CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
During a Sprint, a stakeholder approaches a Developer and asks them to add a small but urgent feature to the current Sprint Backlog. What is the most appropriate action for the Developer?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates believe developers should accommodate urgent stakeholder requests directly to be helpful, forgetting that bypassing the Product Owner disrupts the Sprint Backlog and undermines backlog management.
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
✓
Direct the stakeholder to discuss the request with the Product Owner.
The Developer must protect the integrity of the Sprint Goal and the Scrum process by referring the stakeholder to the Product Owner. The Product Owner is solely accountable for managing the Product Backlog and negotiating scope with stakeholders. This maintains the team's focus and ensures the Product Owner remains the single source of truth for work priorities, preventing scope creep and unmanaged 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.
- ✗
Accept the feature if it takes less than two hours to complete.
Why it's wrong here
Accepting work outside the Sprint Backlog undermines the commitment to the Sprint Goal. Developers must focus on the agreed-upon work to ensure high-quality delivery. Allowing ad-hoc tasks creates a precedent that degrades the planning process and makes the team's capacity unpredictable for future Sprints.
- ✗
Ask the Scrum Master to update the Sprint Backlog to include the new feature.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master is not responsible for managing the Product Backlog or Sprint scope. Directing stakeholders to the Scrum Master confuses team accountabilities. The Scrum Master serves the team by removing impediments and facilitating events, but they do not act as an intermediary for product requirement changes.
- ✓
Direct the stakeholder to discuss the request with the Product Owner.
Why this is correct
This approach preserves the Product Owner’s role as the person accountable for maximizing value and managing the Product Backlog. By routing the request through the Product Owner, the team ensures the new item is evaluated against existing priorities and added to the backlog appropriately for future planning.
- ✗
Add the feature to the Sprint Backlog and inform the Product Owner later.
Why it's wrong here
Bypassing the Product Owner disrupts the collaborative planning process and risks team burnout. Scrum teams operate based on shared commitments made during Sprint Planning. Unilateral changes to the Sprint Backlog reduce transparency and prevent the Product Owner from maintaining a clear view of the team's progress.
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.