CSM Scrum Events Practice Question
During the middle of a Sprint, the Development Team realizes they will not be able to complete all the items selected during Sprint Planning. What is the most appropriate course of action according to Scrum?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently suggest canceling the Sprint or working overtime, both of which are common anti-patterns that ignore the collaborative, empirical nature of Sprint scope adjustments.
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
✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog based on revised capacity.
The Product Owner and Development Team collaborate to renegotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog. Scrum relies on transparency and inspection, allowing adjustments when new constraints emerge. The Product Owner must understand what can be delivered to maximize value while maintaining a sustainable pace. Canceling the entire Sprint is too extreme for a partial miss, and unilaterally dropping items violates collaborative commitment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cancel the Sprint immediately and schedule a new Sprint Planning meeting to reset the team capacity.
Why it's wrong here
Canceling a Sprint is an extreme measure reserved strictly for situations where the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. A simple miss in forecast capacity does not justify total cancellation, which disrupts cadence and wastes valuable planning effort already invested.
- ✗
Work mandatory overtime to ensure all selected Product Backlog items are completed by the end of the Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
Forcing mandatory overtime violates the Agile principle of sustainable development and empirical process control. Scrum champions a steady pace where the team forecasts what they can reasonably accomplish without burning out members or compromising quality standards.
- ✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to renegotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog based on revised capacity.
Why this is correct
Collaborating with the Product Owner ensures transparency and shared understanding of what can realistically be delivered. The Product Owner adjusts expectations and re-prioritizes remaining work, preserving the Sprint Goal while respecting the team actual delivery capacity.
- ✗
Independently drop the lowest priority items from the Sprint Backlog without consulting the Product Owner.
Why it's wrong here
Dropping items without consulting the Product Owner undermines product alignment and business value. The Product Owner owns the Product Backlog and must participate in any decisions regarding scope changes to ensure business goals remain prioritized.
About these practice questions
One of 312 original CSM practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.