Cross-functional teams are optimized to work on one technical layer of a system only (e.g. GUI, database, middle tier, interfaces).

The statement is false. A core principle of Scrum is that teams are cross-functional, meaning they possess all the necessary skills within the team to create a valuable, done Increment. This requires the ability to work across all technical layers (e.g., user interface, business logic, database, testing) to deliver a complete, vertical slice of functionality. The structure described in the question—a team optimized for a single technical layer—is known as a "component team." This structure is generally considered an anti-pattern in Scrum because it creates dependencies between teams, hinders the flow of work, and makes it difficult to produce a fully integrated and potentially releasable Increment each Sprint.

The option "True" is incorrect because it fundamentally misrepresents the definition and purpose of a cross-functional team as defined in the Scrum framework. It describes a siloed, component-based team structure, which is the opposite of the integrated, end-to-end capability that a cross-functional Scrum Team is designed to have.

1. Schwaber

K.

& Sutherland

J. (2020). The 2020 Scrum Guide.

Page 5

"Scrum Team": "Scrum Teams are cross-functional

meaning the members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint." This directly refutes the idea that they are limited to a single layer; creating "value" in the form of a working Increment typically requires touching multiple layers of an application.

Page 6

"Developers": "The Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint." This implies a collective ownership and capability to work on whatever is necessary to complete the Increment

not just a single

pre-defined technical component.

2. Moe

N. B.

Dingsøyr

T.

& Dybå

T. (2010). A teamwork model for understanding an agile team: A case study of a Scrum project. Information and Software Technology

52(5)

480-491.

Section 3.1

"Team characteristics": The paper emphasizes that in Scrum

"The team should be cross-functional and have all the competencies needed to accomplish the project without depending on people outside the team." This autonomy is achieved by having skills that span the entire software development lifecycle and technical stack

not by specializing in a single layer which would create external dependencies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2009.11.004

3. Rigby

D. K.

Sutherland

J.

& Takeuchi

H. (2016). Embracing Agile. Harvard Business Review

94(5)

40-50.

Page 43

"How to Implement Agile": The article states

"The basic unit of agile is a small

self-governing

cross-functional team." It further explains that these teams have "end-to-end accountability for their work

" which is impossible if a team is restricted to only one technical layer of a system.