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Scrum Guide 2020 Nuances and Frequently Tested Details
Zoom in on the fine print of the Scrum Guide 2020—the wording changes, removed roles, and subtle clarifications that often separate an 80% score from the 90%+ you’re aiming for.
From Old Scrum Guides to 2020: What Actually Changed?
Why 2020 Matters for PSM I
The current Scrum Guide version (from 2020) is what the PSM I exam is based on. If you learned from older guides, some of your vocabulary and assumptions are now outdated.
High-Impact Changes
The 2020 Guide is shorter and less prescriptive, but it made precise wording changes: roles became accountabilities, some terms were renamed, and the artifacts gained explicit commitments.
Your Goal in This Module
Learn to recognize what clearly belongs to the 2020 Guide versus older versions, so you can spot trick questions and choose the answer that matches the current wording.
Roles vs Accountabilities: A Subtle but Important Shift
From Roles to Accountabilities
Pre‑2020: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team as roles. 2020 Guide: one Scrum Team with three accountabilities – Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers.
No More Development Team
The separate term "Development Team" was removed. Now we simply have Developers within a single Scrum Team of typically 10 or fewer people.
Why Accountabilities Matter
Accountabilities describe what each is responsible for, not rigid job titles. Exam answers that talk about "three roles" or "Development Team" are using pre‑2020 wording.
Self-Managing vs Self-Organizing: Updated Team Autonomy
Old vs New Term
Older guides: self-organizing teams. 2020 Guide: self-managing teams, a stronger idea where the team decides who does the work, how it is done, and how to turn backlog items into value.
What Self-Managing Means
Self-managing teams decide how to organize their work inside a Sprint. They are not told by a manager or Scrum Master who should do which task or how to do it.
Typical Exam Traps
Be wary of options where a manager or Scrum Master assigns tasks or controls daily work. That contradicts the 2020 Guide's emphasis on self-managing Scrum Teams.
Developers: A Broader Term Than You Might Think
Who Are Developers?
In the 2020 Guide, Developers are everyone in the Scrum Team who helps create a usable Increment: programmers, testers, UX, analysts, and more.
Developers' Accountabilities
Developers create and adapt the Sprint Backlog, uphold the Definition of Done, and adjust their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal, holding each other accountable.
Exam Traps About Assigning Work
If an answer says the Product Owner or Scrum Master assigns work to the team, it conflicts with the idea that Developers forecast and manage their own work in a self-managing Scrum Team.
Artifacts and Commitments: New 2020 Pairings
Artifacts + Commitments
2020 added explicit commitments: Product Backlog → Product Goal, Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal, Increment → Definition of Done.
Product and Sprint Goals
The Product Goal is a longer-term objective for the product; the Sprint Goal is a single objective for the Sprint that gives the Sprint Backlog coherence.
Definition of Done
The Definition of Done describes when an Increment is complete. All Increments must meet the DoD. It is not optional and is often a focus in exam questions.
Spot the Outdated Wording (Mini Exercise)
Read each statement and decide whether it matches the 2020 Scrum Guide or reflects pre‑2020 wording.
- "The Scrum Team consists of the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team."
- "The Scrum Team is self-managing, choosing who does the work, how to do it, and how to turn Product Backlog items into value."
- "The Product Backlog does not need a single long-term goal."
- "The Developers are accountable for creating the Sprint Backlog and adjusting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal."
Your task:
- Mark each as Current (2020) or Outdated.
- Then check the solution below.
Solution (do not peek first):
- Outdated (uses "Development Team" and roles language).
- Current (captures the 2020 self-managing wording).
- Outdated (ignores the Product Goal commitment).
- Current (matches the Developers accountability in 2020).
Quick Check: Accountabilities and Teams
Answer this exam-style question to test your understanding of 2020 terminology.
Which statement best reflects the 2020 Scrum Guide?
- The Scrum Team consists of three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team.
- The Scrum Team is self-managing and typically 10 or fewer people, including a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers.
- Management assigns tasks to the Development Team, while the Scrum Master ensures they follow the plan.
- The Scrum Master is the project manager responsible for reporting team progress to stakeholders.
Show Answer
Answer: B) The Scrum Team is self-managing and typically 10 or fewer people, including a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers.
Option 1 uses outdated terms (roles, Development Team). Option 2 matches 2020 wording: one Scrum Team, self-managing, typically 10 or fewer people, with three accountabilities including Developers. Options 3 and 4 contradict self-managing teams and misstate the Scrum Master accountability.
Quick Check: Artifacts and Commitments
Test your recall of the new artifacts and commitments structure.
Which pairing of artifact and commitment is correct according to the 2020 Scrum Guide?
- Product Backlog – Sprint Goal
- Sprint Backlog – Product Goal
- Increment – Definition of Done
- Increment – Release Plan
Show Answer
Answer: C) Increment – Definition of Done
The correct 2020 pairings are: Product Backlog → Product Goal, Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal, Increment → Definition of Done. Only Option 3 matches one of these. There is no Release Plan artifact or commitment in the 2020 Guide.
Mini Scenarios: Choosing the 2020-Accurate Answer
Scenario 1: Assigning Work
A manager assigns Product Backlog items to individuals during Sprint Planning while the Product Owner is silent. Is this aligned with 2020 Scrum?
It is not. In the 2020 Guide, Developers in a self-managing Scrum Team forecast the work and create the Sprint Backlog. Neither managers nor the Scrum Master assign tasks.
Scenario 2: Multiple Sprint Goals?
A team wants three Sprint Goals in one Sprint. This conflicts with the 2020 Guide, which requires a single Sprint Goal that gives the Sprint Backlog coherence.
Key 2020 Terms: Flashcard Review
Use these flashcards to reinforce the most frequently tested 2020 Scrum Guide terms.
- Scrum Team (2020)
- A single, small team of professionals, typically 10 or fewer people, consisting of a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. It is cross-functional and self-managing.
- Accountabilities (not roles)
- Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers are described as accountabilities in the 2020 Guide, emphasizing what they are responsible for rather than job titles.
- Developers
- Members of the Scrum Team committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment. They create and adapt the Sprint Backlog and uphold the Definition of Done.
- Self-managing
- The Scrum Team chooses who does the work, how to do it, and how to turn Product Backlog items into value. Stronger autonomy than the older term self-organizing.
- Product Goal
- The commitment for the Product Backlog. A longer-term objective for the product that the Scrum Team works toward. There is one Product Goal at a time.
- Sprint Goal
- The commitment for the Sprint Backlog. A single objective for the Sprint that provides coherence to the work and guides the Developers.
- Definition of Done
- The commitment for the Increment. A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.
- Increment
- A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint; each must be usable and meet the Definition of Done.
Key Terms
- Increment
- A concrete, usable outcome of the Scrum Team's work during a Sprint, which meets the Definition of Done and moves the product closer to the Product Goal.
- Developers
- Members of the Scrum Team committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint, regardless of their specific skill set or job title.
- Scrum Team
- The fundamental unit of Scrum, consisting of a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. It is small, cross-functional, and self-managing.
- Sprint Goal
- The commitment associated with the Sprint Backlog; a single objective for the Sprint that provides coherence and focus for the work.
- Product Goal
- The commitment associated with the Product Backlog; a long-term objective for the product that provides a target for the Scrum Team.
- Self-managing
- A property of the Scrum Team in the 2020 Guide, meaning the team decides who does the work, how the work is done, and how to turn Product Backlog items into value.
- Accountabilities
- The distinct responsibilities of Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers in the 2020 Scrum Guide. Replaces the older term 'roles'.
- Definition of Done
- The commitment associated with the Increment; a formal description of when work on the Increment is complete and meets required quality standards.