You are facilitating a sprint retrospective for a team that has just completed a challenging sprint where they missed their sprint goal. During the retrospective, two team members begin blaming each other for technical decisions that led to delays. Other team members become defensive, and the conversation is deteriorating into personal criticism rather than focusing on process improvement. The team has worked well together in the past, but the pressure of the missed goal is creating tension. As the facilitator, what should you do?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is B. The Scrum Master or facilitator's role in a retrospective is to create a safe environment focused on continuous improvement of processes and team dynamics, not placing blame on individuals (ECO Process Task 5.2). When the conversation becomes personal, the facilitator must intervene to redirect focus toward systemic issues, team processes, and actionable improvements while reinforcing the retrospective prime directive that everyone did their best given their knowledge and circumstances. Option A is the main distractor because while psychological safety includes allowing people to express concerns, permitting personal blame and criticism actually undermines safety and violates the retrospective's purpose of improvement, not venting. The facilitator must actively protect the retrospective format and purpose. Options C and D abandon the team's opportunity for collective learning and improvement in favor of either avoidance or further conflict.

PMP Practice Question: Process — Agile, Medium

More Process Questions