Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Scrum Accountabilities and Team Structure Syllabus

Scrum Accountabilities and Team Structure syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Scrum Accountabilities and Team Structure in Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The Scrum Team

   3 topics

   • Characteristics of the Scrum Team
     • Single focus on the Product Goal
     • Small enough to remain nimble
     • Cross-functional and self-managing
   • Accountability Versus Role
     • Shift from roles to accountabilities
     • Shared team accountability
   • Team Sizing and Composition
     • Recommended team size of ten or fewer
     • Splitting large teams
2. 2

   The Scrum Master Accountability

   4 topics

   • Service to the Scrum Team
     • Coaching in self-management
     • Helping focus on high-value Increments
     • Removing impediments
   • Service to the Product Owner
     • Backlog management techniques
     • Facilitating stakeholder collaboration
   • Service to the Organization
     • Leading Scrum adoption
     • Removing barriers between stakeholders and teams
   • Scrum Master as a True Leader
     • Servant leadership traits
     • Leadership that serves
3. 3

   The Product Owner Accountability

   3 topics

   • Maximizing Product Value
     • Accountability for value delivery
     • Single, accountable person
   • Product Backlog Ownership
     • Ordering the Product Backlog
     • Developing and communicating the Product Goal
   • Stakeholder Representation
     • Balancing competing stakeholder needs
     • Decision authority of the Product Owner
4. 4

   The Developers Accountability

   3 topics

   • Creating the Increment
     • Crafting a usable Increment each Sprint
     • Adhering to the Definition of Done
   • Developer Self-Management Duties
     • Creating the Sprint Backlog plan
     • Instilling quality through the Definition of Done
     • Adapting the plan daily
   • Accountability to Each Other
     • Mutual accountability among Developers

Scrum Accountabilities and Team Structure flashcards for Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

23 of 51 cards from the Scrum Accountabilities and Team Structure deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the Scrum Team and what are its three accountabilities?

   The Scrum Team is the fundamental unit of Scrum: a cohesive group of professionals focused on one Product Goal. It comprises one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers.

2. What three characteristics define an effective Scrum Team according to the Scrum Guide?

   It is cross-functional (members have all skills needed to create value each Sprint), self-managing (it internally decides who does what, when, and how), and small enough to remain nimble yet large enough to complete significant work.

3. Why does the Scrum Team have no sub-teams or hierarchies?

   To keep everyone focused on one Product Goal and to foster collective accountability; sub-teams or internal hierarchies create handoffs and silos that reduce cohesion and agility.

4. What is the recommended maximum size of a Scrum Team?

   Typically 10 or fewer people total. Smaller teams communicate better and are more productive; larger groups should reorganize into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams sharing the same Product Goal.

5. In Scrum, what is the difference between an accountability and a job title or role?

   Scrum defines three accountabilities (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developers), not formal job titles. They describe responsibility for outcomes, not a person's HR role; one person could hold an accountability while having any organizational title.

6. Who is accountable for creating a usable Increment each Sprint?

   The Developers are accountable for creating a usable, valuable Increment every Sprint.

7. Who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team?

   The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product.

8. Who is accountable for establishing Scrum and the team's effectiveness?

   The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide and for the Scrum Team's effectiveness.

9. What does 'cross-functional' mean for a Scrum Team?

   The team collectively possesses all the skills necessary to create value (e.g., design, build, test, deploy) each Sprint without depending on people outside the team.

10. What does 'self-managing' mean for a Scrum Team?

    The team internally decides who does the work, what to work on, and how to do it, rather than being directed by people outside the team.

11. What does the Product Owner's accountability of value maximization depend on within the organization?

    It may vary across organizations, Scrum Teams, and individuals, but for the Product Owner's decisions to be respected, the whole organization must honor them.

12. Is the Product Owner one person or a committee?

    The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. They may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog, but accountability rests with a single individual.

13. What four Product Backlog management responsibilities belong to the Product Owner?

    Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal; creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items; ordering Product Backlog items; and ensuring the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood.

14. Can the Product Owner delegate Product Backlog work, and who remains accountable?

    Yes, the Product Owner may delegate the work (e.g., to Developers), but the Product Owner remains accountable for the Product Backlog.

15. How does the Scrum Master serve the Scrum Team? Give three ways.

    By coaching members in self-management and cross-functionality; helping the team focus on creating high-value Increments meeting the Definition of Done; removing impediments to progress; and ensuring Scrum events are positive, productive, and time-boxed.

16. List three ways the Scrum Master serves the Product Owner.

    Helping find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management; helping the team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items; and helping establish empirical product planning and facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested.

17. List three ways the Scrum Master serves the organization.

    Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption; planning and advising Scrum implementations; helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical approach to complex work; and removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams.

18. What kind of leader is the Scrum Master described as in the Scrum Guide?

    A true leader who serves the Scrum Team and the larger organization (a servant-leader in spirit), leading by influence, coaching, and facilitation rather than command-and-control authority.

19. Who are the Developers in a Scrum Team?

    The people in the Scrum Team committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint, regardless of their specific technical disciplines or titles.

20. What four responsibilities are the Developers always accountable for?

    Creating a plan for the Sprint (the Sprint Backlog); instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done; adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal; and holding each other accountable as professionals.

21. What does it mean that Developers 'hold each other accountable as professionals'?

    Accountability within the Scrum Team is peer-based: Developers are mutually responsible to one another for their commitments, quality, and self-management, rather than being managed individually by an external boss.

22. What is an Increment in Scrum?

    A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal; each Increment is additive to prior Increments, thoroughly verified, and must meet the Definition of Done to be usable.

23. When is an Increment considered usable and potentially releasable?

    Only when it meets the Definition of Done. Work that does not meet the Definition of Done cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review.

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