PMP · Question #872
An agile team is working on a two-week sprint to deliver business value. About one week after the sprint starts, the product owner realizes that a regulatory compliance requirement was missed. The pro
The correct answer is D. Request the team to add the user story to the current sprint and let them work on it.. Given the critical nature of a regulatory compliance requirement with a penalty, the project manager must prioritize its immediate inclusion in the current sprint. This requires collaboration with the team to adjust the sprint backlog and manage expectations for other sprint item
Question
An agile team is working on a two-week sprint to deliver business value. About one week after the sprint starts, the product owner realizes that a regulatory compliance requirement was missed. The product owner reminds the team that this requirement must be completed in the current sprint or the organization will face a penalty. What should the project manager do to mitigate this risk?
Options
- AReview the issue with the project sponsor and ask for more time to complete this requirement.
- BComplete an impact analysis as the scope of the sprint backlog cannot be changed after the
- CInclude the compliance user story in the next sprint as the team is fully occupied with the current
- DRequest the team to add the user story to the current sprint and let them work on it.
How the community answered
(42 responses)- A2% (1)
- B7% (3)
- C14% (6)
- D76% (32)
Why each option
Given the critical nature of a regulatory compliance requirement with a penalty, the project manager must prioritize its immediate inclusion in the current sprint. This requires collaboration with the team to adjust the sprint backlog and manage expectations for other sprint items.
Asking for more time is not a viable option when a penalty is imminent and the requirement *must* be completed in the current sprint.
While an impact analysis is valuable, stating that the sprint backlog *cannot* be changed is incorrect in agile; high-priority, urgent items can and sometimes must be injected, even mid-sprint.
Deferring a critical regulatory compliance item with an imminent penalty to the next sprint is unacceptable and directly risks the stated penalty.
When a critical, high-priority item like a regulatory compliance requirement with a penalty arises, it often warrants immediate attention and inclusion in the current sprint. The project manager, in collaboration with the Product Owner, should communicate the urgency to the team, facilitate discussions to re-prioritize existing work, and determine the best way to incorporate the new user story, potentially deferring other lower-priority items. This approach directly mitigates the imminent risk of a penalty.
Concept tested: Agile sprint backlog management and risk mitigation
Topics
Community Discussion
4
Imani T.Mar 3, 2026D is the right call here. Compliance and regulatory stuff is non-negotiable so the team needs to pull it into the current sprint and figure out what else gets bumped, because a penalty is a real business risk that overrides the normal sprint commitment.
Bao N.Mar 6, 2026D is the right call here since compliance can't wait, but the wording is sloppy because the PM shouldn't be requesting anything, the PO should bring it to the team and they negotiate the sprint scope together. B trips people up because sprint scope changing mid-sprint sounds like a sin, but regulatory penalties override sprint stability.
Brenda K.Mar 10, 2026I first leaned toward B because sprint scope changes felt like a no-go, but that penalty language makes this non-negotiable so the team has to absorb it now. D is your quick win here, flag any question mentioning regulatory or compliance as must-do-in-sprint and move on in under 30 seconds.
Nina C.Mar 14, 2026I first leaned toward B because I thought sprint scope was locked once it started, like a mini contract. But compliance and regulatory issues are non-negotiable, so the team has to adapt even mid-sprint. D is correct because in agile the team self-organizes and decides how to absorb the new work, even if it means swapping out lower-priority items from the current backlog. The PM requests the change but the team figures out how to fit it in.