PMP · Question #552
In a daily standup meeting, a developer indicates that a backlog item will not be delivered because they need to take an unexpected leave for the next couple of days. The backlog item is a prerequisit
The correct answer is A. Work with the product owner to change the priorities in the sprint backlog.. When a developer's unexpected leave threatens a prerequisite backlog item for an upcoming feature, the project lead should collaborate with the product owner to adjust sprint backlog priorities.
Question
In a daily standup meeting, a developer indicates that a backlog item will not be delivered because they need to take an unexpected leave for the next couple of days. The backlog item is a prerequisite for a feature expected by users in the next sprint review. What should the project lead do?
Options
- AWork with the product owner to change the priorities in the sprint backlog.
- BWork with the product owner to inform the users that the feature is delayed.
- CAsk the development manager to provide a replacement for a couple of days.
- DAsk the developer to postpone the leave until the backlog item is delivered.
How the community answered
(49 responses)- A71% (35)
- B4% (2)
- C6% (3)
- D18% (9)
Why each option
When a developer's unexpected leave threatens a prerequisite backlog item for an upcoming feature, the project lead should collaborate with the product owner to adjust sprint backlog priorities.
In an agile environment, the project lead (often a Scrum Master or Team Lead) should collaborate with the Product Owner to adapt the sprint backlog when impediments arise. The Product Owner's responsibility is to maximize value, and re-prioritizing items allows the team to adjust to the new reality and mitigate the impact on the sprint goal and upcoming features.
While informing users might eventually be necessary, the immediate action should be to address the impediment and try to adapt the sprint to minimize or avoid the delay before committing to an external communication.
Seeking a replacement for a couple of days might be an option, but the immediate agile response involves collaborative adaptation of the backlog and scope to maintain sprint goals or minimize impact.
Asking a developer to postpone unexpected leave is generally unprofessional and detrimental to team morale and well-being; it is not an acceptable solution for an agile team.
Concept tested: Agile impediment resolution and backlog management
Source: https://www.scrum.org/resources/what-is-a-product-owner
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Zlatan X.Jul 5, 2026A is correct here. The sprint backlog is a living artifact governed by the team and product owner together, so when a component dependency breaks, you reprioritize at the backlog level rather than escalating to personnel swaps or pushing leave onto people.
Yusuf A.Jul 7, 2026One of the seniors on my team said the same thing but added that if the dependency keeps breaking across sprints, the product owner should flag it as a risk in the backlog so it gets visibility during sprint planning, not just handled reactively.
Dervla O.Jun 21, 2026A is the process play here. The sprint backlog is negotiable, and the product owner owns priorities, so that is where the conversation goes. Does anyone know if the exam expects you to always loop in the product owner first, or are there situations where the scrum master can reprioritize without that step?
Zlatan X.Jun 23, 2026A is right but the exam does not always route through the PO first: if the question is about team process health or impediment removal the SM acts directly, whereas anything touching backlog ordering or value decisions goes to the PO because that is where benefits realization sits.
Yusuf A.Jun 30, 2026Going with C here. One of the senior PMs at my company said the exam loves the practical fix, and asking the dev manager for a short-term replacement keeps the sprint on track without messing with priorities or disappointing users at the review. Does anyone know if the exam considers that a command-and-control move that would push you toward A instead?
Zlatan X.Jul 2, 2026A is correct here, Yusuf. At program altitude the exam expects you to address resource contention through governance, not by pulling a dev manager into a single-sprint workaround, because that bypasses component interdependencies and masks the real capacity issue from portfolio-level visibility.