CSM Service to the Scrum Team Practice Question
A Scrum Master observes that a Scrum Team's Daily Scrum regularly runs 30 minutes because two Developers debate technical design details while others disengage. The team has asked the Scrum Master to help make the event more effective. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is believing the Scrum Master should personally enforce the timebox or bring in the Product Owner, rather than coaching the Developers to self-manage the event.
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
✓
Suggest that the Developers move detailed technical debates to a separate follow-up meeting and keep the Daily Scrum focused on progress toward the Sprint Goal.
The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching it to self-manage the Daily Scrum. Moving detailed technical debates to a separate follow-up meeting keeps the Daily Scrum focused on progress toward the Sprint Goal and the next 24 hours of work. This addresses the root cause while preserving the Developers' ownership of the event and their ability to adapt their plan.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Recommend that the Product Owner attend the Daily Scrum to redirect the conversation whenever it drifts into technical details.
Why it's wrong here
The Daily Scrum is for the Developers, and adding the Product Owner as a moderator changes its dynamic and can inhibit open discussion. The Product Owner's involvement does not address the team's need to self-manage its own event. This solution also risks turning the Daily Scrum into a reporting session rather than a planning session for the Developers.
- ✗
Attend every Daily Scrum and enforce a strict 15-minute timebox by interrupting any technical discussion.
Why it's wrong here
Enforcing the timebox by interrupting discussions makes the Scrum Master the controller of the event and can suppress necessary collaboration. The Daily Scrum is for the Developers; the Scrum Master should coach them to self-manage the event. Direct enforcement may shorten the meeting but does not build the team's ability to keep it focused on its own.
- ✗
Replace the Daily Scrum with a written status update in a chat channel so Developers can focus on coding.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the Daily Scrum with written updates removes the inspect-and-adapt conversation and the opportunity to replan the next 24 hours. The event exists to improve communication, identify impediments, and promote quick decision-making. Eliminating it would hide problems rather than help the team learn to keep the event focused and effective.
- ✓
Suggest that the Developers move detailed technical debates to a separate follow-up meeting and keep the Daily Scrum focused on progress toward the Sprint Goal.
Why this is correct
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the plan. Coaching the team to park detailed design debates in a separate, opt-in meeting preserves the event's purpose and lets the team self-manage. This directly addresses the root cause without removing ownership from the Developers.
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.