PECB Certified PSM Basic study materials
PECB Certified PSM Basic study resources

PECB Certified PSM Basic flashcards

PECB Certified PSM Basic · Build recall with a focused review session.

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Empirical process control
A management approach in which decisions are based on observation, experience, and experimentation rather than on detailed upfront prediction, appropriate when requirements and technology are uncertain.
Three pillars of Scrum
Transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Transparency makes work visible, inspection examines it frequently, and adaptation adjusts process or product when deviation is detected.
Transparency
The emergent process and work must be visible to those performing it and those receiving it, using a shared definition of done so observers interpret the work consistently.
Inspection
Frequent examination of Scrum artifacts and progress toward agreed goals to detect undesirable variances; it should be frequent enough to catch deviation without disrupting work.
Adaptation
The adjustment of process or product when inspection reveals that one or more aspects fall outside acceptable limits, performed as soon as possible to minimize further deviation.
Scrum values
Commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage. They shape behavior and decisions and give direction on how the team works together.
Iterative and incremental
Iterative development refines a product through repeated cycles; incremental development adds finished, usable pieces. Scrum uses both to build value and receive early feedback.
Scrum Team composition
One self-managing team of ten or fewer people with three accountabilities: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers, with no sub-teams or hierarchy inside it.
Product Owner accountability
Accountable for maximizing product value and managing the Product Backlog, including ordering items and communicating the Product Goal; may delegate work but not accountability.
Developers accountability
Accountable for creating the Increment each Sprint, turning backlog items into value, self-managing their work, and instilling quality through adherence to the Definition of Done.
Scrum Master accountability
Accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide and for the Scrum Team's effectiveness, serving the team, the Product Owner, and the organization.
The Sprint
A fixed-length event of one month or less that acts as a container for all other events, producing a usable and potentially releasable Increment each cycle.
Sprint Planning
The event that opens the Sprint, addressing why the Sprint is valuable (Sprint Goal), what can be done, and how the work will be accomplished; timeboxed to eight hours for a one-month Sprint.
Daily Scrum
A 15-minute event for Developers, held at the same time and place each working day, to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog.
Sprint Review
An event near the end of the Sprint where the team and stakeholders inspect the Increment and outcome, and collaborate on what to do next; timeboxed to four hours for a one-month Sprint.
Sprint Retrospective
The closing event where the team inspects how the last Sprint went regarding individuals, interactions, processes, and tools, and identifies improvements; three hours or less for a one-month Sprint.
Product Goal
A long-term target for the Scrum Team describing a future state of the product; it is the commitment attached to the Product Backlog and guides what to build.
Sprint Goal
A single objective for the Sprint, created during Sprint Planning, that provides coherence and focus; it is the commitment attached to the Sprint Backlog.
Definition of Done
A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product; the commitment attached to the Increment.
Servant leadership
A leadership stance whose primary aim is the growth, well-being, and effectiveness of the people served, achieved by removing obstacles and enabling others rather than directing them.
Scrum Master as coach
A stance where the Scrum Master asks questions that help the team find its own options, keeping ownership with the team rather than supplying solutions.
Impediment removal
Identifying obstacles to progress and helping resolve them; team-resolvable blockers stay with the team, organizational blockers are escalated with evidence rather than blame.
Teaching versus coaching
Teaching transfers Scrum knowledge and rules the team lacks; coaching draws out the team's own solutions. The Scrum Master selects the stance the situation requires.
Facilitation stance
Designing and guiding events so the group reaches its own decisions and outcomes, while the Scrum Master stays neutral on content and keeps the event within its timebox.
Scrum Master and authority
The Scrum Master leads by influence, not command: no task assignment, no control over Developers' technical choices, and no line-management authority over the team.
Serving the organization
The Scrum Master leads, trains, and coaches the organization in Scrum adoption, plans and advises implementations, and helps remove barriers between stakeholders and teams.
Backlog refinement
The ongoing activity of breaking down and clarifying Product Backlog items into smaller, more precise items that can be completed within a Sprint; not a formal Scrum event.
Velocity
A planning indicator derived from the amount of work completed in past Sprints; it is a forecast aid, never a target or individual performance measure.
Relative estimation
Sizing backlog items by comparison with known reference items rather than absolute time, performed by the people who will do the work.
Sprint cancellation
A rare action available only to the Product Owner when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete; completed items are reviewed and the remaining backlog is re-planned.
Definition of Done tightening
Raising the quality bar over time as the team's capability grows; every Increment must meet the current definition, and no item counts as done until it does.
Scaling prerequisite
Before adding coordination structures, ensure single teams function well, share one Product Backlog, and apply a common Definition of Done across teams.