CSM Service to the Scrum Team Practice Question
A team asks the Scrum Master to start prioritizing their backlog because they feel the Product Owner is 'too busy.' How should the Scrum Master respond?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think the Scrum Master should step in and prioritize the backlog when the Product Owner is overwhelmed, violating Scrum 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 on the importance of backlog management and help them prioritize.
The Scrum Master must clarify that the Product Owner is the only one accountable for backlog management. Taking on this task would violate Scrum accountabilities and create a dependency that harms the team's long-term health. The Scrum Master's role is to coach the Product Owner on how to manage their time better and explain to the team why the Product Owner is the only one who can fill this role.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Agree to help, but only for the duration of the current Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
Even a temporary change in accountability causes confusion and sets a bad precedent. It encourages the team to look outside the correct roles for solutions rather than holding the Product Owner accountable. The Scrum Master should remain focused on supporting the PO, not replacing their responsibility for backlog management.
- ✓
Coach the Product Owner on the importance of backlog management and help them prioritize.
Why this is correct
This approach addresses the root cause without taking over the responsibility. It empowers the Product Owner to improve their process and ensures that the team understands the roles as defined in Scrum. This builds a more sustainable and effective collaboration between the Product Owner and the Developers moving forward.
- ✗
Tell the team to prioritize the backlog themselves since they are self-managing.
Why it's wrong here
While the team is self-managing, the Product Owner is still accountable for the Product Backlog. If the team takes over this role, it undermines the Product Owner's authority and focus. The team's self-management relates to how they do their work, not to the ownership of the overall product direction.
- ✗
Suggest that the team split the backlog into two parts, one for each person.
Why it's wrong here
Splitting the backlog creates chaos and prevents a single, unified product vision. There should only be one Product Backlog. This suggestion would violate the core principles of Scrum and lead to mismatched priorities, which would significantly hinder the team's ability to deliver a coherent and valuable increment of work.
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.