SMC Exam Dumps : Scrum Master Certified (SMC)

The Initiate phase establishes the foundation of the Scrum project. SCRUMstudy identifies its processes as Create Project Vision, Identify Scrum Master and Business Stakeholder(s), Form Scrum Team, Develop Epic(s), Create Prioritized Product Backlog, and Conduct Release Planning. Therefore, identifying the Scrum Master and relevant stakeholders is explicitly an Initiate-phase activity.

The remaining options belong to later phases. Estimating and committing User Stories form part of Plan and Estimate, where requirements selected from the Prioritized Product Backlog are analyzed, estimated, and committed for upcoming Sprint work. Conduct Daily Standup belongs to Implement, because it occurs while the Scrum Team is executing Sprint work and synchronizing daily activities.

This phase separation is important in SMC questions. Initiate establishes the vision, roles, high-level requirements, prioritized backlog, and initial release structure. Plan and Estimate converts prioritized requirements into executable Sprint-level work. Implement concerns actual creation of deliverables and daily coordination.

Accordingly, Identify Scrum Master and Stakeholder(s) is the only option that is explicitly part of the Initiate phase.

Study Guide reference: Initiate - > Identify Scrum Master and Business Stakeholder(s); Plan and Estimate - > Estimate/Commit User Stories; Implement - > Conduct Daily Standup.

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An Epic represents a high-level requirement that is generally too large or insufficiently detailed to be completed as a single User Story within one Sprint. As an Epic rises in priority and approaches implementation, it is progressively elaborated and decomposed into smaller User Stories.

SCRUMstudy explicitly states that some Epics/User Stories are initially too large to handle within one Sprint and are therefore broken into smaller User Stories when they move high enough in the Prioritized Product Backlog to be considered for upcoming Sprint work.

Smaller User Stories improve estimation, clarification, testability, and the team's ability to create potentially shippable increments within the Sprint time-box. They also enable the Product Owner to prioritize individual pieces of functionality according to value rather than treating a large requirement as one indivisible block.

Option A may be an indirect benefit but is not the fundamental reason. Team size does not determine whether an Epic must be decomposed, and review duration is not the defining criterion.

Therefore, the correct answer is that Epics are too large to be completed within a single Sprint.

Study Guide reference: Plan and Estimate - > Create User Stories - > Decomposition of Epics.

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In the legacy SBOK Create Sprint Backlog process represented by this question, important inputs include the Effort Estimated Task List, Length of Sprint, Previous Sprint Velocity, Dependencies, and Team Calendar, together with the Scrum Core Team. Therefore, the four factors listed in option C are all legitimate inputs.

Length of Sprint defines the available time-box. Previous Sprint Velocity provides historical evidence of how much work the team has been able to complete and therefore supports realistic commitment. Dependencies influence the order in which work should be executed. The Team Calendar records member availability, including leave, holidays, and other events affecting capacity.

The remaining options introduce artifacts that do not constitute this specific combination of Sprint Backlog creation inputs, such as Proof of Concept or Done Criteria.

In newer SBOK editions, the terminology has evolved toward Update Sprint Backlog, because an initial Sprint Backlog is created when User Stories are committed and is subsequently enriched with task-level information. The underlying capacity concepts—Sprint length, dependencies, team availability, and historical performance—remain relevant.

Therefore, C is the verified legacy SMC answer.

Study Guide reference: Plan and Estimate - > Create/Update Sprint Backlog - > Inputs; Sprint Planning.