POPM Practice Test 15 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A Product Owner is preparing for the upcoming Iteration Review and System Demo. The team has completed several user stories and one enabler. What is the primary purpose of the System Demo in the context of PI execution?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

To demonstrate the integrated solution from all teams on the ART and collect stakeholder feedback.. The System Demo is an ART-level event that occurs at the end of each iteration, where all teams demonstrate the integrated solution. It provides stakeholders with a regular view of the system's progress and collects feedback that can be used to adjust the backlog. This fosters transparency and continuous improvement across the ART.

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To evaluate the team's velocity and adjust capacity for the next iteration.

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To provide a formal sign-off from stakeholders before the increment can be released.

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To review and update the Program Board dependencies for the next PI.

Question 2

During an iteration, a Product Owner notices that the team's burn-down chart is trending above the ideal line, indicating they may not complete all committed stories. What should the Product Owner do?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to understand the cause and determine if scope should be adjusted or stories should be split.. When the burn-down chart shows the team may not complete committed work, the Product Owner should collaborate with the team to understand the cause and adjust scope or split stories. This maintains focus on value delivery and respects the team's capacity, rather than resorting to overtime or ignoring the signal.

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Immediately ask the team to work overtime to get back on track.

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Ignore the burn-down chart because it is only a team-level metric and not the Product Owner's concern.

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Escalate to the Release Train Engineer to have the team's commitment reduced for the next iteration.

Question 3

A Product Manager is reviewing the ART's progress during the final iteration of a PI. The team has completed all planned features, but the System Demo revealed that a key nonfunctional requirement (NFR) for performance was not met. The NFR was not explicitly included in the PI Objectives. What should the Product Manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to assess the impact and determine if a corrective action can be taken within the current PI.. NFRs are critical for solution fitness and should be treated as first-class requirements. When an NFR is not met, the Product Manager must collaborate with the team to assess impact and determine if corrective action is possible within the PI. This proactive approach ensures the solution meets quality standards and avoids deferring critical issues. Escalation or deferral without assessment can lead to larger problems.

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Add the NFR to the team's backlog for the next PI and proceed with the current PI closure.

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Document the NFR as a missed objective and focus on preparing for the Inspect and Adapt workshop.

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Escalate to the Release Train Engineer to have the team work overtime to meet the NFR before the PI ends.

Question 4

A Product Manager is reviewing the progress of the Agile Release Train midway through a Program Increment. The ART is at risk of missing a key PI Objective due to a dependency on a supplier outside the ART. Which two actions should the Product Manager take to address this risk? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the Release Train Engineer to escalate the dependency at the ART sync meeting.. The Product Manager should collaborate with the RTE to escalate the dependency at the ART sync and re-prioritize the team's backlog to focus on independent features. These actions increase transparency, allow the ART to collectively address the risk, and maintain progress on other objectives. They align with SAFe's principles of systems thinking and decentralized decision-making.

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Directly contact the supplier to negotiate a new delivery date without involving the ART.

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Ignore the dependency and hope the supplier delivers on time to avoid disrupting the PI.

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Instruct the team to work overtime to compensate for the delay caused by the supplier.

Question 5

During Iteration Execution, the Product Owner has several responsibilities. Which TWO of the following activities are part of the Product Owner's role during this phase? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Refining the Team Backlog with the team for upcoming iterations.. During Iteration Execution, the Product Owner clarifies requirements and refines the Team Backlog. Clarifying requirements ensures the team builds the right thing, while backlog refinement prepares upcoming work. These activities keep the team unblocked and the backlog ready. Task assignment, stand-up management, and performance reviews are not Product Owner responsibilities; they belong to the team, Scrum Master/Team Coach, or management, respectively.

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Managing the team's daily stand-up meeting and tracking progress.

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Assigning tasks to individual team members based on their skills.

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Conducting performance reviews for team members.

Question 6

A Product Owner notices that the team's velocity has dropped significantly over the last three iterations. The team reports that they are spending more time on unplanned maintenance work. What should the Product Owner do?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team to allocate a portion of each iteration's capacity to address technical debt and maintenance.. When velocity drops due to unplanned maintenance, the Product Owner should collaborate with the team to address the root cause. Allocating capacity for technical debt and maintenance in each iteration is a sustainable approach. This allows the team to reduce unplanned work over time while continuing to deliver new value. Ignoring the issue or simply pushing for higher velocity will not solve the underlying problem and can lead to further degradation.

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Ask the Scrum Master/Team Coach to reassign the maintenance work to a separate team.

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Increase the team's velocity target for the next iteration to make up for lost ground.

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Ignore the drop in velocity and focus on delivering new features to satisfy stakeholders.

Question 7

During the third iteration of a Program Increment, the Product Manager notices that two teams are consistently pulling work from the same shared capacity pool, causing overcommitment and missed iteration goals. Which action should the Product Manager take to address this at the ART level?

Accepted Answer

Escalate to the Release Train Engineer to facilitate a capacity reallocation discussion at the next Scrum of Scrums.. During PI Execution, capacity conflicts that span teams are best resolved through the ART's built-in synchronization mechanisms. The Release Train Engineer facilitates the Scrum of Scrums, where teams can transparently discuss dependencies, capacity, and impediments. Escalating there enables a collaborative reallocation of shared capacity, aligning with SAFe's principle of applying cadence and synchronization to manage variability.

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Wait until the next PI Planning session to renegotiate capacity and avoid disrupting the current PI.

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Direct both teams to stop pulling work from the shared capacity pool and instead create separate team-specific backlogs.

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Ask the Product Owners of both teams to reprioritize their team backlogs independently to reduce overlap.

Question 8

During the second iteration of a Program Increment, a Product Owner notices that a feature has grown in complexity and will likely exceed its original estimate. The team is already at capacity. What is the most appropriate action for the Product Owner to take?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to split the feature into smaller stories and potentially defer some to the next PI.. During PI execution, the Product Owner must continuously manage scope and flow. When a feature becomes larger than expected, the PO should work with the team to split it and defer non-critical parts. This maintains sustainable pace and protects PI objectives. Escalation is unnecessary if the team can resolve it, overtime is unsustainable, and ignoring the issue risks failure.

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Immediately escalate to the Release Train Engineer to have the feature descoped.

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Ignore the issue and hope the team can catch up in the next iteration.

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Ask the team to work overtime to complete the feature as originally planned.

Question 9

During PI Execution, the Product Owner for Team Bravo notices that the team is consistently completing backlog items faster than planned, creating idle capacity. The team has already pulled in additional items from the Program Backlog, but those are now also done. What is the most appropriate action for the Product Owner?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the team to identify additional value-adding work, such as technical debt reduction or innovation, from the Team Backlog or Program Backlog.. Extra capacity should be used to deliver additional value, not suppressed. The Product Owner should collaborate with the team to identify worthwhile work from the Team or Program Backlog, such as technical debt reduction or spikes. This maximizes the team's contribution to the PI and keeps them engaged. Slowing down or starting next PI's work prematurely can disrupt flow and cadence.

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Ask the team to slow down to match the planned velocity and avoid disrupting the ART's cadence.

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Instruct the team to start working on the next PI's features to get ahead.

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Reduce the team's capacity for the next iteration to avoid idle time.

Question 10

During an iteration, a Product Owner notices that the team is frequently interrupted by requests from a stakeholder who bypasses the PO and goes directly to developers. What should the Product Owner do to address this?

Accepted Answer

Meet with the stakeholder to understand their needs and explain how requests should flow through the PO and Team Backlog.. The Product Owner should meet with the stakeholder to understand their needs and reinforce the proper channel for requests. This addresses the root cause, protects the team's focus, and ensures requests are prioritized in the Team Backlog. Ignoring requests, enforcing rigid rules, or blindly adding work all fail to balance stakeholder engagement with team flow. Direct communication and process clarity are key.

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Ask the Scrum Master to enforce a rule that all stakeholder communication must go through the PO.

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Add the stakeholder's requests directly to the Team Backlog without discussion to avoid conflict.

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Instruct the developers to ignore all stakeholder requests until the iteration ends.

Question 11

During PI Execution, a Product Manager is reviewing the ART's progress toward its PI Objectives. Which TWO actions best support the Product Manager in this role? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Participate in the PO Sync to understand progress, dependencies, and impediments.. The Product Manager supports PI execution by attending the System Demo to assess integrated progress and by participating in PO Sync to align on cross-team dependencies and adjustments. These actions enable the PM to steer the ART toward its objectives without overstepping into team-level backlog management or task assignment.

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Assign tasks to team members to ensure the PI objectives are met.

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Update the team's backlog with new user stories for the next iteration.

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Facilitate the daily stand-up for each team to track progress.

Question 12

A Product Owner is preparing for the upcoming Iteration Review and System Demo. The team has completed several user stories and one enabler. What is the primary purpose of the System Demo in the context of PI execution?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Include the partially integrated feature in the demo, clearly stating its current state and the dependency on the other team.. The System Demo is a critical event in PI Execution where the ART demonstrates the integrated solution to stakeholders. It is not a polished showcase but a feedback mechanism. Including partially integrated work with clear communication about its state and dependencies allows stakeholders to see the real progress and helps the ART address integration issues promptly, fostering transparency and continuous improvement.

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Ask the other team to delay their work so that the feature can be fully integrated before the demo.

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Exclude the feature entirely and only demo fully integrated features to avoid confusing stakeholders.

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Reschedule the System Demo to a later date when all features are fully integrated.

Question 13

During Iteration Execution, a Product Owner is responsible for managing the Team Backlog. Which TWO of the following activities are appropriate for the Product Owner in this context? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Continuously refining and prioritizing backlog items to ensure the team has ready work.. The Product Owner is responsible for continuously refining and prioritizing the Team Backlog to ensure ready work, and for collaborating with the team to clarify acceptance criteria as stories are implemented. These activities keep the team aligned with value and maintain flow. Assigning tasks, updating burn-down charts, and deciding who works on what are team responsibilities, not the Product Owner's.

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Assigning individual tasks to team members to ensure balanced workload.

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Deciding which team members will work on which stories based on their skills.

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Updating the team's burn-down chart daily to reflect progress.

Question 14

A Product Owner is preparing for the Iteration Review at the end of Iteration 4. The team has completed several stories that were not originally planned but add value to the current PI Objective. What is the most appropriate action for the Product Owner to take during the review?

Accepted Answer

Demonstrate the completed stories to stakeholders and explain how they contribute to the PI Objective, adjusting the team backlog as needed.. The Product Owner should demonstrate all completed stories during the Iteration Review, highlighting their contribution to the PI Objective. This transparency allows stakeholders to provide feedback and helps the team adjust the backlog. Excluding or postponing the demonstration would undermine the review's purpose of inspecting and adapting.

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Ask the team to revert the unplanned stories to maintain adherence to the original iteration plan.

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Postpone the demonstration of the unplanned stories to the System Demo to keep the Iteration Review focused on the iteration plan.

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Only demonstrate the originally planned stories and exclude the unplanned ones to avoid confusing stakeholders.

Question 15

During PI Execution, the Product Manager observes that the ART is not fully aligned on the value of a new feature that was added mid-PI to address a competitive threat. Which TWO actions should the Product Manager take to ensure effective PI execution? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Update the program backlog and collaborate with the Product Owners to refine and prioritize the feature across team backlogs.. The Product Manager should update the program backlog and work with Product Owners to refine and prioritize the feature, ensuring it flows into team backlogs. Additionally, communicating the strategic rationale at the System Demo builds alignment and gathers feedback. These actions address both the logistical and motivational aspects of the misalignment, enabling effective PI execution.

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Ask the Business Owners to mandate the feature's inclusion in all team backlogs without further discussion.

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Request the Release Train Engineer to call an emergency PI Planning session to replan the entire PI.

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Direct the teams to immediately stop current work and swarm on the new feature to accelerate delivery.