CSM Scrum Events Practice Question
During the Sprint Planning event, the Development Team realizes they have overcommitted by pulling in too many Product Backlog items. What is the most appropriate course of action according to Scrum principles?
⚠ Common exam trap
Examinees often mistakenly believe the team must work overtime to meet an overcommitted plan, or that the Scrum Master unilaterally removes items, rather than requiring collaborative negotiation between the Developers and Product Owner.
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 negotiate and remove items from the Sprint Backlog until the forecast matches their actual capacity.
Sprint Planning requires the team to forecast work they can realistically achieve based on historical capacity. When overcommitment becomes clear, collaboration with the Product Owner is essential to adjust the plan. This ensures sustainability, protects team morale, and maintains a transparent view of delivery expectations without compromising quality standards.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Automatically extend the duration of the current Sprint to accommodate the remaining workload without changing the goal.
Why it's wrong here
Sprints are fixed-length timeboxes; extending one breaks the empirical cadence and delays feedback, so scope must be renegotiated with the Product Owner instead. Extension tempts because it appears to preserve the Sprint Goal intact, and it would be valid only where the framework itself permits variable iteration length, which Scrum does not.
- ✓
Collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate and remove items from the Sprint Backlog until the forecast matches their actual capacity.
Why this is correct
Scrum expects the Development Team to forecast realistically and self-manage its Sprint Backlog. Collaborating with the Product Owner to remove items until the forecast matches actual capacity satisfies the stem's overcommitment scenario, preserving a sustainable pace and protecting Sprint Goal quality rather than silently dropping work.
- ✗
Work mandatory overtime hours throughout the Sprint to ensure all originally selected Product Backlog items are successfully completed.
Why it's wrong here
Overtime masks the planning failure rather than correcting it; Scrum expects the Development Team to renegotiate scope with the Product Owner during Sprint Planning, not sacrifice sustainable pace. It tempts because overtime can genuinely help when a short, unforeseen spike threatens a committed Sprint Goal, but it is not the remedy for overcommitment.
- ✗
Immediately cancel the Sprint and schedule a completely new Sprint Planning session for the following week.
Why it's wrong here
Scrum forbids cancelling a Sprint merely because the team over-pulled; only the Product Owner may cancel when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. The team should instead negotiate scope with the Product Owner. Cancelling is tempting as a reset, but it is correct only when the goal itself is invalid.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every CSM question from scratch — 312 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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.