Free Scrum PSPO-II Practice Exam with Questions & Answers

Let's analyze each option to determine the best considerations for a Product Owner when ordering the Product Backlog, referencing PSPO II competencies:

A. Alignment with organizational strategy and goals.

Verification:This is acorrectanswer.

Explanation and References:

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Business Strategy

The Product Backlog should reflect the overall business strategy andcontribute to achieving organizational goals.

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Product Vision

The Product Vision is guided by the organizational strategy. The Product Backlog ordering should help realize that vision.

Additional Explanation:A Product Owner must ensure the product is strategically aligned, maximizing the return on investment for the organization.

B. The techniques the Developers will use to implement the item.

Verification:This isincorrect.

Explanation and References:

Professional Scrum Competency: Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework - Applying the Scrum Framework - Self-Managing Teams

The Developers are responsible for determininghowthey will implement Product Backlog items. The Product Owner focuses on thewhatandwhy.

Additional Explanation:The Product Owner should trust the Developers' expertise in technical implementation. While high-level technical feasibility might be a consideration, the specific techniques used are within the Developers' domain.

C. Risk. For example; business risk, market risk, or technology risk.

Verification:This is acorrectanswer.

Explanation and References:

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Evidence-Based Management

Identifying and mitigating risks is crucial for maximizing product value. Addressing high-risk items early can prevent significant problems later.

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Business Strategy

Understanding and mitigating business and market risks is essential for strategic product development.

Additional Explanation:Addressing high-risk items early (when appropriate) allows for early learning and adaptation, reducing overall project risk.

D. Alignment with other Product Backlog items.

Verification:This is acorrectanswer.

Explanation and References:

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Forecasting & Release Planning

Considering dependencies and relationships between Product Backlog items is essential for effective release planning.

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Product Backlog Management

The Product Backlog should be ordered in a way that considers dependencies and logical groupings of items to deliver coherent functionality.

Additional Explanation:Grouping related items or addressing dependencies early can improve development efficiency and create more valuable increments.

E. Importance to users or customers.

Verification:This is acorrectanswer.

Explanation and References:

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Stakeholders & Customers

Understanding and prioritizing based on user and customer needs is fundamental to delivering a valuable product.

Professional Scrum Competency: Managing Products with Agility - Product Value

Delivering value to users and customers is the ultimate goal, and the Product Backlog ordering should reflect this.

Additional Explanation:Focusing on user and customer value helps ensure that the most important features are delivered first, maximizing user satisfaction and business impact.

In conclusion, the four best considerations for ordering the Product Backlog are: alignment with organizational strategy and goals, risk, alignment with other Product Backlog items, and importance to users or customers. These factors help the Product Owner maximize product value, manage risks, and ensure the product aligns with business objectives and user needs, in accordance with the PSPO II competencies.

 A good Product Vision and Strategy should have the following attributes12:

It describes who will use the product and what they would like to achieve. This helps to define the target market, the customer segments, and the user personas, as well as their needs, goals, and problems.

It describes how people will use the product to achieve potential outcomes. This helps to articulate the value proposition, the benefits, and the features of the product, as well as the assumptions and hypotheses that need to be validated.

It describes what value means in the context of the product, and how it can be measured. This helps to establish the objectives, the key results, and the metrics that will guide the product development and evaluation.

It is not necessary for a good Product Vision and Strategy to describe how the product compares to competitor products. This may be part of the market analysis or the competitive advantage, but it is not a core attribute of the Product Vision and Strategy. Moreover, focusing too much on the competitors may distract from the customer needs and the product value. References: 1: Product Vision, 2: Product Strategy

A is correct because forming products that are as independent as possible reduces the complexity and dependency of the product development, and allows each product to deliver value faster and more frequently1. Coordination among the products is stillnecessary to ensure alignment and consistency, but it should not be centralized or imposed by a higher authority2. B is incorrect because creating a centralized, coordinated cross-product Development Plan goes against the principles of empiricism, self-organization, and agility that Scrum promotes3. C is incorrect because appointing a Project Lead to oversee all the products undermines the accountability and autonomy of the Product Owners and the Scrum Teams4. D is incorrect because ensuring that the PMO manages the inter-product dependencies creates a layer of bureaucracy and control that hinders the collaboration and innovation of the Scrum Teams5. E is incorrect because it includes all the wrong answers.

= Based on the Evidence-Based Management (EBM) framework, your product has a high Current Value (CV), which means that it delivers value to the existing customers and meets their needs and expectations. However, it also has a high Unrealized Value (UV), which means that there is a large gap between the potential and actual use of the product in the market. This indicates that your product has a low awareness, reach, or appeal among the potential customers who could benefit from it.

To increase the business performance of the product, you need to reduce the UV and increase the Ability to Innovate (A2I), which is the ability to deliver future value. One way to do this is to improve the marketing of the product, which can help you to communicate the value proposition, differentiate the product from the competitors, and attract a greater number of customers. This can also provide you with more feedback and data to inform your product strategy and backlog prioritization.

The other options are not the best actions to take, because they either do not address the root cause of the high UV, or they may compromise the CV or A2I of the product. Increasing the number of product features may not necessarily increase the value or the demand for the product, and it may also increase the complexity and the cost of development. Releasing an identical product with a new name may confuse the customers and dilute the brand identity, and it may also create legal or ethical issues. Dropping the price for the product may not be a sustainable or profitable strategy, and it may also affect the perceived quality or value of the product. References := Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II Certification, Managing Products with Agility, Evidence-Based Management

Verified Answer: A, B

Very Very Short Explanation: In the context of Scrum and the PSPO II guidelines, when there is uncertainty about customer needs or market desires, it is recommended to make smaller releases to allow for quicker feedback and adaptation (A), and to increase the focus on validating customer needs to ensure that the product development is aligned with what customers actually want (B).This approach is consistent with the principles of empiricism and agility, which emphasize the importance of transparency, inspection, and adaptation123.

A sprint forecast is an estimate of what can be achieved in an upcoming Sprint. During Sprint planning, the team reviews the Product Backlog and selects stories that can be completed in the next Sprint based on the team’s velocity and capacity. The forecast is a pragmatic commitment to a realistic amount of work1. The forecast helps the team plan their tasks, prioritize their goals, and set realistic expectations for what they can accomplish during the Sprint. It also helps them to identify any potential risks or issues that could arise during the course of the Sprint2. The forecast is not a guarantee or a promise, but rather a best guess based on the current information and assumptions3. The forecast can be updated during the Sprint as new information emerges or as the team learns from their work4. The forecast is a useful tool for the Product Owner to communicate with the stakeholders about the progress and the value delivered by the team.

Unrealized Value is the value that could be realized by meeting all potential needs of the customer or user1. It represents the opportunity for growth and innovation. When the Unrealized Value of a product is very small, it means that the product has reached a saturation point in the market, and there is little room for improvement or differentiation. Investing more in such a product would not yield much return, and might even cannibalize the Current Value of the product, which is the value delivered to the customer or user today1. Therefore, organizations should reduce their investment in a product when its Unrealized Value is very small, and focus on other products or opportunities that have higher Unrealized Value

According to the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II certification guide1, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. This means that the Product Owner should collaborate with the Developers and the Scrum Master to find the best way to deliver value in the current Sprint, even if the initial forecast is not met. The Product Owner should not change or abandon the Sprint Goal, as it is a commitment made by the Scrum Team during Sprint Planning. The Product Owner should also not skip Product Backlog refinement activities, as they are essential for preparing the Product Backlog for future Sprints. The Product Owner should not end the Sprint prematurely, as it may cause more disruption and waste than delivering a potentially releasable Increment. The Product Owner should not inform management that more resources are needed, as it may imply that the Scrum Team is not self-organizing and cross-functional. The Product Owner should respect the Developers’ autonomy and professionalism and support them in finding the best solution to the problem. Therefore, the best answer is to reduce the scope of the Sprint, if possible, to still meet the Sprint Goal. This means that the Product Owner and the Developers should negotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint, removing or adding Product Backlog items that are aligned with the Sprint Goal and the value delivery. References: 1: Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II Certification | Scrum.org

Option A is the best answer because it reflects the agile and empirical nature of Scrum and Product Ownership. The Product Vision is a concise and inspiring statement that describes the purpose, direction, and value proposition of the product1. The Product Vision is not a fixed or static document, but rather an emergent and dynamic one that adapts to the changing environment, needs, and feedback. The Product Owner is accountable for creating and communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team and the stakeholders2. The Product Owner collaborates with the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect and adapt the Product Vision based on the new insights, opportunities, and learnings that arise from the changing environment34. The Product Owner also uses various techniques, such as product discovery, user research, market analysis, and experiments, to validate and refine the Product Vision5 .

Option B is not the best answer because it contradicts the accountability of the Product Owner. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog and maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is also the sole person responsible for creating and communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team and the stakeholders2. The Product Owner may seek input and feedback from the Scrum Team and the stakeholders, but the final decision and authority on the Product Vision belongs to the Product Owner. The Scrum Team and the stakeholders are not accountable for developing and evolving the Product Vision, but they are expected to understand and support it .

Option C is not the best answer because it contradicts the reality and complexity of product development. The Product Vision is not a technical specification, but rather a strategic and business-oriented statement that guides the development of the product1. The Product Vision does not prescribe how the product should be built, but rather why and what the product should achieve. However, the Product Vision is not completely detached from the technical aspects of the product, as the technology choices may have an impact on the feasibility, desirability, and viability of the product. The Product Owner should be aware of the strategic technology choices and their implications, and discuss them with the Development Team and the stakeholders, as part of the product discovery and validation process .

References:

1: Product Vision

2: Product Owner Accountabilities

3: Empiricism

4: Stakeholders & Customers

5: Product Discovery

: Product Backlog Management

: The Scrum Guide

: Scrum Team

: Product Value

: Product Feasibility

: Product Validation

: [Agile Manifesto]

: [User Research]

: [Market Analysis]

: [Experiments]