CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
In the context of the Scrum Team, what is the best definition of 'self-managing'?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently confuse 'self-managing' with 'self-organizing' or assume it means the team can ignore organizational policies, whereas it specifically refers to the team's internal authority over their own work execution.
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
✓
The team determines internally how to perform their work.
Self-managing means the team decides who does what, when, and how. This represents a shift from traditional command-and-control management to a model where the team members take collective responsibility for their work. This is essential for Scrum because it empowers those closest to the work to make the best technical decisions, leading to faster innovation and higher quality outcomes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The team chooses their own projects and clients.
Why it's wrong here
The Product Owner is responsible for the direction and strategy, including project and client alignment. While the team is self-managing, they operate within the guardrails set by the Product Owner's backlog. Choosing projects freely would conflict with the organization's business strategy and product goals.
- ✓
The team determines internally how to perform their work.
Why this is correct
Self-management allows the team to decide the best technical approach, task distribution, and daily processes. This autonomy enables the team to adapt quickly to changes and solve problems efficiently without waiting for external approval from managers or outside stakeholders.
- ✗
The Scrum Master manages the daily tasks of Developers.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master is not a task manager or a project manager. If the Scrum Master assigns tasks, the team is not self-managing. This behavior is a common anti-pattern that creates a bottleneck and prevents the team from developing the skills needed to organize their own efforts.
- ✗
The team is allowed to ignore the Definition of Done.
Why it's wrong here
The Definition of Done is a mandatory quality standard that the team must uphold. Self-management does not mean the team can disregard quality agreements. On the contrary, a mature, self-managing team takes ownership of their quality and ensures that all work meets the established standards.
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.