Is the Product Owner responsible for determining how many Product Backlog items the Development Team selects for a Sprint?

The Product Owner is not responsible for determining how many Product Backlog items the Development Team selects for a Sprint. The responsibility for forecasting the amount of work the Development Team can commit to during a Sprint lies solely with the Development Team itself.

During the Sprint Planning event, the Product Owner presents the prioritized Product Backlog items that they believe should be addressed in the upcoming Sprint. However, it is the Development Team that assesses its own capacity and past performance to decide which items can realistically be completed within the Sprint timeframe. This ensures that the team retains ownership of their work and can exercise their expertise in what is achievable based on their understanding of their velocity and the complexity of the tasks.

The separation of responsibilities between the Product Owner and the Development Team is key to maintaining the Scrum framework's emphasis on self-organization and team autonomy. This design allows teams to adapt their commitments based on current conditions, fostering an environment of accountability and collaboration.