POPM Practice Test 9 — 10 Questions

Question 1

Refer to the exhibit. Why is 'Feature Z' not suitable for the upcoming PI Planning cycle?

Accepted Answer

Because it lacks acceptance criteria and is stagnant.. Feature Z is not suitable because it lacks essential acceptance criteria, which is a core component of the 'Definition of Ready'. Without acceptance criteria, the teams cannot properly estimate or plan the work. Additionally, the stale status suggests a lack of active management, increasing the risk that the feature's requirements are no longer current or relevant, making it an unreliable choice for the upcoming program increment planning cycle.

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Because it is marked as 'High' priority.

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Because it has already undergone architectural review.

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Because it is in 'In Progress' status.

Question 2

As a PM, you have several features with similar business value. Which criterion should be used to differentiate their priority in the Program Backlog?

Accepted Answer

The estimated job size.. When business value is equal, the 'Job Size' (specifically duration or effort) becomes the deciding factor in the WSJF calculation. By prioritizing the smaller job, the team can realize the value sooner. This is critical because it improves flow, reduces the number of work items in progress, and accelerates the delivery of value to the customer, which is the core objective of the PI Planning preparation process.

Answer

The number of stakeholders requesting the feature.

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The technical difficulty of the implementation.

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The date the request was first submitted.

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. Given the high number of blockers and low resolution rate, what is the primary responsibility of Leadership during PI Planning to address this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate cross-team negotiations to re-prioritize or remove the conflicting dependencies.. When blockers stall planning, leadership must move beyond observation and actively intervene to facilitate negotiation. The role is to resolve conflicts that cross team or department boundaries, which individual teams often cannot address alone. This intervention is crucial for maintaining flow and ensuring the Program Board is cleared before teams finalize their commitments, preventing downstream delays and failure to deliver on PI objectives.

Answer

Extend the PI Planning event by two days to allow teams more time to resolve the dependencies themselves.

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Ignore the blockers and proceed with the confidence vote, as teams are responsible for their own success.

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Report the lack of progress to the PMO to initiate corrective action after the PI Planning event.

Question 4

During PI Planning, a Business Owner expresses concern that the proposed PI Objectives do not align with the strategic intent for the next quarter. What is the most effective leadership action to resolve this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the Business Owner and the teams to adjust objectives based on realistic capacity and value.. Effective leadership during PI Planning requires immediate collaboration between Business Owners and teams to bridge the gap between strategic intent and execution plans. By facilitating a direct dialogue, leaders ensure that the PI Objectives reflect the highest business value and are realistically achievable, preventing a misalignment that would waste team capacity on low-priority work throughout the entire program increment duration.

Answer

Instruct the teams to continue planning and address the strategic alignment concerns during the first System Demo.

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Direct the Release Train Engineer to unilaterally modify the team objectives to match the Business Owner's vision.

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Ask the System Architect to rewrite the objectives to ensure they meet the technical standards of the enterprise.

Question 5

Which THREE of the following are key responsibilities of leadership during the PI Planning 'Final Plan Review'?

Accepted Answer

Ensure that the plan is aligned with the overall program vision and objectives.. During the final review, leaders must ensure that the plan is coherent across the entire train and that the business value remains intact. They verify that dependencies are documented and that the plan is financially and operationally sound. This final check ensures that all teams are aligned with the overall program direction and that the commitments made are solid, preventing surprises once the execution of the PI begins in earnest.

Answer

Approve the individual task assignments for every developer on the train.

Answer

Determine the exact Jira workflow for every team for the next three months.

Question 6

What is the primary responsibility of business owners during PI Planning execution?

Accepted Answer

Assigning business value to the team PI objectives and actively participating in the draft plan review and management review sessions.. Business Owners play a vital governance and alignment role by actively participating in PI Planning to validate scope and assign business value. Their engagement ensures that the train's output directly supports overarching enterprise strategy and portfolio goals. By committing to team objectives, they establish a shared contract of value delivery for the upcoming Program Increment.

Answer

Drafting all user stories for every Agile Team to ensure complete technical compliance prior to the PI Planning event.

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Conducting individual performance appraisals for every developer on the Agile Release Train following the planning sessions.

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Managing the daily standups and enforcing strict adherence to individual task allocations across all program teams.

Question 7

What is the primary purpose of the Iteration Review in SAFe?

Accepted Answer

To demonstrate the progress made and gather stakeholder feedback.. The Iteration Review serves as the formal synchronization point where the team demonstrates their working, tested increment to stakeholders. It is crucial for gathering feedback, ensuring alignment with the business, and celebrating progress. This event validates that the team is on the right track and allows stakeholders to provide input that shapes the product backlog, ensuring the team remains focused on delivering maximum value during the remaining iterations of the PI.

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To identify process improvements for the next iteration.

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To sign off on the velocity achieved in the current iteration.

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To re-plan the entire remaining PI based on the team's performance.

Question 8

Which TWO of the following are true regarding the PO's role in story acceptance? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Acceptance criteria should be met before the PO accepts the story.. Story acceptance is a critical responsibility of the PO that ensures business value is realized. By using defined acceptance criteria and the DoD as the standard, the PO provides clear, objective validation. This process maintains the flow of value and ensures that the team's output is consistently aligned with the project's strategic objectives and the stakeholder expectations set during planning.

Answer

The PO should wait until the very end of the PI to accept stories.

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The PO must consult the RTE before accepting any completed story.

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Once a story is accepted, it can never be changed or refined again.

Question 9

What is the primary role of the Product Owner during the Iteration Review?

Accepted Answer

To demonstrate the completed work and gather feedback from key stakeholders.. The Iteration Review is a critical event for transparency and stakeholder feedback. The PO acts as the bridge between the team and stakeholders, showcasing the value delivered and gathering input for future refinement. By guiding the discussion around the iteration outcomes and demonstrating the functional work, the PO ensures that stakeholders understand progress and that the team receives the feedback necessary to refine the backlog and improve future results.

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To strictly enforce the original plan and blame the team if goals were not met.

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To provide a detailed technical walkthrough of the code for all attendees.

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To decide if the team should be disbanded based on their performance.

Question 10

A team has finished all their assigned stories for the iteration early. What is the best course of action for the team to take?

Accepted Answer

Pull the next most important story from the team backlog.. High-performing teams should always look for ways to pull in additional work that provides value or improves the system. By proactively selecting the next most important item from the team backlog, the team optimizes their throughput and supports the overall goals of the Program Increment. This practice demonstrates an 'ownership' mindset and helps to maximize the value delivered within the timebox, which is a key goal of SAFe.

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Start working on stories from the next iteration to get ahead.

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Take the remainder of the iteration off to recover from the intense work.

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Conduct an unscheduled performance review for each team member.