Scrum Master Certification Day 3 Q/A Review: Scrum Artifacts & User Stories

Q4: What is sprint backlog?
Ans: The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how).
It is a plan by and for the Developers. It is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal. Consequently, the Sprint Backlog is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned. It should have enough detail that they can inspect their progress in the Daily Scrum.

Q5: Who is responsible for Sprint backlog in scrum?
Ans: According to the Scrum framework, the entire agile team — scrum master, product owner, and development team members — will share ownership of the sprint backlog. This is because all members of the team will bring unique knowledge and insights to the project at the beginning of each sprint.

Q6: How are the Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog different from one another?
Ans: Here are a few key takeaways about the distinction between sprint backlog and product backlog:

Q7: Explain the term “Increment.”?
Ans: The term “Increment” is used to refer the total number of the product backlog items completed during the sprint and all previous sprints. At the end of the sprint, increment should be in done status; also, it must be in re-useable condition regardless of whether the product owner is willing to release a product or not.

Q8: What is the Definition of Done (DoD)?
Ans: The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.
The Definition of Done (DoD) creates transparency by providing everyone with a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. If a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of Done, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review. Instead, it returns to the Product Backlog for future consideration.
If the Definition of Done for an increment is part of the standards of the organization, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum. If it is not an organizational standard, the Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriately for the product.
The Developers are required to conform to the Definition of Done. If there are multiple Scrum Teams working together on a product, they must mutually define and comply with the same Definition of Done.

User Stories

A user story is an informal, general explanation of a software feature written from the perspective of the end-user. Its purpose is to articulate how a software feature will provide value to the customer.

Q9: What do you mean by user stories in Scrum?
Ans: A user story is a casual, generic explanation of a software feature written from the end user’s perspective. Its goal is to communicate how a software feature will benefit the customer. Putting people first is a critical component of agile software development, and a user story does just that by putting end-users at the heart of the discussion. The development team and their efforts are described in these anecdotes using non-technical language. The team knows why they’re developing, what they’re building, and what value it adds after reading a user story.

Q10: Why do we need to create user stories?
Ans: For development teams new to agile, user stories sometimes seem like an added step. Why not just break the big project (the epic) into a series of steps and get on with it? But stories give the team important context and associate tasks with the value those tasks bring. User stories serve a number of key benefits:

1. Stories keep the focus on the user: A to-do list keeps the team focused on tasks that need to be checked off, but a collection of stories keeps the team focused on solving problems for real users.
2. Stories enable collaboration: With the end goal defined, the team can work together to decide how best to serve the user and meet that goal.
3. Stories drive creative solutions: Stories encourage the team to think critically and creatively about how to best solve for an end goal.
4. Stories create momentum: With each passing story, the development team enjoys a small challenge and a small win, driving momentum.

Q11: Who is responsible for writing the User Story?
Ans: User stories can be written by anyone. Although it is the product owner’s job to ensure that an agile user story backlog exists, this does not imply that the product owner is the one who produces them.
During the early stages of product development, the team discusses needs and records them as user stories. As long as there is a product backlog, it will never be frozen. As a result, if someone thinks there’s a missing requirement or anything that could benefit the client, they can add it to the queue as a user story. There is no rule or guideline indicating that the stories must be written solely by the product owner. Because there is a set format, anyone creating the story should know exactly what it means and how to write it.

Q12: How can the team select a good user story?
Ans: A good user story is one that includes a description and has acceptance criteria defined. It should be a piece that can be delivered in a sprint and entails minimum dependencies. The team should be able to develop and test within the boundaries of the sprint along with providing the estimates.
In short, good user stories follow the INVEST principle.

• Independent – Reduced dependencies
• Negotiable – Describes the functionality, can be negotiated between the Team and PO
• Valuable – Provides value to the customer
• Estimable – Too big or too vague = not estimable
• Small – Can be done in a Sprint by the team
• Testable – Good acceptance criteria

The scrum master can help the team in creating good user stories during the backlog refinement or sprint planning so that the team can pick them up for the commitment.

Q13: What are the 3 C’s in user stories?
Ans: The three C’s in a user story are:

1. Card
2. Conversation
3. Confirmation

Q14: How are Epic, User Story and Tasks different from one another in the context of Scrum?
Ans: The difference between the 3 are as follows:

• Epic – It is something so large that it will almost certainly not fit into a sprint, is unclear in terms of client requirements, and should be split down into stories. Epics are often defined at the early stages of product road mapping and then broken into stories in the product backlog when additional information becomes available.
• User Story – A story is anything actionable that can be fit into a sprint. These are INVEST criteria-based story points and definitions. By the end of an iteration, stories should give a vertical slice of functionality to the client that is both valuable and complete. Typically, stories are developed throughout the product development process, particularly prior to iteration planning and throughout higher-level product road mapping.
• Task – They are the decomposed parts of a story that define how the story will be finished. If needed, tasks can be estimated by the hour. Tasks are typically defined by the individuals who execute the job, whereas stories and epics are typically developed by the customer. Because tasks are temporary, they are produced within the confines of an iteration.

Q15: What is meant by the Definition of Ready in scrum?
Ans: In the Scrum agile framework, the Definition of Ready describes the requirements that must be met in order for a story to move from the backlog to development. In keeping with agile tradition, Ready is often defined as a story that can be acted on immediately.

Quiz Time (Sample Exam Questions)!

With our Scrum Master Certification Training Program, we cover 150+ sample exam questions to help you prepare for both Certified Scrum Master & Professional Scrum Master certifications.
Check out one of the questions and see if you can crack this…

Ques: A Scrum team must produce which of the following Artifacts.

A. Project Plan
B. Product Backlog
C. Sprint Backlog
D. Increment

Comment with your answer & we will tell you if you are correct or not!

• Scrum Master Certification Day 1 Q/A Review: Introduction To Agile & Scrum
• CSM and PSM Certification: Everything You Need to Know
• Scrum Master: Roles & Responsibilities
• Agile Software Development Lifecycle
• Agile vs Scrum

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