The best way to help the two teams that are continually dependent on each other to manage their work is to ensure the appropriate representatives from both teams are present during Cross-Team Refinement. Cross-Team Refinement is an optional event in Nexus that allows the Scrum Teams to collaborate and coordinate on the Product Backlog items that have dependencies or require integration 11. By having the representatives from both teams present during this event, they can identify and resolve the dependencies, clarify the requirements, align the expectations, and plan the work for the next Sprint. This will improve the transparency, the quality, and the value of the Integrated Increment.

The other options are not advisable for the following reasons:

The Nexus Integration Team should not be responsible for integrating the work of these two Scrum Teams, as this would create a bottleneck and a hand-off. The Nexus Integration Team is a specialized Scrum Team that provides services and guidance to the Scrum Teams in the Nexus to ensure that the Integrated Increment is produced every Sprint 11. However, the Nexus Integration Team is not accountable for the integration of the work of the individual Scrum Teams, as this is the responsibility of the Scrum Teams themselves 22.

Reorganizing these two Scrum Teams so that one is responsible for development and one is responsible for integration is not a good idea, as this would create a silo and a separation of concerns. The Scrum Teams in a Nexus should be cross-functional and self-organizing, meaning that they have all the skills and abilities to deliver a potentially releasable product Increment every Sprint 11. Separating the development and the integration tasks would compromise the collaboration, the feedback, and the agility of the Scrum Teams.

Merging the two Scrum Teams together is not a viable solution, as this would create a large and unwieldy team. The Scrum Guide states that the optimal size of a Scrum Team is between three and nine members 33. Merging two Scrum Teams together would exceed this limit and create challenges in communication, coordination, and decision-making. Moreover, merging the two teams would not necessarily eliminate the dependencies, as they may still exist within the larger team or with other teams in the Nexus.

When multiple Scrum Teams work from the same Product Backlog, they should choose the Product Backlog items that they can deliver as part of an Integrated Increment, which is the combined work of all the Scrum Teams that meets the Nexus Sprint Goal 11. The Developers, who are the people in the Scrum Teams who are accountable for creating and delivering the Increment, should pull work in agreement with the Product Owner, who is the person who is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and the work performed and integrated by the Scrum Teams 11. The Developers and the Product Owner should collaborate to select the Product Backlog items that are most valuable, feasible, and aligned with the Nexus Sprint Goal 2233. Therefore, statement B is the correct answer.

Statement A is incorrect because it implies that the Scrum Teams choose the Weighted Shortest Job First, which is a prioritization technique that ranks Product Backlog items based on their value and cost 44. However, the Scrum Guide does not prescribe any specific technique for ordering the Product Backlog, and the Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog [5]. Statement C is incorrect because it suggests that each Scrum Team takes an equal number of items, which may not reflect the value, complexity, or dependencies of the items 1122. Statement D is incorrect because it assumes that the Scrum Team with the highest velocity pulls Product Backlog items first, which may not be the best way to optimize the value delivery and integration across the Nexus 1122. Statement E is incorrect because it proposes that the Product Owner should provide each team with its own Product Backlog, which would create confusion, inconsistency, and duplication of work. Having multiple Product Backlogs would also undermine the transparency and alignment that are essential for scaling Scrum 1122.

The true statements regarding using Scrum for large-scale product delivery are:

A . Splitting a team member's time between multiple Scrum Teams is often less productive than focusing that team member on a single team's Sprint Backlog. This statement is true because splitting a team member's time between multiple teams can cause context switching, communication overhead, coordination challenges, and reduced commitment and accountability. It can also reduce the team's ability to self-organize and deliver a potentially releasable product increment at the end of each Sprint. Therefore, it is recommended that team members focus on one team's Sprint Backlog and work as a cross-functional and cohesive unit 1122.

D . A well-structured and refined Product Backlog can minimize and often eliminate dependencies between multiple Scrum Teams working together on a product during a Sprint. This statement is true because a well-structured and refined Product Backlog can help the Product Owner and the Scrum Teams to identify and prioritize the most valuable and feasible work items, and to decompose them into smaller and independent pieces that can be delivered by one or more teams. This can reduce the complexity and risk of integration and dependency management, and increase the flow and quality of value delivery 3344.

The other statements are false for the following reasons:

B . Scrum requires all team members work full time on a single team. This statement is false because Scrum does not prescribe how team members allocate their time or effort. Scrum only defines the roles, events, artifacts, and rules that guide the empirical process of product development. However, as mentioned above, it is often more productive and effective for team members to focus on one team's Sprint Backlog and avoid splitting their time between multiple teams [5].

C . Changes to the core Scrum framework are needed to be successful with Scrum at large-scale. This statement is false because Scrum is a lightweight and adaptable framework that can be applied to any complex product development context, regardless of the size or scale. Scrum does not need to be changed or modified to be successful at large-scale, but rather scaled up or down according to the needs and goals of the product organization. There are various frameworks and approaches that can help scale Scrum, such as Nexus, LeSS, SAFe, and Scrum@Scale, but they all adhere to the core principles and values of Scrum [6] [7].

The Nexus framework is a way of scaling Scrum for multiple teams working on a single product. The Nexus framework uses Scrum as its building block and extends it only where necessary to minimize and manage dependencies between teams 11. The Nexus framework defines the accountabilities, events, and artifacts that bind and weave together the work of the teams in a Nexus 11. One of the key events in the Nexus framework is the Nexus Sprint Planning, which is used to coordinate the activities of all teams in the Nexus for a single Sprint 11.

The purpose of Nexus Sprint Planning is to:

Coordinate the activities of all the Scrum Teams in a Nexus. This is answer A. This is a valid answer because the Nexus Sprint Planning is an event where the Nexus, consisting of the Product Owner and appropriate representatives from each team, meet to plan the Sprint 11. The purpose of Nexus Sprint Planning is to coordinate the activities of all teams in the Nexus for a single Sprint 11. The Nexus Sprint Planning helps the teams to align their work with the Product Goal, identify and resolve dependencies, and create a common understanding of the Sprint 11.

Create a plan for the Sprint. This is answer D. This is a valid answer because the Nexus Sprint Planning is an event where the Nexus creates a plan for the Sprint 11. The result of Nexus Sprint Planning is a Nexus Sprint Goal that aligns with the Product Goal and a Nexus Sprint Backlog that contains the work to be done by the teams to achieve the Nexus Sprint Goal 11. The Nexus Sprint Backlog is a visualization of the work across the Nexus that has dependencies 11. The Nexus Sprint Goal and the Nexus Sprint Backlog guide the teams throughout the Sprint 11.

The other two answers are not correct because:

Discover all the dependencies between Product Backlog items. This is answer B. This is not a valid answer because the Nexus Sprint Planning is not the only time to discover all the dependencies between Product Backlog items. Dependencies are the relationships between the work items that affect the order, timing, or outcome of the work 22. Dependencies can cause delays, rework, waste, and lower quality 22. Therefore, it is important to identify and resolve dependencies as early and as often as possible 22. The Nexus Sprint Planning is a time to coordinate the activities of the teams for the upcoming Sprint and to create a Nexus Sprint Goal and a Nexus Sprint Backlog 11. The discovery of dependencies should be done continuously throughout the Sprint, not only during the Nexus Sprint Planning 11. One of the activities that can help the teams to discover dependencies before the Nexus Sprint Planning is the Cross-Team Refinement, where representatives from each team in the Nexus meet to decompose and refine the Product Backlog items into smaller pieces of work that can be delivered by a single team or multiple teams 1[1][6].

Ensure all teams are committing to the right work. This is answer C. This is not a valid answer because the Nexus Sprint Planning is not a time to ensure all teams are committing to the right work. The Nexus Sprint Planning is a time to coordinate the activities of the teams for the upcoming Sprint and to create a Nexus Sprint Goal and a Nexus Sprint Backlog 11. The Nexus Sprint Planning is not a time to impose or dictate the work to the teams, but rather to collaborate and align the work with the Product Goal 11. The teams are self-organizing and autonomous, which means they decide how to do their work and what work to do 1[1][7]. The teams do not commit to the work, but rather forecast the work based on their capacity and understanding 1[1][7].

The Nexus framework is a way of scaling Scrum for multiple teams working on a single product. The Nexus framework uses Scrum as its building block and extends it only where necessary to minimize and manage dependencies between teams 11. The Nexus framework defines the accountabilities, events, and artifacts that bind and weave together the work of the teams in a Nexus 11. One of the key events in the Nexus framework is the Nexus Sprint Planning, which is used to coordinate the activities of all teams in the Nexus for a single Sprint 11.

In Scenario B, the Nexus is developing a complex product with different parts that only certain teams can work on. There are also some highly specialized individuals outside the Nexus that are required for some of the work. In past Sprints, the Nexus encountered challenges dealing with the many dependencies between teams. Dependencies are the relationships between the work items that affect the order, timing, or outcome of the work 22. Dependencies can cause delays, rework, waste, and lower quality 22. Therefore, it is important to identify and resolve dependencies as early and as often as possible 22.

The two strategies that would be most effective in dealing with the dependencies are:

Discover and document dependent work during Cross-Team Refinement of the Product Backlog, so teams are aware of dependencies before Nexus Sprint Planning. This will allow Nexus Sprint Planning to focus on resolving dependencies for the upcoming Sprint. This is answer A. This is a valid strategy because Cross-Team Refinement is an activity where representatives from each team in the Nexus meet to decompose and refine the Product Backlog items into smaller pieces of work that can be delivered by a single team or multiple teams 11. By doing this, the teams can discover and document the dependent work that needs to be done by other teams or external parties 11. This will help the teams to be aware of the dependencies before the Nexus Sprint Planning and to prepare for them 11. This will also allow the Nexus Sprint Planning to focus on resolving the dependencies for the upcoming Sprint, rather than spending time on identifying them 11.

During Nexus Sprint Planning, have appropriate representatives from each team in the Nexus briefly meet to discuss dependencies for the upcoming Sprint. This conversation will help their individual team's Sprint Planning. This is answer C. This is a valid strategy because Nexus Sprint Planning is an event where the Nexus, consisting of the Product Owner and appropriate representatives from each team, meet to plan the Sprint 11. The purpose of Nexus Sprint Planning is to coordinate the activities of all teams in the Nexus for a single Sprint 11. The result of Nexus Sprint Planning is a Nexus Sprint Goal that aligns with the Product Goal and a Nexus Sprint Backlog that contains the work to be done by the teams to achieve the Nexus Sprint Goal 11. During Nexus Sprint Planning, the representatives from each team can briefly meet to discuss the dependencies for the upcoming Sprint and how to resolve them 11. This conversation will help their individual team's Sprint Planning, where they can create their own team Sprint Goal and team Sprint Backlog that support the Nexus Sprint Goal and the Nexus Sprint Backlog 11.

The other two answers are not correct because:

Have the Nexus Integration Team order the Nexus Sprint Backlog. They should control and resolve the dependencies. This is answer B. This is not a valid strategy because the Nexus Integration Team is not the owner or the controller of the Nexus Sprint Backlog. The Nexus Integration Team is a role that consists of the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and other members who are responsible for coordinating, coaching, and supervising the integration of the work done by the teams in the Nexus 1[1][5]. The Nexus Integration Team facilitates the Nexus Sprint Planning, but does not order or dictate the Nexus Sprint Backlog 1[1][5]. The Nexus Sprint Backlog is owned and managed by the Nexus, not by the Nexus Integration Team 1[1][5]. The Nexus Integration Team helps the teams to identify and resolve the dependencies, but does not control or impose them 1[1][5].

Gather all people in the Nexus into a 48-hour Nexus Sprint Planning event. Discover, document, and resolve dependencies during this time. This is answer D. This is not a valid strategy because gathering all people in the Nexus into a 48-hour Nexus Sprint Planning event is not feasible, efficient, or effective. The Nexus Sprint Planning is not meant to be a long and exhaustive event that involves all people in the Nexus 11. The Nexus Sprint Planning is meant to be a short and focused event that involves only the Product Owner and appropriate representatives from each team in the Nexus 11. The Nexus Sprint Planning is not meant to be the only time to discover, document, and resolve dependencies 11. The Nexus Sprint Planning is meant to be the time to coordinate the activities of the teams for the upcoming Sprint and to create a Nexus Sprint Goal and a Nexus Sprint Backlog 11. The discovery, documentation, and resolution of dependencies should be done continuously throughout the Sprint, not only during the Nexus Sprint Planning 11.