When can Development Team members become the exclusive owner of a Sprint Backlog item?

Development Team members collectively own all items in the Sprint Backlog, which is a fundamental principle of Scrum. This collective ownership fosters collaboration and encourages shared accountability among team members for both the process and the outcomes. It ensures that everyone engages with the items on the Sprint Backlog, rather than allowing any one individual to claim ownership over a specific item.

By maintaining a collective ownership model, the team can work together more effectively, sharing knowledge and skills, and supporting each other to deliver value. This approach not only enhances synergy within the group but also helps in identifying and addressing any issues collaboratively during the Sprint.

While individual team members can take responsibility for completing tasks, they do so as part of a unified team effort, rather than as solitary owners of specific backlog items. This principle is crucial to the Scrum framework, as it empowers the entire team to self-organize and adapt as necessary throughout the Sprint.

The other options imply situations where individual ownership might be assigned or recognized, which contradicts the core tenet of collective ownership inherent in the Scrum framework. This collective accountability not only reinforces teamwork but also maximizes the capacity for team learning and improvement.