Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) Scrum Events and the Sprint Cycle Syllabus

Scrum Events and the Sprint Cycle syllabus — full chapter and topic list

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

1. 1

   The Sprint as a Container

   3 topics

   • Sprint Purpose and Length
     • Fixed-length cadence of one month or less
     • Consistency of Sprint duration
   • Sprint Rules and Constraints
     • No changes that endanger the Sprint Goal
     • Scope clarification and renegotiation
     • Quality does not decrease
   • Cancelling a Sprint
     • When a Sprint Goal becomes obsolete
     • Authority of the Product Owner to cancel
2. 2

   Sprint Planning

   4 topics

   • Why Is This Sprint Valuable
     • Crafting the Sprint Goal
   • What Can Be Done This Sprint
     • Selecting Product Backlog items
     • Forecasting based on capacity and past performance
   • How Will the Work Get Done
     • Decomposing items into actionable work
     • Developers planning the how
   • Timebox and Attendees
     • Eight-hour maximum for a one-month Sprint
3. 3

   Daily Scrum

   3 topics

   • Purpose of the Daily Scrum
     • Inspecting progress toward the Sprint Goal
     • Adapting the Sprint Backlog
   • Format and Timebox
     • Fifteen-minute timebox
     • Same time and place each day
     • Developers as primary participants
   • Common Anti-Patterns
     • Status report to the Scrum Master
     • Problem-solving overrunning the timebox
4. 4

   Sprint Review

   3 topics

   • Inspecting the Increment
     • Demonstrating completed work
     • Collaborating with stakeholders
   • Adapting the Product Backlog
     • Discussing what to do next
     • Reviewing market and progress changes
   • Working Session Versus Presentation
     • Avoiding the demo-only trap
5. 5

   Sprint Retrospective

   3 topics

   • Purpose of the Retrospective
     • Inspecting people, interactions, process, and tools
     • Identifying improvements
   • Creating Actionable Improvements
     • Selecting the most impactful changes
     • Adding improvements to the next Sprint Backlog
   • Retrospective Facilitation Techniques
     • Start-Stop-Continue
     • Sailboat and other structures
     • Creating psychological safety

Scrum Events and the Sprint Cycle flashcards for Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

19 of 50 cards from the Scrum Events and the Sprint Cycle deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the purpose of a Sprint in Scrum?

   A Sprint is a fixed-length event during which a usable, potentially releasable product Increment is created. It is the container for all other Scrum events and turns ideas into value.

2. What is the maximum length of a Sprint?

   One month (four weeks) or less. Sprints are time-boxed to no more than one calendar month.

3. Why are Sprints kept short (one month or less)?

   Short Sprints limit risk and cost to one calendar month, generate more frequent feedback and inspection points, and keep the cost of any single Sprint's failed effort low.

4. In Scrum, when does a new Sprint start relative to the previous one?

   A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint; there is no gap between Sprints.

5. Which rules/constraints must hold during a Sprint to ensure quality and predictability?

   No changes are made that endanger the Sprint Goal, quality does not decrease, the Product Backlog is refined as needed, and scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned.

6. Can the Sprint Goal change during a Sprint?

   No. The Sprint Goal must not change during the Sprint, though the scope of work to achieve it may be clarified and renegotiated between the Developers and Product Owner.

7. Who has the sole authority to cancel a Sprint?

   Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint, though they may do so under influence from stakeholders, Developers, or the Scrum Master.

8. When should a Sprint be cancelled?

   A Sprint should be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete — for example, if the company changes direction or market/technology conditions change so the goal no longer makes sense.

9. What happens to completed and incomplete Product Backlog items when a Sprint is cancelled?

   Completed and 'Done' items are reviewed; if part of the work is potentially releasable, the Product Owner typically accepts it. All incomplete items are re-estimated and put back on the Product Backlog.

10. Why are Sprint cancellations described as rare and traumatic?

    Cancellations consume resources, disrupt the team, and are unusual because the short Sprint length already limits how often a goal can become obsolete mid-Sprint.

11. What is Sprint Planning and what does it initiate?

    Sprint Planning is the event that initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed; it is a collaboration of the entire Scrum Team that produces the Sprint Goal and the initial Sprint Backlog.

12. What is the maximum time-box for Sprint Planning?

    Eight hours for a one-month Sprint, and usually shorter for shorter Sprints.

13. Sprint Planning addresses which three topics?

    (1) Why is this Sprint valuable? (2) What can be done this Sprint? (3) How will the chosen work get done?

14. In Sprint Planning, who proposes how the product could increase value and who crafts the Sprint Goal?

    The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase value/utility in the current Sprint; the whole Scrum Team then collaborates to define a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders.

15. What is the Sprint Goal?

    The single objective for the Sprint. It provides a coherent purpose, creates focus and flexibility around the work, and is the commitment associated with the Sprint Backlog.

16. In the 'What can be done this Sprint?' topic, who selects the items for the Sprint Backlog?

    The Developers select the items from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint, collaborating with the Product Owner to refine and clarify them.

17. What helps Developers gauge how much work they can complete in a Sprint?

    Their past performance (velocity/history), their upcoming capacity for this Sprint, and their Definition of Done. The more they know, the more confident they are in their forecast.

18. In the 'How will the work get done?' topic, what do Developers do for each selected item?

    For each selected Product Backlog item, the Developers plan the work needed to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done, often by decomposing items into smaller work items of one day or less.

19. What three things make up the Sprint Backlog?

    The Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), and an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how).

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