Final answer:
When a CEO asks to add an item to an ongoing Sprint, the Development Team should discuss the request with the Product Owner and Scrum Master. The focus should be on maintaining the integrity of the Sprint, and changes should be carefully assessed against the sprint goal. The decision must balance the new request with the team's capacity and the potential impact on the Sprint commitments.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the CEO asks the Development Team to add a very important item to a Sprint that is in progress, according to Scrum methodology, the Development Team should not add the item immediately. Instead, they should discuss the request with the Product Owner and the Scrum Master. It is the Product Owner's responsibility to prioritize backlog items and decide if the new item needs to be included in the current Sprint (which typically requires negotiation and might mean swapping out a less critical item) or if it can wait until the next Sprint. This process ensures that the team maintains the integrity of the current Sprint commitments. The Development Team should inform the CEO of these protocols and the importance of maintaining stability and focus during a Sprint. The decision should ultimately be guided by the sprint goal and whether the new request aligns with it.
What is the proper process for handling changes during a Sprint?
In Scrum, if a change must be made during a Sprint, it should be carefully evaluated. Firstly, the effect of adding the new item on the current Sprint goal and the team's workload should be considered. If the team has the capacity and the Sprint's outcome would not be compromised, the Product Owner may decide to include the new item. However, it is essential to maintain the scope of the Sprint as much as possible, and frequent changes should be avoided to prevent disruption and inefficiency. The rule of thumb is that the Sprint Backlog is frozen once the Sprint has begun, and changes should be exceptional, not the norm.