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CSM Cheatsheet — Scrum Roles, Events, Artifacts & Best-Answer Rules

High-yield CSM review: Scrum accountabilities, events, artifacts, commitments, and common scenario decision rules.

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Use this for last‑mile review. Pair it with the Syllabus for coverage and Practice for speed.

Scrum in 30 seconds (the “why”)

Scrum is a lightweight framework for solving complex problems by enabling:

  • Transparency: everyone can see the reality.
  • Inspection: we check progress frequently.
  • Adaptation: we change direction quickly based on what we learn.

Most “best answer” questions reward choices that increase transparency, shorten feedback loops, and preserve team ownership.

Accountabilities (roles) — what each owns

Accountability Owns Typical “best answer” behavior
Product Owner (PO) Product Goal + ordering the Product Backlog to maximize value clarifies value, accepts/declines work, makes tradeoffs visible
Scrum Master (SM) Scrum effectiveness coaches, removes impediments, improves system, protects empirical process
Developers Creating the Increment and managing the Sprint Backlog self-manage, plan work, maintain quality (DoD), collaborate with PO

Fast eliminations

  • “Manager assigns tasks to developers” → usually wrong (team self-manages).
  • “Scrum Master decides scope” → usually wrong (PO owns ordering/value; team owns how).
  • “PO dictates how the work is done” → usually wrong (developers decide how).

Events — purpose, timeboxes, outputs

Event Purpose Timebox Output you should mention
Sprint deliver a Done Increment toward the Product Goal ≤ 1 month Sprint Goal + Increment
Sprint Planning decide why/what/how ≤ 8h (for 1‑month Sprint) Sprint Goal + Sprint Backlog plan
Daily Scrum developers adapt plan for next 24h 15 min updated plan + surfaced impediments
Sprint Review inspect Increment + adapt Product Backlog ≤ 4h updated Product Backlog
Sprint Retrospective improve quality + ways of working ≤ 3h improvement actions for next Sprint

Common traps

  • Daily Scrum is for developers (not a status meeting for management).
  • Review is about product + value, Retro is about process + teamwork.

Artifacts + commitments (what “Done” means)

Artifact Why it exists Commitment
Product Backlog single source of product work Product Goal
Sprint Backlog plan to achieve Sprint Goal Sprint Goal
Increment integrated “Done” work that could be released Definition of Done (DoD)

DoD vs Acceptance Criteria (don’t mix these up)

  • Acceptance criteria: per‑item “what must be true for this story/backlog item to be acceptable.”
  • DoD: shared quality bar for the Increment (testing, security, docs, performance, etc.).

If quality issues repeat, the answer is often: tighten DoD / fix the system, not “work harder.”

Product Backlog refinement (high-yield)

Refinement is ongoing and typically includes:

  • breaking down items
  • adding detail
  • estimation / sizing
  • keeping ordering aligned to value and risk

If the backlog is “too big / too vague,” the fix is: refine and order, not “start a Sprint with unclear work.”

Scenario pickers (“best answer” rules)

When requirements are unclear

  1. Clarify the Product Goal / outcome.
  2. Collaborate with stakeholders to make assumptions explicit.
  3. Slice work smaller and validate with feedback (Review).

When the team is missing the Sprint Goal

  • Re-plan inside the Sprint (developers).
  • Make work visible; negotiate scope with PO if needed.
  • Avoid “extend the Sprint” (Sprints have fixed length).

When someone wants to add work mid‑Sprint

  • New work goes to the Product Backlog.
  • PO can negotiate with developers: swap scope only if it doesn’t endanger Sprint Goal.

When there’s conflict / blame

  • Increase transparency; focus on process.
  • Use Retro to agree on one improvement action with an owner and a measurable outcome.

Quick glossary (high-yield terms)

  • Empiricism: decisions based on what is observed.
  • Self-management: the team chooses how to accomplish the work.
  • Increment: a step toward the Product Goal that meets the DoD.

Want to validate speed? Open CSM practice → or jump straight into the app: /app/pmp-exam-prep/#/topic-selection/scrumalliance-csm .

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