CSM Service to the Scrum Team Practice Question
During a Sprint Retrospective, the Scrum Team identifies that external dependencies from other departments are frequently blocking their progress. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to serve the team in removing these organizational impediments? (Choose the best TWO answers)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently select options involving command-and-control tactics or direct task reassignment, failing to recognize that the Scrum Master works to influence systemic organizational change.
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
✓
Work with the team to make these external dependencies transparent across the organization to highlight systemic bottlenecks.
The Scrum Master acts as a servant-leader by removing organizational barriers and coaching the wider organization on Scrum principles. Helping the team visualize bottlenecks and engaging cross-functional stakeholders directly addresses systemic waste without taking away the team's ability to self-organize.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Work with the team to make these external dependencies transparent across the organization to highlight systemic bottlenecks.
Why this is correct
Making dependencies visible creates necessary organizational awareness and highlights systemic friction points that leadership must help resolve. Transparency is foundational to empiricism, enabling stakeholders to understand the true cost of organizational silos on delivery flow.
- ✗
Directly manage and negotiate delivery timelines with the external department managers on behalf of the developers.
Why it's wrong here
Intermediating negotiations creates dependency on the Scrum Master and robs the developers of opportunities to build cross-functional collaboration skills. The Scrum Master should coach the team on how to engage stakeholders rather than acting as a perpetual proxy negotiator.
- ✓
Coach the broader organization and external stakeholders on how their interactions with the Scrum Team impact value delivery.
Why this is correct
Coaching the wider organization is a core Scrum Master accountability that ensures external behaviors align with agile principles and flow principles. Changing how surrounding departments interact with the Scrum Team permanently reduces recurring friction and systemic impediments.
- ✗
Reassign backlog items that require external collaboration to a dedicated integration team outside of the Scrum framework.
Why it's wrong here
Creating specialized integration teams reinforces organizational silos and fragments accountability for end-to-end product delivery increments. Scrum Teams should remain cross-functional and learn to navigate or eliminate dependencies rather than isolating complex work into separate pools.
- ✗
Instruct the Product Owner to remove all backlog items containing external dependencies from the Product Backlog entirely.
Why it's wrong here
Purging items with dependencies prevents the team from tackling complex, realistic business problems and compromises product value realization. Complex product development inherently involves dependencies that must be managed and sequenced, not arbitrarily deleted from the backlog.
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.