Which two things are appropriate for a Scrum Master to do, if the Scrum Team...

According to the Scrum Guide, the Scrum Master is responsible for coaching the Scrum Team to improve its skills, tools and environment over time and adjust the Definition of Done accordingly 1 .  The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product 1 .  The Definition of Done should be possible to achieve given current circumstances 2 . Therefore, option B and E are appropriate for a Scrum Master to do, if the Scrum Team does not have the tools and environment to completely finish each selected Product Backlog item.

Option A is not appropriate because declaring the Scrum Team not ready for Scrum implies that there is a fixed set of prerequisites for using Scrum, which is not true.  Scrum is a framework that can be applied to any complex product development effort 1 .

Option C is not appropriate because encouraging the Product Owner to accept partially done Increments until the situation improves violates the principle of transparency.  Transparency requires that the Increment is a usable product that meets the current Definition of Done 1 .  Accepting partially done Increments also increases technical debt and reduces value delivery 3 .

Option D is not appropriate because refocusing the current Sprint on establishing the Scrum Team’s environment instead of delivering an Increment goes against the purpose of a Sprint. A Sprint is a time-boxed event that serves as a container for the other Scrum events and activities.  The goal of each Sprint is to deliver a potentially releasable Increment that adheres to the current Definition of Done 1 .