CSM Scrum Master Core Competencies Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are effective ways for a Scrum Master to foster self-management in a team?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often select options where the Scrum Master assigns tasks or makes technical choices, confusing servant leadership with traditional project management control.
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
✓
Encourage the team to determine how to turn Product Backlog items into Increments.
Self-management is a central tenet of Scrum. By delegating decision-making and encouraging collective accountability, the Scrum Master helps the team mature. These actions are vital because they shift the team's focus from waiting for instructions to proactive ownership of their work, which leads to higher engagement and better outcomes as they learn to manage their own process, tasks, and interpersonal dynamics.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign specific tasks to individual team members to ensure accountability.
Why it's wrong here
Individual task assignment creates silos and prevents collective ownership. In Scrum, the team as a whole is responsible for the Sprint Backlog. Assigning tasks limits the team's ability to self-organize and adapt based on their changing needs during the Sprint, effectively reverting them to a traditional project management structure.
- ✓
Encourage the team to determine how to turn Product Backlog items into Increments.
Why this is correct
Giving the team the autonomy to decide 'how' to perform their work is the definition of self-management. The Scrum Master's role is to ensure they have the tools and environment to do this, rather than dictating the technical approach. This fosters innovation and allows the team to optimize their own internal processes.
- ✗
Require the team to clear all decisions with the Scrum Master first.
Why it's wrong here
This behavior turns the Scrum Master into a bottleneck and prevents the team from learning through their own choices. It creates a culture of dependency that is the opposite of self-management. The team should be encouraged to make their own decisions and learn from the consequences, whether positive or negative.
- ✓
Facilitate decision-making processes rather than making decisions for the team.
Why this is correct
By facilitating, the Scrum Master provides the structure for the team to reach their own conclusions. This preserves the team's authority and helps them develop the skills needed to resolve complex problems. It ensures that the team feels empowered and responsible for the decisions they make, which is essential for long-term success.
- ✗
Create a rigid process that the team must follow for every Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
A rigid, forced process prevents the team from adapting their work to their specific context. Scrum is empirical; teams must inspect and adapt their processes over time. A rigid process shuts down the team's ability to experiment with new techniques or improve their efficiency based on their unique current challenges.
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.