CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are considered hallmarks of a 'self-managing' Scrum Team?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often select options involving external reporting or manager approval, failing to realize that a self-managing team relies on internal, not external, mechanisms for accountability and decision-making.
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 chooses the most effective way to achieve the Sprint Goal.
A self-managing team takes charge of their own work, fosters internal accountability, and adapts their processes to optimize their output. These characteristics signify that the team has moved away from needing external supervision and has achieved a level of maturity where they can deliver value independently, which is the ultimate goal of the Scrum framework for teams.
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 the most effective way to achieve the Sprint Goal.
Why this is correct
Self-management means the team is empowered to decide the 'how' of their work. This autonomy is crucial for innovation and problem-solving, as those closest to the technical details are best positioned to determine the most effective approach to deliver the increment within the Sprint.
- ✗
The team relies on the Scrum Master to assign daily work.
Why it's wrong here
This is the definition of a managed team, not a self-managing one. Relying on a Scrum Master for task assignment destroys the team's autonomy and creates a bottleneck, preventing them from developing the skills needed for true self-organization and shared accountability for their performance.
- ✓
The team members hold each other accountable for the Definition of Done.
Why this is correct
Internal accountability is a key indicator of team health. When team members hold each other to the standards they've set, they build trust and ensure quality. This collective ownership is a hallmark of high-performing teams who prioritize excellence and mutual growth over individual performance.
- ✓
The team can pivot their technical approach during the Sprint.
Why this is correct
Self-management involves the ability to adapt. If a technical approach isn't working, a self-managing team can change it without seeking external approval. This flexibility is vital for empirical process control, allowing the team to respond to what they learn during the implementation phase.
- ✗
The team waits for the Product Owner to prioritize their daily tasks.
Why it's wrong here
The Product Owner prioritizes the backlog, but the team organizes their own daily work based on the Sprint Backlog. Waiting for daily task prioritization from the Product Owner creates a bottleneck and misinterprets the role of the Product Owner as a task manager.
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.