten the Retrospective because of urgent defect work, when the Scrum Master should instead facilitate a focused Retrospective that addresses the root causes.
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 the Retrospective with a focus on identifying systemic causes of the defects and actions to improve the team's process.
The Scrum Master should uphold the Retrospective as an essential event and help the team see its value in addressing defects through process improvement. Focusing the Retrospective on systemic causes and actions ensures it is relevant and productive. Cancelling, shortening, or replacing the event would undermine continuous improvement and the Scrum framework.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cancel the Retrospective and schedule a defect triage meeting instead, since the team's immediate priority is fixing defects.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the Retrospective with a defect triage meeting ignores the team's need to reflect on how they work and why defects occurred. While triaging defects may be necessary, it should not replace the Retrospective. The Scrum Master should help the team integrate defect analysis into the Retrospective, not abandon the event.
- ✗
Shorten the Retrospective to 15 minutes and use the remaining time for defect fixing.
Why it's wrong here
Shortening the Retrospective to 15 minutes severely limits the team's ability to have a meaningful discussion and identify improvements. The Retrospective is timeboxed, but it should not be arbitrarily cut short to do other work. The Scrum Master should protect the event's timebox and ensure sufficient time for reflection and action planning.
- ✓
Facilitate the Retrospective with a focus on identifying systemic causes of the defects and actions to improve the team's process.
Why this is correct
By focusing the Retrospective on root causes and process improvements, the Scrum Master directly addresses the team's concern about defects while fulfilling the event's purpose. This helps the team generate actionable improvements that can reduce future defects. It also respects the team's urgency by making the Retrospective relevant and productive.
- ✗
Allow the team to cancel the Retrospective this once, since fixing defects is more urgent and the team can retrospect later.
Why it's wrong here
Cancelling the Retrospective undermines the Scrum framework and removes the team's dedicated time for process improvement. Skipping it may lead to recurring issues and missed opportunities to address systemic causes of defects. The Scrum Master should not permit the event to be skipped; instead, they should help the team see its value and facilitate effectively.
- ✓
Emphasize that the Retrospective is a critical opportunity to inspect and adapt their process, which can help prevent future defects.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master should advocate for the Retrospective's value, linking it to the team's desire to improve quality and reduce defects. By framing the event as a chance to identify root causes of defects and improve the process, the Scrum Master helps the team see its relevance. This aligns with the Scrum Master's role as a coach and facilitator of continuous improvement.
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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 SSM 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 SSM exam.