During Sprint Planning, two Developers on the app team disagree strongly about which companion-app bug to tackle first, and the Product Owner has already left the meeting. What should the Scrum Master do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Once the Product Owner has ordered the Product Backlog, deciding how to sequence that work inside the Sprint belongs to the Developers, not to whoever happens to still be in the room. A Scrum Master's job in that moment is to facilitate, not to referee or decide for them.
Full Explanation
The Scrum Guide separates two distinct decisions: the Product Owner orders the Product Backlog by value, but the Developers plan how — and in what order — they'll turn that work into an Increment during the Sprint, which is exactly the disagreement happening here. The Scrum Master stepping in to make the call directly would take over a decision that belongs to the Developers, undermining the self-management that makes the Sprint Backlog theirs to own. Ending Sprint Planning and rescheduling around the Product Owner's full attendance misreads the situation — the Product Owner's input on backlog order already happened, and this dispute is about internal sequencing, not value or priority, so it doesn't require the Product Owner at all. Suggesting a coin flip trivializes a real technical or scope disagreement and skips facilitation the Developers likely need to actually reach a sound decision. A concrete check: after facilitating, confirm the Developers can articulate why they chose the sequence they did, which shows they reasoned it through rather than just ending the argument.