SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Question
Which action should the Scrum Master take if a team member repeatedly misses the Daily Stand-up?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest 'publicly calling out the member' or 'reporting them to HR,' which damages psychological safety and team trust rather than solving the problem.
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 impact of their absence on the team's ability to sync and solve blockers privately.
The Scrum Master must address the behavior in a private setting to understand the underlying issue without causing public embarrassment. Ensuring attendance is vital for team synchronization and transparency, but understanding the cause allows for a constructive resolution. This approach protects team dynamics and ensures that everyone remains aligned toward the common goals of the iteration while maintaining a respectful, professional, and collaborative environment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Call out the team member in front of the team to ensure accountability.
Why it's wrong here
Publicly calling out team members creates a culture of fear and damages psychological safety. The Scrum Master should lead with empathy and work to understand the root cause of the behavior privately, ensuring that the team remains a safe environment where individuals feel comfortable communicating challenges or issues.
- ✓
Discuss the impact of their absence on the team's ability to sync and solve blockers privately.
Why this is correct
Addressing the behavior privately is respectful and effective. Explaining the impact on the team helps the individual understand why their participation matters for the success of the group. This collaborative approach focuses on improvement and team alignment rather than punishment, fostering a healthier and more productive team culture overall.
- ✗
Ask the Product Owner to remove the team member from the project for lack of commitment.
Why it's wrong here
Removing a team member is an extreme measure that ignores the potential to coach and improve team behavior. The Scrum Master's role is to facilitate growth and resolution, not to advocate for personnel changes unless there is an clear and persistent issue that cannot be resolved through coaching.
- ✗
Ignore the behavior if the team member completes their assigned tasks on time.
Why it's wrong here
Individual performance is only one aspect of success; team synchronization is equally critical in Agile. If a member is absent, the team loses valuable information that could lead to faster delivery or early risk identification. The Scrum Master must ensure that all team members are engaged in collective synchronization.
About these practice questions
This SSM question is part of Courseiva's 385-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 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.