CSM Service to the Product Owner Practice Question
A Product Owner is being pressured by a senior executive to add a feature to the current Sprint. What is the best way for the Scrum Master to support the Product Owner?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently select answers that suggest the Scrum Master should push back against the executive directly, ignoring the Product Owner's exclusive authority over the Product Backlog.
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
✓
Advise the Product Owner on how to explain the impact of the change to the executive and suggest adding it to the Product Backlog.
The Scrum Master must support the Product Owner in maintaining the integrity of the Sprint. By coaching the Product Owner on how to communicate the impacts of such changes—such as jeopardizing the Sprint Goal or reducing quality—the Scrum Master helps them stand firm against external pressure. This reinforces the Product Owner's authority and protects the team from unnecessary disruptions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Tell the Product Owner to refuse the request and inform the executive that the Scrum Master blocked it.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master should not use their authority to 'block' requests. That is an adversarial approach that avoids the real work of coaching. The Product Owner needs to learn how to negotiate and explain the trade-offs themselves. The Scrum Master's role is to support and coach, not to command.
- ✓
Advise the Product Owner on how to explain the impact of the change to the executive and suggest adding it to the Product Backlog.
Why this is correct
Providing the Product Owner with the communication skills to handle such pressure is a key service of the Scrum Master. By explaining the trade-offs, the Product Owner can manage the executive's expectations while protecting the team. Adding the item to the backlog ensures it is considered for future work.
- ✗
Agree to the request to avoid conflict with the senior executive.
Why it's wrong here
Giving in to external pressure undermines the Scrum process and team autonomy. If the Scrum Master consistently gives in, they teach the organization that the Scrum process is flexible and can be bypassed. This leads to a loss of focus, quality issues, and a failure to meet the Sprint Goal.
- ✗
Ask the Developers to work overtime to include the new feature without affecting current tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Asking for overtime is a unsustainable practice that leads to burnout and a decrease in quality. Scrum focuses on sustainable development and predictable delivery. Forcing overtime to accommodate ad-hoc requests is a failure of both the Scrum Master and the Product Owner to protect the team from external pressure.
About these practice questions
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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 Scrum Alliance exam blueprint
This CSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scrum Alliance 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 CSM exam.