Agile Scrum Interview Questions

What do you understand by the term “Scrum of Scrums”?
Answer: This is one of the commonly asked scrum master interview questions. Consider a case to understand the meaning of the term scrum of the scrums. Let us assume an active project on which seven teams are currently working. The number of members of each team is also seven. Each team is responsible to lead its own scrum meeting. But, in order to coordinate and communicate with different teams, it is required to organize a separate scrum meeting. The scrum meeting organized to hold a coordination between scrum teams is known as the scrum of scrums. There is one team leader from every team, known as ambassador, who is responsible to represent his team in the scrum of scrums.

24. Scrum is an Agile framework, right? Name a few other Agile frameworks.

Answer: Yes, Scrum is an Agile framework. Few other Agile frameworks are –
  • Feature Driven Development
  • Test Driven Development
  • Kanban
While answering this type of Agile Scrum interview questions please note that name the frameworks you are familiar with or have followed.
Don’t you still know the importance of learning Scrum for software developers? Read the article why should software developers learn Scrum.

25. Explain some common metrics for Agile.

Answer: You may definitely come across agile scrum interview questions regarding agile metrics. The question may be related to a particular agile matric or explaining all the metrics. So, the detailed description of some common metrics for Agile is as follows:
Velocity – Velocity is the average number of points from last 3-4 sprints. It is measured by the summation of the all approved estimates of the stories. It gives an idea of the capacity, progress etc.
Cumulative Flow Diagram – With the help of a cumulative flow diagram, an inspection is done over the uniform workflow. In this diagram/graph, the x-axis represents time whereas the y-axis represents the number of efforts.
Work Category Allocation – Work category allocation is an important factor that gives a quick information of the time investment i.e. where the time is being invested and which task should be given priority as a factor of time.
Time Coverage – It is the time that is given to a code during testing. It is calculated in percentage as a factor of the number of lines of code called by the test suite and the total number of relative lines of code.
Business Value Delivered – It is a term which denotes the working efficiency of the team. The business objectives are assigned numerical values 1,2,3.. and so on, as per the level of priority, complexity, and ROI.
Defect Removal Awareness – It is the factor that helps the team to deliver a quality product. The identification of an active number of defects, their awareness, and removal plays an important role in delivering a high-quality product.
Defect Resolution Time – It is a procedure through which the team members detect the defects (bugs) and set a priority for the defect resolution. The procedure of fixing errors/bugs or defect resolution comprises of multiple processes such as clearing the picture of defect, schedule defect fixation, completing defect fixation, generation, and handling of resolution report.
Sprint Burn Down Matric – The sprint burndown chart is a graph to represent the number of non-implemented or implemented sprints during as Scrum cycle. This matric helps to track the work completed with the sprint.

26. Is it ever suggested to use waterfall over Scrum? If yes, explain when.

Yes, sometimes it is suggested to use a waterfall model over Scrum. It is done when the customer requirements are simple, well-defined, fully understood, predictable, and are not subjected to change until the completion of the project. It may the case that you would haven’t ever used waterfall over Scrum but you need to prepare for such Agile Scrum interview questions.

27. Why does Scrum encourage the use of automated testing for projects?

Answer: Scrum encourages the use of automated (automated performance or automated regression) testing to make the fastest possible delivery of the project. While answering this question, you may explain some tools that you have used for automated testing.

28. What do you know about “Planning Poker” technique?

Answer: Planning poker, also known as Scrum Poker, is a card-based agile technique that is used for planning and estimation. To start a session of planning poker technique, the agile user story is read by the product owner. The steps performed in the poker planning technique are –
  1. Each estimator has a deck of poker cards with the values such as 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, and so on, to denote story points, ideal days or something else that the team uses for estimation.
  2. Each estimator has a discussion with the product owner and then privately selects a card on the basis of their independent estimation.
  3. If the cards with same value are selected by all estimators, it is considered as an estimate. If not, the estimator discusses the high and low value of their estimates.
  4. Then again, each estimator privately selects a card and reveals. This process of poker planning is repeated to reach a general agreement.

Experience-based Agile Scrum Interview Questions

In this section, the questions will be related to the experience you have in agile or scrum. You should be prepared with the data of few of your old projects when answering these experience-based agile scrum interview questions.

29. Name some methodologies and development where you have used the Agile model.

Answer: While answering this type of agile scrum interview questions, keep in mind to mention those methodologies that are familiar with. Some of the methodologies and development where the Agile model can be used are –
  • Crystal methodologies
  • Lean software development
  • Dynamic development
  • Feature-driven development

30. Share your experience as a Scrum Master/Product Owner/Agile team member and what were your primary responsibilities?

Answer: Here you have to explain your project details where you worked in Scrum team and defining your role with the responsibilities you held. The trick in this question is whether while explaining you are showing self-organizing and self-motivational team. Also, the interviewer will try to judge how in depth you have worked in the agile/scrum environment based on your explanation.

31. What was the length of sprints/iterations in your project?

Answer: This is probably the most common question asked in agile interviews. The idea here is to judge in which kind of environment you have worked. There will be definitely follow up question like was this length fixed in the beginning and never changed? Have you tried with more than this length or less than that?

32. How have you done user story mapping & estimation of stories in your projects?

Answer: This question is to under how you have done story writing, mapping, and estimation. Have you used any estimation technique like planning poker, t-shirt, sizing etc? Whatever technique you used in your project just mention it very clearly.

33. What is the biggest challenge you faced in your project while handling the Scrum team members?

Answer: This question is pure to judge your experience. The better you articulate your challenges working in agile better it will be. Challenges generally faced in the initial stages of scrum is stabilizing the velocity, team members conflicts, sticking to time-boxing etc..

34. Have you ever performed the removal of impediments as a scrum master on behalf of scrum team?

Answer: As the scrum master acts as a coach for his team, he should motivate his team to perform every task. Although he can remove impediments on behalf of scrum team but he should not do this. It is recommended for a scrum master not to over pamper nor overrule the team. There may be something when the team can face failure, at that time the scrum master should help them. He should guide them with an appropriate method t0 get out of the problem. Scrum master should prompt his team members to become independent enough to face problems and take a decision by themselves. This is one of the frequently asked scrum master interview questions, so prepare now and get ready to answer.

Comparative Agile Scrum Interview Questions

Whatever is the field of job, interviewers prefer to ask one or more comparative or difference-based questions. The questions may be from the currently used or previously used technologies. So, here we represent some comparative agile scrum interview questions.

35. What is the difference between the agile & traditional way of working?

Answer: This question is to judge whether one is aware of the environment of the agile way of working. Here the answer is expected to cover few or all of below:
  • The traditional way is sequential where design->Development->Testing etc. happens one after another whereas in agile all of this is done in every iteration/sprint
  • Changes are welcomed in agile as Scope is flexible whereas in traditional manner scope is fixed in the beginning due to which changes have to follow change request path
  • Progress is measured with % completion traditionally whereas working software is the measure of progress in agile
  • Project Manager as a central controlling authority is traditionally driving the project whereas Self-motivated and self-organizing teams drive the projects in agile

36. What is the difference between Sprint Planning Meeting and Sprint Retrospective Meeting?

Answer: The difference between Sprint Planning Meeting and Sprint Retrospective Meeting is as follows:
Sprint Planning Meeting – A meeting in which all the Scrum roles (product owner, scrum team, and scrum master) have a discussion about the team’s priority features and product backlog items is known as sprint planning meeting. This meeting is held every week and lasts for almost 1 hour.
Sprint Retrospective Meeting – A meeting in which all the Scrum roles (product owner, scrum team, and scrum master) have a discussion about the good part of the sprint, the bad part of the sprint, and the sprint improvements is known as sprint retrospective meeting. This meeting that is held at the sprint review meeting or at the end of the sprint; it lasts for 2-3 hours.
This is one of the frequently asked Agile Scrum interview questions. You may be asked to define the above terms separately or the difference between these two.

37. How is an agile testing methodology different from other testing methodologies?

Answer: Agile scrum interview questions may include a number of questions from agile testing. Let’s understand how you can answer such questions.
The agile testing methodology involves the division of the whole testing process into multiple small segments of codes. In every step, these segments of codes undergo testing. There are a number of additional processes involved in agile testing methodologies such as team communication, strategic modifications for optimal results and many others.

38. What is the difference between agile & scrum?

Answer: This question will test whether you are aware of a broader picture of agile and its different frameworks or flavors. Below image will help you explain this answer where you can say agile is an umbrella of values and principles and under it, one of the lightweight frameworks is called Scrum.
Difference between Agile and Scrum

Certification-related Agile Scrum Interview Questions

Certifications have become very important these days. Although it’s not compulsory to have a certification for any job position it demonstrates your skills to the employers. So, interviewers include these certification-related agile scrum interview questions in an agile scrum interview.

39. Do you have a Scrum Master certification?

This question may seem awkward to you but it is one of the most popular Agile Scrum interview questions. If an interviewer asks this question, it doesn’t mean that a certification is must for the job position. Just be confident while answering whether you have a scrum master certification or not. If you are a certified scrum master, just share the details of your certification like certification exam, score obtained, and the year of passing the certification exam. In case you don’t have a certification, mention and highlight your experience in the particular field. Also, let the interviewer know if you are planning to invest in the certification in the near future.
Here’s the complete preparation guide for: PSM I Certification     PSM II Certification     PSM III Certification

40. Do you hold any agile certification? Why did you choose this certification?

Answer: Agile and scrum certifications are hot in the market and organizations are expecting the candidates to hold one or more out of it. Certifications generally looked by organizations are:psm vs csm
If you have any of these certifications, showcase it here in a big manner. Due to the many options available in the market, organizations also have started asking why you have chosen one. It’s recommended that for your certification you know few good points as its advantages handy with you so that it can be mentioned once asked.

Some Other Important Interview Questions Suggested By Our Reader

1. When can you say your story is ready to develop/groom enough to deliver?

Answer: Ready is a stable state of Scrum that is linked to a user story. As per the Definition of Ready (DoR), a user story have to satisfy some conditions before picking it up for a sprint i.e. to be in the ready state. So, the conditions that are essential for the development/grooming of a user story specify if the user story is ready to develop/groom enough to deliver or not.
Basically, the following questions should be answered to consider a user story ready:
Why: Is it clear what the business or stakeholders are trying to achieve?
What: Is the goal or outcome of the user story clear?
How: Is the strategy for the implementation of user story clear? Is the story is small enough?
The conditions for the user story are defined by scrum master in coordination with the product owner. Although the conditions vary for the different projects, some of the common conditions for user story are –
  • It is clear and well-written in a format to identify user type, function, and benefits
  • It is self-contained i.e. independent of other user story inherently
  • It is small so that can be delivered in a single sprint
  • It has a defined acceptance criteria for all the functional requirements and appropriate non-functional requirements
  • It should have been estimated by the scrum team
  • All the external blocking dependencies should have been resolved before starting the sprint
  • The resources/team have all the skills required to deliver the sprint
So, if the user story can give satisfactory answers to the above questions and meet the conditions defined, it is considered to be ready.

2. How do you manage if the story is high priority and resources left before last day of sprint completion?

Answer: The answer to this question will fully depend on the number of resources left.
If one or two members leave the story just before a day of the sprint completion, a scrum master can handle the situation as described below –
First, analyze the pending tasks and the impact on the overall sprint. According to that, try to find an alternative solution around to manage the situation. As a leader, you can decide to work for some extra hours to complete the sprint and can also ask (remember to ask, not to tell) other team members to do so. And this way, you can do the sprint completion on time.
In case, more or all the members leave just before a day of the sprint completion, then the situation can be handled as –
Analyze the amount of pending work and its impact on the overall sprint.
Check if you can manage the situation and finish the task by yourself or try to get some other resources to work. (Although this won’t be feasible as you will have to first explain everything about the sprint and task done to the new team; of course it won’t be possible in a day.) So, if you can’t manage to complete the sprint by yourself, it’s better to tell this to your product owner. You can ask him to give some more time to complete the sprint, so you can get a new team or get it done by yourself by working extra hours.

3. As a scrum project manager, what are your responsibilities?

Answer: Firstly, I would like to correct the question as there is no project manager role in scrum i.e. Scrum Project Manager is not a defined role. The responsibilities of a project manager are split between the scrum master, product owner, and the development team.
Scrum Master is a facilitator who is responsible to manage the development teams working on Agile methodology. He is an intermediate between the product owner and the development team to work for the achievement of the final goal. The scrum master role is similar to the project manager in a few cases, and the responsibilities of a scrum master are:
  • Performing Sprint planning
  • To schedule the daily Scrum meeting
  • Management of responsibilities of the Scrum process
  • Assisting Scrum teams to follow Scrum practices
  • Work to remove barriers to allow the team focus on work
  • Providing assistance with the Product Backlog
  • Co-ordinating with Product Owner to design Product Backlog items for the upcoming Sprint
  • Motivating team not to be distracted by the external factors
  • Helping team to improve the dynamics to reach the goal

4. How (What are the parameters) to choose the number of resources required to your scrum team?

Answer: The team members are the resources to build a scrum team. And the scrum guide recommends that the development team size should be between 3 and 9 (7 +/- 2) without giving any context or reasons for this.
Obviously, one common range can’t define the optimal size of the team for everyone. So, there are some factors that should be considered while determining the number of resources required to form a scrum team. These are not just the factors but the need for the development of the scrum team, let’s have a look.
  • The broad set of skills required to build the team
  • The consistency in team membership for a long period of time
  • Dedication of team members to one and only one team
  • Diversity and variety in thought and background I.e. a broad set of ideas and experience for more creativity
The scrum guide also states the issues faced by the teams with over 9 members in terms of concerns instead of failing points. However, you can even have 15 members in the scrum team.
In that case, two teams will be formed according to the nexus Guide for scaling Scrum.
But having a larger team won’t be that effective. In that case, there will be no room for error as going off the tangent will affect large team more. Remember that the events depend on sprint length, not on the team size. So, just follow scrum guide along with the consideration of some factors while determining team size.