After a lot of discussion, the team decides to insert spikes into the Iteration for research. How should a Scrum Master help resolve this issue?

A. Allow the team to commit to Stories with existing unknowns

B. Ensure the Product Owner and the team arrived at the planning session with proper preparation

C. Have the team engage with the dependent teams to work on the Stories

D. Discourage the team from creating spikes so they can focus on other stories

Correct Answer is

A. Ensure the Product Owner and the team arrived at the planning session with proper preparation.

Explanation

In this situation, the Scrum Master should ensure the Product Owner and the team arrived at the planning session with proper preparation.

Here’s why this approach is the most appropriate

• Allow the team to commit to Stories with existing unknowns: This approach risks the team’s ability to deliver on their commitments and can lead to increased stress, decreased quality, and potentially failing to meet iteration goals. It’s generally not advisable to commit to work without a reasonable level of understanding and confidence.


• Ensure the Product Owner and the team arrived at the planning session with proper preparation: This is the best approach. Proper preparation for iteration planning includes having a well-groomed and prioritized backlog. The Product Owner should bring Stories that are ready to be worked on, which means they have been discussed, estimated to the best of the team’s ability, and meet the team’s definition of ready. The Scrum Master can facilitate this by working with the Product Owner and the team ahead of planning sessions to ensure readiness and prevent surprises. This reduces the need for spikes and helps ensure that the team can commit to work with confidence.


• Have the team engage with the dependent teams to work on the Stories: While collaboration with other teams is often necessary, especially in a scaled Agile environment, the introduction of spikes for research indicates a need for knowledge acquisition rather than immediate collaboration. This suggestion might be helpful in other contexts but doesn’t address the root cause of the issue, which is the introduction of poorly understood work into the iteration.


• Discourage the team from creating spikes so they can focus on other stories: Spikes are a legitimate and useful tool for addressing uncertainties and unknowns in Agile development. Discouraging their use might lead to committing to work without a clear understanding of what it entails, potentially causing more issues down the line. The focus should be on better preparation and backlog refinement rather than avoiding spikes altogether.

By ensuring both the Product Owner and the team are properly prepared for the iteration planning session, the Scrum Master helps mitigate the need for last-minute spikes and ensures that the team can commit to work with a clear understanding of what is required, leading to more effective and predictable iteration outcomes.

Other SAFe Scrum Master Question – How is average lead time measured in a Kanban system?