SSM Practice Exam 3 — 20 Questions

Question 1

During the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event, the ART's metrics show that the Program Predictability Measure for the last PI was 60%. The RTE facilitates a problem-solving workshop where teams identify 'unclear acceptance criteria' as a root cause. As the Scrum Master for one of the teams, what is your most appropriate next step to support the ART's improvement?

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

Accepted Answer

Work with the RTE and other Scrum Masters to create an improvement story for the ART's backlog that addresses acceptance criteria clarity across teams.. The Inspect and Adapt event culminates in the problem-solving workshop, where root causes are identified and improvement items are added to the ART backlog. When a root cause is systemic, the Scrum Master should collaborate with the RTE and other Scrum Masters to create an ART-level improvement story, ensuring a coordinated and tracked solution rather than isolated team fixes.

Answer

Schedule a separate meeting with your team's Product Owner to rewrite all user stories with clearer acceptance criteria for the next PI.

Answer

Update the team's Definition of Done to include a mandatory review of acceptance criteria by the Product Owner before sprint planning.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the Business Owners and request additional funding for a dedicated business analyst to write acceptance criteria.

Question 2

During a Daily Stand-up, a team member states that they are blocked by a missing test environment. Which action should the Scrum Master take first?

Accepted Answer

Ask the team member to raise a ticket and continue the stand-up, then follow up after the event to help resolve the impediment.. The Daily Stand-up is a timeboxed coordination event, so impediments should be noted and addressed afterward. The Scrum Master's first action is to ensure the blocker is captured and then actively help remove it, preserving the stand-up's focus. This balances respect for the timebox with the Scrum Master's accountability for impediment removal.

Answer

Instruct the team member to work on a different backlog item until the environment is available.

Answer

Escalate the blocker to the Release Train Engineer during the stand-up and wait for instructions.

Answer

Extend the stand-up to brainstorm solutions with the entire team until the environment issue is resolved.

Question 3

During the Inspect and Adapt event for the first Agile Release Train PI, a newly formed Scrum Team expresses frustration that their velocity dropped significantly in the second iteration due to technical debt and unexpected defect rework. How should the Scrum Master guide the team in utilizing this feedback?

Accepted Answer

Guide the team to analyze the root causes of rework and create specific improvement backlog items to address technical debt during upcoming iterations.. The Inspect and Adapt event provides a structured mechanism for teams to evaluate their performance, identify systemic impediments, and generate actionable improvement backlog items. By framing the velocity drop as a learning opportunity rather than a failure, the Scrum Master helps the team prioritize technical debt remediation. This ensures continuous improvement is systematically integrated into future iteration planning sessions.

Answer

Recommend that the team abandon formal Definition of Done criteria temporarily to restore high story point delivery velocity in the next iteration.

Answer

Advise the Product Owner to remove all complex stories from the team backlog until the team achieves a stable baseline velocity of thirty points.

Answer

Report the velocity drop as an underperformance issue to executive management so they can reassign lower-performing developers to other teams.

Question 4

During the Iteration Review, a stakeholder heavily criticizes a feature. How should the Scrum Master intervene?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the stakeholder to provide specific, actionable feedback that the team can consider.. The Scrum Master must maintain the psychological safety of the team while allowing constructive feedback. By redirecting the conversation toward the specific, actionable aspects of the feedback, the Scrum Master ensures the session remains productive. This professional handling of conflict models the behavior expected in a collaborative environment and prevents the review from devolving into a personal attack on developers.

Answer

Defend the team immediately to prevent the stakeholder from being rude.

Answer

Ask the stakeholder to leave the review if they cannot be respectful to the team.

Answer

Apologize to the stakeholder for the feature and promise to redo it immediately.

Question 5

A team is struggling to implement 'Built-in Quality' and frequently has a high number of defects at the end of an Iteration. How can the Scrum Master best help?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to adopt Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Pair Programming.. Built-in Quality is a core SAFe principle. The Scrum Master supports this by coaching the team on technical practices like Test-First, Continuous Integration, and Pair Work. By facilitating the adoption of these practices, the Scrum Master helps the team reduce rework and ensure that quality is considered throughout the development process, not just at the end.

Answer

Suggest the team adds a 'Quality Assurance' phase at the end of each Iteration to catch bugs.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to lower the acceptance criteria so that more Stories can pass testing.

Answer

Hire a dedicated tester for the team to take over all the validation and verification work.

Question 6

A team finds that they consistently fail to finish their committed stories. During the retrospective, the Scrum Master notices the team is spending significant time on unplanned support tickets. What should the Scrum Master recommend?

Accepted Answer

Work with the Product Owner to allocate capacity for support work in future iterations.. The Scrum Master must help the team visualize the impact of unplanned work on their capacity. By working with the Product Owner to allocate specific capacity for support or using a buffer, the team can make their commitments more predictable. This systemic approach addresses the root cause of the delivery failure rather than blaming the team for missing targets.

Answer

Ignore the support tickets and focus only on the committed user stories.

Answer

Ask the developers to work overtime to finish both stories and tickets.

Answer

Assign a dedicated support team member to handle all tickets alone.

Question 7

During the Inspect and Adapt event, a team's quantitative measurement shows a sharp increase in escaped defects over the last three iterations. The Scrum Master wants the team to move from the metrics review into meaningful root-cause analysis. What is the most appropriate next step?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate the team through a structured problem-solving workshop to identify the root cause, then define and own corrective actions.. The Inspect and Adapt event is structured to move from the quantitative measurement of a significant problem into a Problem-Solving Workshop where the team performs root-cause analysis and defines corrective actions it owns. Facilitating that workshop addresses the defect trend at its source, while estimating cost, adding a PI objective, or delegating to an architect all skip the diagnosis the event requires.

Answer

Have the team estimate the cost of each escaped defect and report the total to the Release Train Engineer for prioritization.

Answer

Add a defect-reduction objective to the team's next Program Increment planning so the issue is tracked at the ART level.

Answer

Ask the system architect to review the team's code and assign the necessary refactoring work to specific developers.

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the goal of the 'Inspect and Adapt' event in SAFe?

Accepted Answer

To identify process improvements for the ART using a structured workshop.. The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event is the cornerstone of continuous improvement in SAFe. It allows the ART to reflect on the completed PI, review the system demo, and use quantitative metrics to identify process improvements. This event is essential because it fosters a culture of relentless improvement, ensuring that the train evolves its practices, increases productivity, and improves quality through structured, actionable problem-solving workshops.

Answer

To re-plan the upcoming PI and adjust team membership.

Answer

To demonstrate the system to stakeholders and collect feedback.

Answer

To review the team's individual velocity and performance metrics.

Question 9

During Team Breakout #1 in PI Planning, the team finds that their capacity is exceeded by the features assigned to them. What should the Scrum Master do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a conversation between the team and the PO to prioritize the work.. The Scrum Master's role is to ensure the team creates a realistic plan. When capacity is exceeded, the first step is to seek clarification and prioritization from the Product Owner. This prevents the team from committing to an unachievable amount of work and ensures they focus on the highest value items.

Answer

Ask the team to work overtime to ensure all features are included.

Answer

Move the excess features to the 'Uncommitted' list without consultation.

Answer

Wait for the Draft Plan Review to see if management notices the gap.

Question 10

The Product Owner returns from a PO Sync and informs the team that a new high-priority Feature must be started in the current PI. How does the Scrum Master help the team?

Accepted Answer

Help the PO assess the impact on current PI Objectives and communicate tradeoffs.. While SAFe encourages a stable plan during the PI, it also recognizes that business needs can change. The Scrum Master's role is to protect the team's sustainable pace while helping them adapt to these changes. This involves facilitating a process where the impact of new work is transparently evaluated against the existing commitments.

Answer

Refuse the change to protect the team's original PI plan and commitment.

Answer

Add the feature to the current iteration and ask the team to work overtime.

Answer

Ask the Release Train Engineer to decide if the team should take the work.

Question 11

A Scrum Master notices that the team's Iteration Retrospective has become a status meeting where members report what they did rather than reflect on how they worked. Which action should the Scrum Master take to refocus the event on its intended purpose?

Accepted Answer

Introduce a structured format such as Start-Stop-Continue and explicitly ask the team to discuss process, interactions, and tools rather than task status.. The Retrospective exists for the team to inspect its process and identify improvements. When it devolves into status reporting, the Scrum Master should guide the team back to process-focused reflection. A structured format with explicit prompts about process, interactions, and tools achieves this while preserving team ownership and the event's purpose.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to lead the Retrospective and prioritize the team's backlog based on reported progress.

Answer

Cancel the Retrospective for the next Iteration and instead use the time for backlog refinement.

Answer

Report the team's lack of retrospective focus to the Release Train Engineer and request that the team be coached on Agile principles.

Question 12

Two iterations into a PI, the Scrum Master notices that the team's representatives consistently arrive at the Scrum of Scrums unprepared, reporting only their own status while the ART's cross-team dependencies go unaddressed. What is the most effective action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team to prepare dependency information before each Scrum of Scrums, coaching the representative on raising blockers and following up on commitments.. The Scrum Master's responsibility for ART events is to help teams get value from them, so the right move is to coach the team representative to arrive with dependency status, blockers, and follow-up items. That keeps ownership with the team, improves coordination for the whole train, and builds a habit that persists beyond the current PI. Imposing controls or substituting for the representative addresses symptoms rather than capability.

Answer

Attend the Scrum of Scrums personally and take over reporting so the team's dependency information is presented accurately.

Answer

Recommend the team stop sending representatives and instead post dependency updates in a shared channel that other teams can read asynchronously.

Answer

Ask the Release Train Engineer to add a mandatory dependency checklist to the Scrum of Scrums agenda and enforce attendance rules for all representatives.

Question 13

During a SAFe Inspect and Adapt event, the Agile Team identifies a systemic impediment that requires collaboration with another Agile Release Train. What should the Scrum Master do next?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with the Release Train Engineer and other Scrum Masters to escalate the finding and establish cross-ART problem-solving channels.. The Scrum Master facilitates cross-train collaboration by leveraging ART networks and value stream connections to escalate and resolve systemic issues. By partnering with Release Train Engineers and other Scrum Masters, the Scrum Master ensures that impediments beyond the team's boundary receive proper visibility and programmatic remediation.

Answer

Direct the team to solve the problem internally by modifying their local processes to bypass the dependent release train completely.

Answer

File an enterprise IT support ticket and wait for corporate management to resolve the workflow bottleneck without team involvement.

Answer

Cancel all future Inspect and Adapt events since the team cannot control issues originating outside of their immediate team boundary.

Question 14

During an Iteration Retrospective, the Scrum Master notices that the same two vocal team members dominate the conversation, while quieter members offer no input. Which technique should the Scrum Master use to ensure balanced participation?

Accepted Answer

Utilize silent brainstorming techniques, such as brainwriting on sticky notes, before opening the floor to verbal discussion.. To overcome dominant personalities in retrospectives, the Scrum Master should employ silent writing techniques like brainwriting before verbal discussion. This allows every team member an equal opportunity to generate ideas without interruption or intimidation. Facilitating inclusive participation ensures the team captures diverse perspectives and uncovers root causes that might otherwise remain hidden.

Answer

Ban the two dominant team members from attending future retrospectives so the quieter members feel safer speaking.

Answer

Designate yourself as the sole speaker for the team, summarizing what you believe everyone else experienced.

Answer

Ignore the imbalance, assuming that quiet team members simply have nothing meaningful to contribute to the discussion.

Question 15

During the Scrum of Scrums, Team Beta reports they will miss a dependency needed by Team Alpha. As Scrum Master for Team Alpha, what is the most appropriate immediate action?

Accepted Answer

Work with Team Beta's Scrum Master to renegotiate the dependency timing and update the ART's program board.. The Scrum of Scrums is the forum for resolving cross-team dependencies. The Scrum Master should facilitate direct collaboration with the other team's Scrum Master to renegotiate timing and update the program board, keeping the ART's plan transparent. Escalating immediately, halting work, or merely logging the risk without replanning all fail to address the dependency effectively.

Answer

Instruct Team Alpha to stop work on the dependent Feature until Team Beta delivers.

Answer

Log the dependency as a risk in the team's backlog and continue with the current plan unchanged.

Answer

Escalate to the Release Train Engineer to force Team Beta to reprioritize the dependency.

Question 16

During an Iteration Review for a team adopting SAFe Scrum, a stakeholder expresses frustration that a major user story was not completed because the team spent unexpected time fixing architectural defects. The Product Owner accepted the partial work. How should the Scrum Master address this?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team and Product Owner on the Definition of Done, ensuring only fully completed stories are accepted and counted.. The Scrum Master must coach both the Product Owner and the team on the strict definition of done, emphasizing that incomplete stories cannot be accepted as done simply because some work was performed. Unfinished stories must return to the backlog for re-prioritization in future planning cycles.

Answer

Instruct the Product Owner to mark the story as complete in the tracking tool so the velocity metrics remain artificially high.

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Advise the team to skip writing automated unit tests in future iterations so they can deliver features faster under pressure.

Answer

Blame the System Architect for failing to provide clear technical guidelines before the iteration started.

Question 17

An Agile Team in a SAFe ART has a Scrum Master/Team Coach who also serves as the team's technical lead. During the Iteration Retrospective, the team raises that the Scrum Master often makes technical decisions without team input, which stifles ownership. Which action best aligns with the Scrum Master/Team Coach role?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team discussion to redistribute technical decision-making, and coach the team to own technical choices while you focus on process and growth.. The Scrum Master/Team Coach must avoid becoming the team's technical decision-maker, even if they have expertise. By facilitating a discussion and coaching the team to own technical choices, the Scrum Master restores self-management and focuses on process facilitation and team growth. This approach honors the servant-leader mindset and directly resolves the team's concern about stifled ownership.

Answer

Relinquish all technical involvement and focus exclusively on process facilitation, even if the team asks for technical guidance.

Answer

Escalate the team's complaint to the Release Train Engineer and ask them to mandate a separation of roles.

Answer

Continue making technical decisions but document them in the team's wiki to improve transparency.

Question 18

Refer to the exhibit. Why would the Scrum Master coach the team to mark the 'Auth API' objective as uncommitted?

Accepted Answer

The team faces high technical uncertainty or external dependencies.. Uncommitted objectives are not extra work; they are planned items that have significant uncertainty or dependency risks. The Scrum Master coaches the team to use this category to ensure the ART's commitment remains reliable. This practice improves predictability by distinguishing between what is highly likely and what is contingent on external factors.

Answer

The objective has low business value for the stakeholders.

Answer

The team has a lack of interest in this specific technical task.

Answer

It is a stretch goal that the team will only start if they finish early.

Question 19

During a Team Increment Planning event, a Agile Team realizes their draft plan relies heavily on an external supplier team that has not committed to providing the needed API by iteration two. What should the SAFe Scrum Master facilitate?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a direct conversation with the supplier team, highlight the risk on the program board, and adjust team objectives accordingly.. The Scrum Master must facilitate transparent collaboration during PI Planning by ensuring the dependency is formally documented on the program board and discussed with the dependent team. Escalating early to management and product management helps resolve bottlenecks before final commitments are made, maintaining alignment across the Agile Release Train.

Answer

Ignore the dependency and assume the supplier will magically deliver on time.

Answer

Have the team commit to the original plan and blame the supplier if failure occurs later.

Answer

Cancel the PI Planning event immediately until the supplier signs a legally binding contract.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

To demonstrate working, tested stories to stakeholders and gather immediate feedback on the solution increment.. The Iteration Review provides a cadence-based opportunity for the Agile Team to assess the solution increment with key stakeholders, review metrics, and adjust the backlog. This ensures continuous alignment between the team's output and stakeholder expectations. This matters because it validates working software against real user needs rather than just tracking theoretical completion.

Answer

To evaluate individual team member performance and assign annual ratings.

Answer

To perform deep root-cause analysis on team interpersonal conflicts and process bottlenecks.

Answer

To plan the capacity and draft high-level objectives for the upcoming Program Increment.