CSM Scrum Master Core Competencies Practice Question
A Scrum Master notices that the Developers often wait for the Product Owner to assign tasks during Sprint Planning. The Product Owner is comfortable giving detailed instructions. What should the Scrum Master do to foster self-management?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is thinking that the Scrum Master should assign tasks or let the Product Owner continue directing work, rather than coaching both roles on their respective accountabilities.
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
✓
Coach the Product Owner to focus on the Sprint Goal and Product Backlog prioritization, and coach the Developers to self-organize around the work.
To foster self-management, the Scrum Master should coach the Product Owner to focus on value and prioritization, and coach the Developers to take ownership of how the work is done. This reinforces the distinct accountabilities within Scrum and helps the team become more autonomous and engaged.
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 Developers to ignore the Product Owner's instructions and choose tasks independently without discussion.
Why it's wrong here
Telling the Developers to ignore the Product Owner creates conflict and undermines collaboration. The Developers and Product Owner must work together, with the Product Owner providing direction on value and the Developers determining how to deliver. Simply ignoring instructions without discussion does not address the root cause and can damage the team's relationship with the Product Owner.
- ✓
Coach the Product Owner to focus on the Sprint Goal and Product Backlog prioritization, and coach the Developers to self-organize around the work.
Why this is correct
This is the best action because it clarifies roles: the Product Owner owns the what and why, while the Developers own the how. By coaching both parties, the Scrum Master helps the Product Owner let go of task assignment and empowers the Developers to self-manage. This aligns with Scrum principles and fosters a more engaged and accountable team.
- ✗
Assign tasks yourself to model effective task distribution for the team.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning tasks yourself is contrary to the Scrum Master's role and does not foster self-management. The Scrum Master should coach the team to self-organize, not do it for them. Modeling task assignment might provide a temporary example, but it creates dependency and does not build the team's capability to make their own decisions.
- ✗
Encourage the Product Owner to continue providing detailed instructions to ensure clarity and speed.
Why it's wrong here
Encouraging detailed instructions from the Product Owner reinforces dependency and undermines the Developers' self-management. While clarity is important, the Developers should determine how to accomplish the work. The Product Owner should focus on the what and why, not the how. Continuing this pattern prevents the team from taking ownership of their tasks and decisions.
About these practice questions
This CSM question is part of Courseiva's 312-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 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.