The Sprint Review is a key inspection and adaptation event. The Scrum Master’s role is to facilitate collaboration and ensure the event is productive. The most appropriate action is to leverage the event’s purpose by helping the Product Owner and stakeholders collaboratively inspect the increment and adapt the Product Backlog based on the new information, which is the essence of empirical process control.

One of the core tenets of Scrum is that during a Sprint, the scope is fixed. The Product Owner is not allowed to make changes to the Sprint Backlog that would endanger the Sprint Goal. The Scrum Master serves as a coach, and here must educate the Product Owner on this rule of Scrum and the negative impact of mid-Sprint changes on the team’s focus and productivity.

According to the Scrum Guide, the Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work of the Development Team. This is their singular, overarching responsibility. The other options describe responsibilities of the Scrum Master (B), the Development Team itself (C), or traditional project management roles not defined in Scrum (D).

Sprint Planning addresses two questions: What can be delivered? and How will the work be done? The Scrum Master’s role is to ensure the event takes place and that attendants understand its purpose. When the team struggles with the “How,” the Scrum Master should coach and facilitate, helping the self-managing team create their own plan (the Sprint Backlog), not create it for them.

Sprint cancellations are rare but allowed. The Scrum Guide is clear on the primary consequence: any completed and “Done” Product Backlog items from the cancelled Sprint should be reviewed. If they are potentially releasable, it is the Product Owner’s decision to release them. The other options describe possible team actions but are not mandated by the Scrum framework.

The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute time-boxed event for the Development Team to synchronize and plan the next 24 hours. It is not a problem-solving meeting. The Scrum Master should enforce the time-box and purpose of the event. The appropriate action is to acknowledge the impediment, ensure it is noted for follow-up, and refocus the team on the sync, allowing in-depth discussion to occur immediately afterward.

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. Its primary purpose is to create transparency and a shared understanding for the *entire Scrum Team* about what “Done” means. If an item does not meet the Definition of Done, it cannot be released or presented at the Sprint Review.

The Sprint Retrospective is for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted *in the next Sprint*. The Scrum Master is responsible for facilitating this event. When it goes off track, the Scrum Master must coach the team on its purpose—focusing on aspects of their process, tools, and interactions that they can actually influence and improve, leading to actionable items for the next Sprint Backlog.

The Scrum Guide is unambiguous: The Product Owner is the sole person accountable for managing the Product Backlog. This includes clearly expressing items, ordering them, and ensuring the backlog is visible and understood. While others may contribute ideas, the final accountability and decision-making authority rests with the Product Owner.

The Sprint Review is a key inspection and adaptation event. The Scrum Master’s role is to facilitate collaboration and ensure the event is productive. The most appropriate action is to leverage the event’s purpose by helping the Product Owner and stakeholders collaboratively inspect the increment and adapt the Product Backlog based on the new information, which is the essence of empirical process control.0