CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
Which TWO are responsibilities of the Developers during the Sprint?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers often select administrative tasks like backlog refinement or managing stakeholders as developer duties, confusing developer accountability with Product Owner responsibilities.
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
✓
Ensuring the Increment meets the Definition of Done.
The Developers are accountable for delivering high-quality, 'Done' work each Sprint. By managing their own progress and collaborating closely, they ensure that the Increment meets the team's definition of quality. These responsibilities are essential for the team to achieve its Sprint Goal and remain a self-managing unit that delivers consistent value to the customer.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ensuring the Increment meets the Definition of Done.
Why this is correct
The Developers are responsible for creating an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This ensures the quality remains consistent throughout the project. Without this shared standard of quality, the team cannot truly say they have delivered a valuable, potentially shippable product increment at the end of the Sprint.
- ✗
Prioritizing the Product Backlog to maximize value.
Why it's wrong here
Prioritizing the Product Backlog is the Product Owner's accountability. If Developers prioritized it, they might focus too much on easy technical tasks rather than high-value business features. This separation of duties is key to ensuring that the product development remains aligned with the needs of the business and the customer.
- ✓
Creating a plan for the Sprint during Sprint Planning.
Why this is correct
The Developers create the plan for the Sprint (the Sprint Backlog). This plan is their tool to coordinate and track their progress toward the Sprint Goal. By creating the plan themselves, they ensure that they have a realistic and achievable strategy for the work ahead, increasing their focus.
- ✗
Managing the team's budget and external vendor relationships.
Why it's wrong here
Budgeting and vendor management are organizational functions, not the responsibility of the Developers. These activities are far outside the scope of building an Increment. Forcing the Developers to manage these would distract them from their core work and require skills that are not part of the Scrum Team's mandate.
- ✗
Approving all changes requested by external stakeholders.
Why it's wrong here
Developers do not have the authority to approve changes to product scope. That decision is strictly for the Product Owner, who must balance the request against the product goals. Developers should focus on the technical feasibility and impact, not on deciding the business value or priority of new work.
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.