The CEO asks the Development Team to add a “very important” item to a Sprint that is in progress. What should the Development Team do?

The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog and stakeholder expectations. The Development Team's focus during a Sprint is on achieving the Sprint Goal. When a stakeholder, such as the CEO, requests a change, the Development Team should not act on it directly. Instead, they must redirect the stakeholder to the Product Owner. The Product Owner will then discuss the new item with the stakeholder, assess its value and priority, and if necessary, negotiate with the Development Team about how to best accommodate the request without endangering the Sprint Goal. This maintains the proper roles, responsibilities, and flow of work within the Scrum framework.

A. The Development Team should not unilaterally make scope trade-offs. This bypasses the Product Owner's accountability for maximizing the value of the product by managing the Product Backlog.
B. Adding work without any adjustments is not feasible and would endanger the Sprint Goal, which is a core principle of Scrum that must be protected during the Sprint.
D. The Development Team does not decide the content of the next Sprint. Committing to work in a future Sprint is a decision made during Sprint Planning, led by the Product Owner.

1. The Scrum Guide (2020)

K. Schwaber and J. Sutherland.

Page 5

"Product Owner" section: "The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team... For Product Owners to succeed

the entire organization must respect their decisions. These decisions are visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog... No one else is allowed to tell the Developers to work from a different set of requirements." This establishes the Product Owner as the single point of contact for all product requirements and priorities.

Page 9

"The Sprint" section: "During the Sprint... No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal... Scope may be clarified and re-negotiated with the Product Owner as more is learned." This reinforces that any scope negotiation during a Sprint must involve the Product Owner.

2. Agile Software Development with Scrum

K. Schwaber and M. Beedle

Pearson

2002.

Chapter 6

"The Product Owner": This chapter details the Product Owner's role as the "single wringable neck" responsible for the product's success

which includes managing and prioritizing the Product Backlog and being the interface between stakeholders and the Development Team. The team is shielded from conflicting stakeholder demands.