Which would be the two most appropriate responses?

In the middle of a Sprint, a Product Owner has requested the Developers to add a new urgent item to their Sprint Backlog. The team is currently at their WIP Limit.

Which would be the two most appropriate responses? (choose the two best answers)
A . Reject the urgent item because the WIP Limits do not allow it. Tell the Product Owner to wait until the next Sprint.
B. Add the urgent item to their Sprint Backlog but only start working on that new item when enough room frees up.
C. Take on the urgent item as an exception to the WIP Limits, pushing this item along on top of the existing flow and note a WIP exception.
D. Adjust the WIP Limits to allow for taking on the extra item and update their definition of Workflow.

View Answer

Answer: B,C

Explanation:

In case an item is pulled into the Sprint Backlog, the Developers need to figure out whether they can actually start it right away. This depends on the WIP limits and the current WIP. If the team is at their WIP limit they shouldn’t pull in that new item until some room frees up. If their backlog items are pretty small, an empty WIP slot will free up pretty quickly. If items are big, it can take a while.

The longer it might take to get a normal pull slot ready, the more pressure there might be to actually expedite this card, going beyond the current WIP limits, and pushing this item along on top of the existing flow. The typical way to do this is NOT to change the WIP limit definition but to go above WIP and note a WIP exception. These exceptions can then be a topic for inspection and adaptation come time to retrospect.