PMP · Question #828
A new government regulation has mandated that all team members will need to work remotely for the duration of the next iteration. This means backlog priority changes will need to be completed What…
The correct answer is B. Inform the product owner of the required change as soon as possible. When a government regulation mandates remote work, impacting backlog priorities, the project manager's immediate action should be to inform the product owner. The product owner is responsible for backlog prioritization and adapting to such changes.
Question
A new government regulation has mandated that all team members will need to work remotely for the duration of the next iteration. This means backlog priority changes will need to be completed What should the project manager do?
Options
- ACommunicate the new regulation to the project sponsor during the next retrospective.
- BInform the product owner of the required change as soon as possible.
- CReprioritize the backlog and share it with the team as soon as possible.
- DAsk the team facilitator to reprioritize the backlog based on the new regulation.
How the community answered
(29 responses)- A3% (1)
- B72% (21)
- C7% (2)
- D17% (5)
Why each option
When a government regulation mandates remote work, impacting backlog priorities, the project manager's immediate action should be to inform the product owner. The product owner is responsible for backlog prioritization and adapting to such changes.
Waiting until the "next retrospective" to communicate a new government regulation is too late, as it needs immediate attention due to its impact on upcoming work.
Informing the product owner of the required change as soon as possible is the critical first step because the product owner is ultimately responsible for the product backlog, its prioritization, and ensuring it aligns with business value and external constraints. A mandated shift to remote work can significantly impact how work is done, potentially affecting estimates, dependencies, and feature feasibility, requiring the product owner to adjust the backlog to reflect these new realities.
The project manager should not unilaterally reprioritize the backlog; this is the product owner's responsibility, often in collaboration with the team.
While a team facilitator (or Scrum Master) assists the team, the ultimate responsibility for backlog prioritization lies with the product owner, so the project manager should inform the product owner directly.
Concept tested: Product owner role in backlog management and external changes
Source: https://www.scrum.org/learning-series/scrum-guide-2020-update-product-owner-accountabilities
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Toby R.May 11, 2026Confirmed B on exam last week. The product owner owns the backlog, so the PM's job is to flag the regulation and let them handle reprioritization, not do it themselves.
Dervla O.May 17, 2026Leaned toward C first but backlog priority is the product owner's call, so B.
Orla P.May 6, 2026B is correct here because the product owner owns the backlog and its priorities. The PM should not be reprioritizing it themselves, which rules out C pretty quickly. The new regulation is a change in priority so the product owner needs that information ASAP to make the call on what gets moved around. Does anyone know if the PM would communicate this during the iteration review or is a separate meeting expected in this scenario?
Grace U.May 2, 2026I first leaned toward C because it seemed urgent to just get the reprioritization done, but the PM shouldn't be deciding backlog priorities unilaterally in an agile environment. The product owner owns the backlog, so the right move is to inform them of the required change as soon as possible and let them handle the reprioritization.
Toby R.May 3, 2026Sat this two weeks ago, and the stem said urgent but still expected you to route it through the PO, not have the PM jump in even under time pressure.