CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
A team has a Product Owner who is constantly absent and rarely provides feedback. What is the Scrum Master's best approach?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often jump to replacing the PO immediately. The first step for a Scrum Master is always to coach the individual and address the impact of their behavior.
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 impact of their engagement.
The Scrum Master must facilitate a conversation with the Product Owner about the impact of their absence on the team's ability to deliver. If the issue persists, the Scrum Master should escalate the impediment to management, as a non-engaged Product Owner is a critical blocker to the success of the Scrum Team and the product's value delivery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Take over the Product Owner's duties until they return.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master should not perform Product Owner duties. This creates a conflict of interest and prevents the team from addressing the real issue: the lack of a functioning Product Owner. It masks the problem rather than solving it, leading to a long-term breakdown in accountability.
- ✓
Coach the Product Owner on the impact of their engagement.
Why this is correct
Coaching is the primary tool for the Scrum Master. By highlighting how the absence hinders the team's progress and the product's value, the Scrum Master helps the Product Owner see the importance of their role. This professional dialogue is the first step in resolving the impediment.
- ✗
Report the Product Owner to HR for disciplinary action.
Why it's wrong here
HR intervention is not part of the Scrum Master's role. It is destructive to team culture and psychological safety. The Scrum Master should focus on coaching and process improvement, escalating the structural issue to leadership only after coaching attempts have failed to yield a resolution.
- ✗
Lower the team's velocity to match the lack of guidance.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering velocity as a reaction to a person's behavior is passive-aggressive and does not address the core issue. The team needs to address the impediment directly. Passive acceptance of poor performance makes the team complicit in the lack of progress rather than solving the systemic failure.
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.