PSPO-II Sample Questions Answers

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. They are also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes ordering the Product Backlog items to best achieve goals and missions1. The Product Owner should consider various sources of information to make informed decisions about the product, such as customer feedback, market trends, stakeholder input, and data analysis2.

When deciding whether to drop the price of the product, the Product Owner should consider the following sources of information:

• Customer satisfaction: The Product Owner should measure and monitor how satisfied the customers are with the product, and how likely they are to recommend it to others. Customer satisfaction is a key indicator of product value and quality, and it can also influence customer retention and loyalty. The Product Owner should use various methods to collect customer feedback, such as surveys, interviews, reviews, ratings, and net promoter score23.

• Market share: The Product Owner should track and compare the product’s market share with its competitors and potential customers. Market share is the percentage of the total market that is captured by the product, and it reflects the product’s popularity and demand. The Product Owner should use market research, sales data, and industry reports to analyze the market share and identify opportunities and threats24.

• Unmet customer needs: The Product Owner should identify and prioritize the customer needs that are not yet met by the product or its competitors. Unmet customer needs are the gaps or problems that the customers face, and that the product can solve or address. The Product Owner should use techniques such as user stories, personas, value proposition canvas, and jobs to be done to discover and validate the unmet customer needs25.

• Competitor pricing: The Product Owner should benchmark and compare the product’s pricing with its competitors and alternatives. Competitor pricing is the amount of money that the customers have to pay to acquire or use a similar or substitute product. The Product Owner should use competitive analysis, price elasticity, and value-based pricing to determine the optimal pricing strategy for the product2 .

The other option, company earnings targets, is not a relevant source of information for the Product Owner, as it does not reflect the value or the demand of the product. The Product Owner should focus on delivering value to the customers and the stakeholders, rather than meeting arbitrary financial goals. The company earnings targets may also change over time, and they may not align with the product vision or the market reality2 . References: 1: Scrum Guide 2: Managing Products with Agility 3: Customer Feedback 4: Market Share 5: Unmet Customer Needs : [Competitor Pricing] : [Company Earnings Targets]

The Scrum Guide specifies that only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint. This is because the Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and may decide to cancel a Sprint if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete or if they foresee that the current direction will not lead to a valuable outcome

• Option A is the best answer because it reflects the agile and empirical nature of Scrum and Product Ownership. The Product Vision is a concise and inspiring statement that describes the purpose, direction, and value proposition of the product1. The Product Vision is not a fixed or static document, but rather an emergent and dynamic one that adapts to the changing environment, needs, and feedback. The Product Owner is accountable for creating and communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team and the stakeholders2. The Product Owner collaborates with the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect and adapt the Product Vision based on the new insights, opportunities, and learnings that arise from the changing environment34. The Product Owner also uses various techniques, such as product discovery, user research, market analysis, and experiments, to validate and refine the Product Vision5 .
• Option B is not the best answer because it contradicts the accountability of the Product Owner. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog and maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is also the sole person responsible for creating and communicating the Product Vision to the Scrum Team and the stakeholders2. The Product Owner may seek input and feedback from the Scrum Team and the stakeholders, but the final decision and authority on the Product Vision belongs to the Product Owner. The Scrum Team and the stakeholders are not accountable for developing and evolving the Product Vision, but they are expected to understand and support it .
• Option C is not the best answer because it contradicts the reality and complexity of product development. The Product Vision is not a technical specification, but rather a strategic and business-oriented statement that guides the development of the product1. The Product Vision does not prescribe how the product should be built, but rather why and what the product should achieve. However, the Product Vision is not completely detached from the technical aspects of the product, as the technology choices may have an impact on the feasibility, desirability, and viability of the product. The Product Owner should be aware of the strategic technology choices and their implications, and discuss them with the Development Team and the stakeholders, as part of the product discovery and validation process .

References:

• 1: Product Vision
• 2: Product Owner Accountabilities
• 3: Empiricism
• 4: Stakeholders & Customers
• 5: Product Discovery
• : Product Backlog Management
• : The Scrum Guide
• : Scrum Team
• : Product Value
• : Product Feasibility
• : Product Validation
• : [Agile Manifesto]
• : [User Research]
• : [Market Analysis]
• : [Experiments]

 A user satisfaction gap exists when there is a difference between what the user expects from a product or service and what the user actually experiences12. The user’s desired outcome is the goal or benefit that the user wants to achieve by using the product or service3. The user’s actual experience is the perception and evaluation of the product or service by the user4. If the user’s actual experience does not meet or exceed the user’s desired outcome, the user will be dissatisfied and may switch to a different product or service. References:

• 1: Identifying and Closing the Customer Satisfaction Gap
• 2: Find the Gaps in Your User Experience
• 3: [Outcome-Driven Innovation]
• 4: [User Experience]
• : Measure Business Opportunities with Unrealized Value

• A. Increase transparency: The Definition of Done (DoD) creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed and what standards were met as part of the Increment1.
• C. Create a shared understanding of when work is complete: The DoD is a shared understanding among the team members of when a product increment is ready for release2.
• D. Describe the work that must be done before the Sprint can be declared complete: The DoD includes all of the characteristics and standards an Increment needs to meet in order to be released1. Once the Definition of Done is met, the Increment is Done and can be delivered1.

= As a Product Owner, you are accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers. To do this, you need to collaborate with the Developers and the Scrum Master to ensure that the Product Backlog is clear, ordered, and refined, and that the Sprint Goal and the Sprint Backlog are aligned with the product vision and strategy. You also need to provide feedback and guidance to the Developers throughout the Sprint, and to inspect and adapt the product based on the Sprint Review and the stakeholders’ input.

One of the challenges that the Developers may face is to forecast the amount of work that they can complete within a Sprint, and to deliver a potentially releasable Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This requires the Developers to have the skills and the tools to estimate the complexity and the effort of the Product Backlog items, to plan and manage their work effectively, and to adhere to the quality standards and the technical practices that enable them to build a valuable and usable product increment.

To help the Developers improve their ability to deliver a done Increment, the Product Owner can take the following steps:

• Ask the Scrum Master to help the Developers learn techniques for improving their ability to forecast work. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing an environment where the Developers can work effectively, and for coaching the Developers on self-organizing and cross-functionality. The Scrum Master can also help the Developers to apply empirical process control, to use various estimation methods, to monitor and visualize their progress, and to inspect and adapt their plan based on the Sprint Backlog and the Sprint Burndown Chart.
• The Product Owner can spend more time with the Developers. The Product Owner can support the Developers by clarifying the Product Backlog items, providing the acceptance criteria, explaining the customer needs and the business value, and answering any questions that the Developers may have. The Product Owner can also participate in the Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, and the Sprint Retrospective, to share their insights, expectations, and feedback, and to collaborate with the Developers on creating and refining the Sprint Goal and the Sprint Backlog.

The other options are not the best steps to take, because they either do not address the root cause of the problem, or they may have negative consequences. Ensuring that all Developers are top performers may not be realistic or feasible, and it may also create a culture of blame or competition, rather than collaboration and learning. Adding more people to the team may not necessarily increase the productivity or the quality of the work, and it may also introduce communication and coordination challenges, as well as additional costs and risks. References := Scrum Guide, Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework, Managing Products with Agility

As a Product Owner, you are responsible for making decisions that maximize the value of the product and align with the product vision and strategy. However, you also need to collaborate with the Scrum Team and the stakeholders, and respect their input and feedback. Making decisions without consulting them or allowing them to make decisions they are not accountable for can lead to confusion, conflict, and waste. Therefore, options A and B are not reasonable.

Option C is a reasonable option because it helps you communicate your decision-making areas and delegate some decisions to the appropriate level of the organization. A delegation board is a tool that shows who has the authority to make which decisions, and how much involvement is expected from others. By creating and sharing a delegation board, you can clarify your role as a Product Owner, empower the Scrum Team and the stakeholders, and reduce the time and effort spent on decision making.

Option D is also a reasonable option because it helps you improve the company’s culture and mindset towards product ownership. As a Product Owner, you need to act as an entrepreneur, who is able to innovate, experiment, and validate assumptions. However, not all organizations are ready to support this kind of product ownership, and some may have a more traditional or bureaucratic approach. Working with your Scrum Master, you can identify the gaps and barriers that prevent you from being an effective Product Owner, and take steps to overcome them. For example, you can educate and coach the organization on the benefits of agile product management, create a shared product vision and roadmap, and foster a culture of trust and transparency.

Option E is another reasonable option because it helps you demonstrate the value of your decisions and the cost of delay. As a Product Owner, you need to use data and evidence to support your decisions and measure their impact. By showing how long it is taking you to make decisions and how that affects the delivery of value to the customer, you can justify your choices and persuade others to support them. You can also use data to identify the most important and urgent decisions, and prioritize them accordingly. This way, you can avoid analysis paralysis and focus on delivering value faster and more frequently.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. There is no distinction between different types of Developers, such as testers, programmers, designers, etc. The Developers are the people who deliver a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint. They are accountable for creating and adhering to the Definition of Done, ensuring technical excellence and good design, and collaborating with the Product Owner to maximize value1. Therefore, everyone on the Scrum Team is responsible for ensuring the quality of the product, and there is no specific tester role. However, this does not mean that testing skills are not needed or valued. On the contrary, testing is an essential activity that supports the team and critiques the product throughout the development process2. A professional tester can contribute to the Scrum Team by coaching the team on testing techniques, tools, and practices, helping the team to define clear and unambiguous acceptance criteria, challenging the team to consider different scenarios and edge cases, creating and executing test plans, and providing feedback on the product’s usability, performance, security, and other aspects3. A professional tester can also collaborate with the Product Owner to ensure that the product meets the expectations and needs of the stakeholders and users.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful Increment every Sprint1. The Increment is a concrete step toward achieving the Product Goal, and it must meet the Definition of Done and be usable by the stakeholders1. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Developers1. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide, helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, and removing impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress1. The Developers are accountable for creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint1. All three roles must collaborate and coordinate their efforts to deliver the best possible product2.

 A good Product Vision and Strategy should have the following attributes12:

• It describes who will use the product and what they would like to achieve. This helps to define the target market, the customer segments, and the user personas, as well as their needs, goals, and problems.
• It describes how people will use the product to achieve potential outcomes. This helps to articulate the value proposition, the benefits, and the features of the product, as well as the assumptions and hypotheses that need to be validated.
• It describes what value means in the context of the product, and how it can be measured. This helps to establish the objectives, the key results, and the metrics that will guide the product development and evaluation.

It is not necessary for a good Product Vision and Strategy to describe how the product compares to competitor products. This may be part of the market analysis or the competitive advantage, but it is not a core attribute of the Product Vision and Strategy. Moreover, focusing too much on the competitors may distract from the customer needs and the product value. References: 1: Product Vision, 2: Product Strategy

The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal1. The Sprint Backlog is a forecast by the Developers about what functionality will be in the next Increment and the work needed to deliver that functionality into a “Done” Increment2. The Sprint Backlog is a plan with enough detail that changes in progress can be understood in the Daily Scrum2. The Developers modify the Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, and the Sprint Backlog emerges during the Sprint. This emergence occurs as the Developers work through the plan and learn more about the work needed to achieve the Sprint Goal2. The Sprint Backlog is not a commitment to deliver a fixed scope of work, but rather a forecast of what the Developers believe they can do in the Sprint3. Therefore, the Sprint Backlog does not need to be fully defined during the Sprint Planning, but only enough so the Developers can create a realistic forecast of what they can do during the Sprint. References: 1: Sprint Backlog, 2: The Scrum Guide, 3: Commitment vs. Forecast

• Option D is the best answer because it indicates that the Product Owner and the Scrum Team are not aligned on the vision, goals, and value of the product. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Scrum Team1. To do so, the Product Owner needs to work closely with the Scrum Team, communicate the product vision, provide clear and valuable Product Backlog items, collaborate on the Sprint Goal, and inspect and adapt the product based on feedback23. If the Increment presented at the Sprint Review does not reflect the Product Owner’s expectations, it means that there is a gap between what the Product Owner wants and what the Scrum Team delivers. This gap can lead to waste, rework, dissatisfaction, and missed opportunities. The Product Owner should work more with the Scrum Team to ensure that they have a shared understanding of the product and its value proposition, and that they deliver Increments that meet the Definition of Done and the acceptance criteria45.
• Option A is not the best answer because it does not necessarily imply that the Product Owner needs to work more with the Scrum Team. People may leave the Scrum Team for various reasons, such as personal, professional, or organizational factors. While the Product Owner should care about the well-being and motivation of the Scrum Team members, and try to foster a positive and collaborative environment, the Product Owner is not accountable for the people management or the team composition1. The Scrum Master is more likely to address the issues that cause people to leave the Scrum Team, such as impediments, conflicts, or dysfunctions.
• Option B is not the best answer because it does not necessarily imply that the Product Owner needs to work more with the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is expected to spend enough time with the Scrum Team to provide them with the necessary guidance and feedback2. However, the Product Owner also has other responsibilities, such as engaging with stakeholders, customers, and users, managing the Product Backlog, validating the product value, and aligning the product strategy with the business goals12. The Product Owner does not need to work full time with the Scrum Team, as long as they are available and accessible when needed, and they empower the Scrum Team to make decisions and self-organize .
• Option C is not the best answer because it does not necessarily imply that the Product Owner needs to work more with the Scrum Team. The acceptance criteria for the Product Backlog items are the conditions that must be met for the items to be considered done and valuable. The Product Owner is accountable for defining and communicating the acceptance criteria to the Scrum Team1. However, the Product Owner can also collaborate with the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to refine and clarify the acceptance criteria, and to ensure that they are aligned with the Definition of Done and the Sprint Goal . The acceptance criteria for the Product Backlog items may not appear to be complete at the beginning of the Sprint, but they can be refined and updated throughout the Sprint, as long as they do not change the scope or the value of the items. The Product Owner should work with the Scrum Team to ensure that the acceptance criteria are clear, testable, and valuable, but they do not need to work more with the Scrum Team just because the acceptance criteria are not complete at a certain point in time.

References:

• 1: Product Owner Accountabilities
• 2: Product Backlog Management
• 3: Product Value
• 4: Product Vision
• 5: Sprint Review
• : Scrum Master Accountabilities
• : Stakeholders & Customers
• : Business Strategy
• : Definition of Done
• : Product Backlog Refinement
• : Sprint Planning
• : Sprint Backlog

• Self-Management: The Developers have autonomy over how they achieve the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog reflects their plan for turning Product Backlog items into a valuable Increment.
• Accountability: The Developers are held accountable for delivering the Sprint Goal, and thus own the detailed plan within the Sprint Backlog.
• Scrum Guide: The Scrum Guide explicitly states, "The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers"

= Based on the Evidence-Based Management (EBM) framework, your product has a high Current Value (CV), which means that it delivers value to the existing customers and meets their needs and expectations. However, it also has a high Unrealized Value (UV), which means that there is a large gap between the potential and actual use of the product in the market. This indicates that your product has a low awareness, reach, or appeal among the potential customers who could benefit from it.

To increase the business performance of the product, you need to reduce the UV and increase the Ability to Innovate (A2I), which is the ability to deliver future value. One way to do this is to improve the marketing of the product, which can help you to communicate the value proposition, differentiate the product from the competitors, and attract a greater number of customers. This can also provide you with more feedback and data to inform your product strategy and backlog prioritization.

The other options are not the best actions to take, because they either do not address the root cause of the high UV, or they may compromise the CV or A2I of the product. Increasing the number of product features may not necessarily increase the value or the demand for the product, and it may also increase the complexity and the cost of development. Releasing an identical product with a new name may confuse the customers and dilute the brand identity, and it may also create legal or ethical issues. Dropping the price for the product may not be a sustainable or profitable strategy, and it may also affect the perceived quality or value of the product. References := Professional Scrum Product Owner™ II Certification, Managing Products with Agility, Evidence-Based Management

The Product Owner is accountable for maintaining and communicating the Product Goal. This responsibility includes ensuring that the goal is visible to everyone and provides direction and purpose for the Scrum Team and its stakeholders

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team1. This means that the Product Owner is responsible for defining, prioritizing, and delivering the features and functionalities that create the most value for the customers, users, and stakeholders of the product2. The Product Owner does this by managing the Product Backlog, collaborating with the Developers and the Scrum Master, validating the product assumptions and hypotheses, and measuring the outcomes and impacts of the product3. The Product Owner is not just a go-between, a requirements engineer, a team manager, or any other traditional role, but rather a value maximizer who drives the product vision and strategy, and ensures that the product delivers the desired benefits and solves the real problems4

According to the PSPO II guide and Scrum.org competencies, when ordering Product Backlog items, a Product Owner should consider various factors to maximize the value of the work done by the Scrum Team. These factors include:

• A. Dependencies to other products: Recognizing dependencies to other products is crucial for the Product Owner to ensure that the Scrum Team is working on items that can be completed and deliver value without being blocked by external dependencies.
• B. Value of Product Backlog items: The primary role of a Product Owner is to maximize the value delivered by the Scrum Team, and ordering items based on their value is a fundamental aspect of this responsibility.
• C. Dependencies between Product Backlog items: Understanding and managing dependencies between Product Backlog items helps in planning Sprints more effectively, ensuring that the team is working on items in a logical sequence.
• D. Cost of delay: The cost of delay is a critical economic factor that influences the ordering of Product Backlog items. Items that would result in a higher cost if delayed should be prioritized.
• E. Cost of implementation: While value maximization is the goal, the cost of implementation cannot be ignored. Balancing the cost and the expected value is essential for effective Product Backlog management.

These considerations are in line with the Scrum.org Professional Scrum competencies, particularly under 'Managing Products with Agility', where it's emphasized that Product Owners should have a deep understanding of market value, product feasibility, and the importance of making trade-offs to maximize value.