A Scrum team failed to meet the Sprint objectives. One of the key members of the team fell ill and was away for two days right at the beginning of the four week Sprint. What is the most likely…

Question

Options

• AThe Product Owner is unable to prioritize.
• BThe team is lacking skills.
• CThe team did not plan the Sprint effectively.
• DThe team is over-worked.

• A
  5% (2)
• B
  12% (5)
• C
  64% (27)
• D
  19% (8)

Explanation

Option C is correct because a well-planned Sprint should account for risk - including team member availability. Losing one person for two days in a four-week Sprint (~10% capacity reduction) should not derail the entire Sprint if the team had properly estimated capacity, sized the backlog accordingly, and built in buffer. The root cause is poor Sprint Planning, not the absence itself.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (Product Owner can't prioritize): The PO's prioritization happens before Sprint Planning; poor backlog ordering would cause wrong items to be built, not a failure to complete items.
• B (team lacks skills): Nothing in the scenario suggests a skill gap - the team lost time, not capability.
• D (team is overworked): Overwork implies too many Sprints of excessive load; a single Sprint miss due to an absence doesn't point to systemic overwork.

Memory tip: Think of Sprint Planning as a commitment with risk baked in. A robust plan anticipates that people get sick, systems go down, and estimates are imperfect - if one absence breaks the Sprint, the plan was too brittle. On the exam, when you see "team didn't meet objectives," always ask "what could have prevented this?" - the answer usually points back to Planning.

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