A. The PO asks the team for recommendations on Story slicing
B. The PO changes priorities of the already refined intent
C. The PO brings in changes to the planned Features based on stakeholder feedback from the System Demo
D. The PO introduces the business intent to the team for the first time
The Correct Answer is
D. The PO introduces the business intent to the team for the first time.
A Product Owner (PO) anti-pattern in Iteration planning is:
The PO introduces the business intent to the team for the first time.
Why this is correct
- Late Introduction of Business Intent: If the Product Owner is introducing the business intent to the development team for the first time during Iteration planning, it indicates poor preparation and lack of earlier communication. The team should be aware of the business intent well before Iteration planning to allow for adequate preparation, understanding, and refinement of the work. Introducing business intent at the last moment does not give the team enough time to understand, question, and internalize the business objectives, leading to inefficiencies, and misunderstandings, and potentially impacting the quality of the work planned for the Iteration.
Why the others are not as correct
- The PO asks the team for recommendations on Story slicing: This is actually a positive practice, not an anti-pattern. Engaging the team for recommendations on how to slice stories encourages collaboration and leverages the team’s technical expertise to ensure that work items are manageable and achievable within an Iteration.
- The PO changes priorities of the already refined intent: While not ideal, changing priorities of already refined items can sometimes be necessary to adapt to new information or changing business conditions. It’s part of the Agile principle of responding to change over following a plan. However, this should be managed carefully to avoid disruption and ensure that changes are genuinely warranted based on new insights or business needs.
- The PO brings in changes to the planned Features based on stakeholder feedback from the System Demo: Incorporating feedback from stakeholders, especially after a System Demo, is a key Agile practice. It reflects the iterative nature of Agile development, where feedback is used to inform and adjust future work to better meet user needs and business goals. While this can introduce changes, it is a desired mechanism for ensuring the product evolves in alignment with stakeholder expectations and market demands.
Other SAFe Scrum Master Question – When should centralized decision-making be used?