PMP · Question #966
In a daily standup, the project lead notices that one of the senior developers is reassigning some of the easy backlog items to other team members, arguing that it is more efficient for the senior…
The correct answer is D. Include this practice in the next sprint retrospective and discuss it with all of the team members. When a project lead observes a senior developer unilaterally reassigning tasks, this practice should be brought up and discussed with the entire team during the next sprint retrospective to foster self-organization and address team dynamics.
Question
In a daily standup, the project lead notices that one of the senior developers is reassigning some of the easy backlog items to other team members, arguing that it is more efficient for the senior developers to work on complex items. What should the project lead do?
Options
- AInclude this practice in the next sprint review and discuss it with all of the team members.
- BAsk the senior developer to stop assigning tasks because that's the scrum master's job.
- CSupport the senior developer's action and their authority over other team members.
- DInclude this practice in the next sprint retrospective and discuss it with all of the team members.
How the community answered
(17 responses)- A18% (3)
- C6% (1)
- D76% (13)
Why each option
When a project lead observes a senior developer unilaterally reassigning tasks, this practice should be brought up and discussed with the entire team during the next sprint retrospective to foster self-organization and address team dynamics.
A sprint review is primarily for demonstrating completed work and gathering feedback from stakeholders on the product, not for discussing internal team processes or task assignment issues.
While task assignment in Scrum is typically self-organizing (not specifically a Scrum Master's *only* job), a direct, confrontational command to stop without team discussion can undermine autonomy and not address the underlying rationale or impact.
Supporting unilateral task reassignment by a senior developer undermines the principles of team self-organization and could lead to resentment, imbalance of work, and reduced team empowerment.
A sprint retrospective is the appropriate forum for discussing team dynamics, processes, and ways of working (including task assignment practices) with the entire team to improve collaboration and self-organization.
Concept tested: Agile team self-organization and retrospective purpose
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Mateus R.Dec 31, 2025D is correct. Think of it like a kitchen brigade where the head chef starts plating salads so he can focus on the complicated sauces: the team needs to sit down after service and decide together if that division of labor actually helps, which is exactly what the sprint retrospective is for.
Luis F.Jan 17, 2026Got D on my exam last week, my bootcamp instructor drilled retro for process stuff.
Prof. SaraDec 26, 2025I first leaned toward B because the reassigning felt like a scrum master violation, but the real issue here is process improvement, not role boundaries, which maps to the retrospective. The sprint retrospective, option D, is the dedicated Agile event for the team to inspect and adapt how they work together.
Mateus R.Dec 27, 2025D is right, but the reassigning work piece is a whole separate conversation that belongs in the next sprint planning, because the retrospective is for fixing how you work, not for reshuffling who does what.
Brenda K.Jan 10, 2026Leaned B first but realized self-assigning is agile so retro wins, clock it under 30 seconds.