CSM Service to the Scrum Team Practice Question
Midway through a Sprint, the Developers tell the Scrum Master they have discovered that one Product Backlog item is far more complex than estimated and that finishing it as originally scoped would jeopardize the Sprint Goal. They want to renegotiate with the Product Owner. What is the most appropriate way for the Scrum Master to serve the Scrum Team here?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating the Sprint Backlog as a fixed contract that must be delivered exactly as planned, rather than a flexible plan the Developers may adjust as they learn.
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
✓
Facilitate a conversation between the Developers and the Product Owner so scope can be adjusted while protecting the Sprint Goal.
The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by facilitating collaboration and helping remove impediments, and here the impediment is a mismatch between new learning and the original plan. The Developers own the Sprint Backlog and may adapt it, while the Product Owner owns value and scope negotiation. Facilitating that conversation protects the Sprint Goal without overriding either role's authority.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Instruct the Developers to keep the original scope because the Sprint Backlog was committed to at Sprint Planning.
Why it's wrong here
Treating the Sprint Backlog as a fixed commitment misreads Scrum; the Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers and may be adapted as they learn more. Forbidding renegotiation would force the team to protect an outdated estimate instead of the Sprint Goal, and it substitutes the Scrum Master's authority for the Developers' own judgment about their work.
- ✗
Tell the Developers to reduce quality on the complex item so the Sprint Goal is still met on time.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering quality to protect a date violates the Definition of Done and undermines the transparency Scrum depends on. The Scrum Master serves the team by helping it deliver a usable Increment, not by trading away technical standards. This choice confuses meeting the Sprint Goal with shipping whatever is quickest and would create hidden debt that harms future Sprints.
- ✗
Cancel the Sprint and ask the Product Owner to re-plan the remaining work in a new Sprint Planning session.
Why it's wrong here
Cancelling a Sprint is reserved for situations where the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, not for ordinary discovery that an item is more complex than estimated. The Product Owner alone holds the authority to cancel, and doing so would discard potentially usable work. A re-planning conversation within the current Sprint is far less disruptive and keeps the team focused on the existing goal.
- ✓
Facilitate a conversation between the Developers and the Product Owner so scope can be adjusted while protecting the Sprint Goal.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team by facilitating events and removing obstacles to progress, and the emerging complexity is exactly such an obstacle. Bringing the Developers and Product Owner together lets the people who own the work and the people who own the value renegotiate scope collaboratively, keeping the Sprint Goal intact. This respects the Developers' authority over the Sprint 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.