SSM Practice Exam 4 — 20 Questions

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of the Iteration Review in a SAFe Scrum team?

Accepted Answer

To demonstrate the team's work and receive feedback from stakeholders.. The Iteration Review provides an opportunity for the team to demonstrate the working, tested product to stakeholders and gather feedback. This feedback loop is the foundation of iterative development, as it ensures the team is building the right thing. It is critical because it validates assumptions early, allowing for course correction and ensuring that the final output aligns with the customers' needs and the PI objectives.

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To review the team's velocity and discuss team member performance.

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To plan the tasks for the next iteration.

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To resolve conflicts between team members.

Question 2

Which of these is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to encourage team transparency?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the team board is always up to date and reflects current reality.. Transparency is built by making the work and the process visible to everyone. Using tools like the team board, burndown charts, and open communication during team events ensures that nothing is hidden. When the team sees the state of their work, they are empowered to self-organize, resolve issues, and take ownership of their progress, which is the hallmark of a high-performing Agile team.

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Keep all progress information private until the end of the iteration.

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Report all status updates to management on the team's behalf.

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Only show the positive results to stakeholders during the demo.

Question 3

During a SAFe Scrum team's Retrospective, several team members express frustration that the Product Owner frequently changes priorities mid-iteration, causing unfinished work. The Scrum Master wants to address this systematically. What is the most effective action to take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion with the Product Owner and team to establish a working agreement on mid-iteration scope changes.. The Scrum Master should facilitate the creation of a working agreement between the team and Product Owner to manage mid-iteration changes. This collaborative approach addresses the root cause, respects the Product Owner's role, and empowers the team to protect its iteration goal. It also builds a healthier working relationship and promotes self-organization.

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Instruct the team to ignore any requests from the Product Owner until the next iteration.

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Recommend that the team adopt Kanban instead of Scrum to handle changing priorities more flexibly.

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Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer to enforce a change freeze during iterations.

Question 4

An Agile Team has consistently missed their Iteration Goals for the past three iterations because the Product Owner frequently introduces urgent new stories mid-iteration. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to coach the team and Product Owner?

Accepted Answer

Realign expectations by coaching the Product Owner on the cost of context switching, establishing that iteration commitments remain stable once accepted.. The Scrum Master protects the team from external disruption and coaches the Product Owner on sustainable backlog management. By enforcing the stability of the iteration backlog and redirecting unplanned work through proper refinement channels, the Scrum Master ensures the team can focus on achieving their committed goals without sacrificing quality or predictability.

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Instruct the developers to ignore all requests from the Product Owner and proceed with their original iteration backlog items without communication.

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Extend the iteration duration by three days whenever unplanned stories are introduced to accommodate the extra work without penalty.

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Assume the role of Product Owner temporarily to filter incoming requests and make executive decisions on scope adjustments during execution.

Question 5

During PI Planning, what is the required outcome if any team member votes two fingers or fewer during the confidence vote?

Accepted Answer

The individual's concerns must be heard and the plan may need to be reworked. The confidence vote is a 'Fist of Five' exercise. If anyone votes two or fewer, it indicates they do not believe the plan is achievable. The person's concerns must be heard and addressed. This may require the team to rework their plan or adjust objectives until everyone reaches at least a three-finger level of confidence.

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The vote is recorded, and the team proceeds with the plan as written

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The Scrum Master must override the vote if the Product Owner is confident

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The person with low confidence is moved to a different team for the PI

Question 6

During the first PI Planning event on a new Agile Release Train, a Scrum Master sees that one team has no draft PI Objectives and has not identified any dependencies, claiming they will 'figure it out during the iteration.' The Release Train Engineer asks the Scrum Master to help. What is the most effective action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team during the draft plan review to articulate PI Objectives and surface dependencies so the team can commit to a shared plan with the ART.. PI Planning requires each team to produce draft PI Objectives and identify dependencies so the whole ART can align on a shared plan. Coaching the team to build those objectives and surface dependencies during the event keeps them inside the SAFe cadence and gives the Release Train Engineer the visibility needed for the program board and management review.

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Tell the team to skip PI Planning and instead focus on their first iteration, since PI Objectives are optional for new teams.

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Escalate to the Business Owners that the team is not ready for SAFe and recommend removing them from the Agile Release Train.

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Write the PI Objectives on the team's behalf and submit them to the Release Train Engineer before the draft plan review.

Question 7

A Scrum Master is helping a brand-new team understand how their work fits into the Agile Release Train. The team asks who owns the decision about what the team will deliver in the next Program Increment and where that decision is made. What should the Scrum Master explain?

Accepted Answer

The team, together with its Product Owner and the other teams, creates and agrees to team PI Objectives during PI Planning, with business value assigned by the Business Owners.. PI Planning is the cadence-based event where each team, guided by its Product Owner, drafts team PI Objectives, identifies dependencies, and commits to a plan it presents to the train. Business Owners then assign business value. This makes the team and Product Owner the authors, with Business Owners evaluating rather than dictating content.

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The System Architect defines the team PI Objectives based on the architectural runway and hands them to the Product Owner for execution tracking.

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The Release Train Engineer alone writes the team PI Objectives before PI Planning and distributes them so the teams can begin execution immediately.

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The Business Owners select the team PI Objectives during the management review and problem-solving session on the second day of PI Planning.

Question 8

Which THREE items are primary responsibilities of a Scrum Master when introducing Scrum within a SAFe environment?

Accepted Answer

Removing impediments that block the team's progress.. The Scrum Master is a servant leader who facilitates team events, coaches the team on SAFe practices, and removes systemic impediments. In SAFe, they also coordinate across teams to manage dependencies. These responsibilities are vital for maintaining the flow of value across the Agile Release Train and ensuring the team remains aligned with the broader program goals while maximizing their own local agility.

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Writing and maintaining the Program Backlog.

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Setting the vision and roadmap for the ART.

Question 9

In a large Agile Release Train, the System Demo is often attended by various stakeholders. Why is it important for the Scrum Master to ensure the team is prepared for this event every two weeks?

Accepted Answer

To provide objective evidence of progress and get stakeholder feedback. The System Demo is the primary mechanism for receiving objective feedback on the integrated system. If the team is not prepared, they lose the opportunity to validate their work against stakeholder expectations. Regular demos ensure that any misalignments are caught early, reducing the risk of a significant 'miss' at the end of the PI.

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To allow the team to practice their public speaking and presentation skills

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To ensure the team has a reason to complete their stories before the deadline

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To give the Scrum Master a chance to demonstrate the team's velocity

Question 10

A team is failing to reach their Iteration Goal consistently. What should the Scrum Master focus on to help the team improve?

Accepted Answer

Focus the Retrospective on identifying systemic blockers and improving backlog refinement.. Consistency in meeting iteration goals is a sign of healthy team flow. When a team fails, the Scrum Master should look at the systemic factors: are the stories too large? Is the team over-committing? Are there blockers they aren't addressing? By analyzing these factors and facilitating process improvements in the Retrospective, the Scrum Master enables the team to become more predictable and successful.

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Require the team to work longer hours to meet the goal.

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Change the team members to bring in 'better' talent.

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Lower the Iteration Goals to ensure they are always met, regardless of value.

Question 11

Which role on the Agile Release Train does the Scrum Master collaborate with most closely to resolve cross-team impediments?

Accepted Answer

The Release Train Engineer (RTE), who facilitates the ART and removes program-level obstacles.. The Release Train Engineer (RTE) is the 'Chief Scrum Master' for the ART. When a Scrum Master identifies an impediment that is outside the team's control or involves multiple teams, they work with the RTE to escalate and resolve it. This collaboration ensures that the train's overall flow is maintained and that systemic issues are addressed.

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The System Architect, to ensure the technical solution is robust enough to handle the blocker.

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The Product Manager, to reprioritize the Feature so the impediment is no longer relevant.

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The Business Owner, to gain the necessary funding to hire more resources for the team.

Question 12

A newly formed Scrum team inside an Agile Release Train keeps asking the Scrum Master to assign tasks, resolve every technical disagreement, and approve their design decisions. The Scrum Master wants to establish the appropriate Scrum Team self-management behavior described in SAFe. What should the Scrum Master do first?

Accepted Answer

Teach the team that they own how they do the work, and coach them to pull work and decide technical matters themselves.. A Scrum Team in SAFe is self-managing and cross-functional, meaning the team determines how it accomplishes its work. When a team repeatedly looks to the Scrum Master for task assignment and technical decisions, the correct response is coaching that transfers ownership back to the team. Directing, escalating, or delegating that authority to the Product Owner all preserve the dependency instead of building self-management.

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Escalate to the Release Train Engineer so that the RTE can direct the team until it matures.

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Ask the Product Owner to assign tasks and arbitrate technical disagreements during Iteration Planning.

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Begin assigning tasks for one more iteration while the team builds technical confidence, then gradually withdraw.

Question 13

A Scrum Master is facilitating the ART Sync for a newly launched Agile Release Train. The Product Manager has not attended the last three sessions, and the System Architect is also consistently absent. The teams are still sharing progress and dependencies. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Raise the attendance gap with the Release Train Engineer and help the Product Manager and System Architect understand their role in the ART Sync.. The ART Sync exists to synchronize teams and surface dependencies, and it relies on the Product Manager and System Architect for content and technical decisions. When those roles are absent, the Scrum Master should coach and escalate through the Release Train Engineer rather than cancel or replace the event. This preserves the cadence while addressing the root cause of the attendance problem.

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Take over the Product Manager's backlog prioritization duties during the ART Sync to keep the meeting productive.

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Replace the ART Sync with a written status report distributed by email to the Product Manager and System Architect.

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Cancel the ART Sync until the Product Manager and System Architect can attend.

Question 14

During an Iteration, an Agile Team member repeatedly bypasses the team's agreed-upon engineering practices, causing rework and integration issues. Other team members are frustrated but hesitant to confront the individual. As the Scrum Master / Team Coach, what is the most appropriate first action?

Accepted Answer

Privately coach the individual on the impact of their actions and remind them of the team's working agreements.. The Scrum Master / Team Coach should first address the behavior privately with the individual, coaching them on the impact and reinforcing the team's working agreements. This respects the individual, maintains psychological safety, and aligns with servant leadership. Escalation or public confrontation should be avoided unless the behavior persists and cannot be resolved within the team.

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Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer so they can enforce the engineering standards.

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Update the team's definition of done to include stricter checks that will catch the individual's mistakes.

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Raise the issue during the next Daily Scrum to ensure everyone is aware and can hold each other accountable.

Question 15

During PI Planning, a team identifies a major technical risk that could block their progress for three iterations. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Add the risk to the ART's ROAM board during the PI Planning session.. The Scrum Master must facilitate transparency regarding the risk. In SAFe, risks are managed using the ROAM technique (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated). By bringing this to the attention of the ART during the PI Planning 'ROAMing' session, the Scrum Master ensures that leadership is aware and can provide the necessary support or resources to mitigate the issue before it derails the entire Program Increment.

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Keep the risk hidden from management to avoid looking incompetent.

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Ask the team to ignore the risk and hope it resolves itself.

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Immediately disband the team and reassign them to other projects.

Question 16

During an Iteration Retrospective, a Scrum team identifies that too many stories were brought into the iteration, resulting in frequent context switching and low completion rates. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to calculate their velocity accurately and commit to a realistic amount of work that matches their capacity.. The Scrum Master should coach the team to establish and respect a realistic Work in Process (WIP) limit, ensuring they commit only to what they can realistically finish based on historical velocity. This prevents overloading the team and fosters a sustainable cadence of continuous flow.

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Require the team to work mandatory weekend overtime to finish all the open stories before the next iteration starts.

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Remove the Scrum Master role from the team and let them self-manage without any coaching on process discipline.

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Assign stories arbitrarily to individual developers so that each person has a separate, isolated task list.

Question 17

A SAFe Scrum Master/Team Coach notices that during Iteration Retrospectives, the team consistently identifies the same improvement action but never implements it. The team agrees the action is valuable but claims they lack time during the Iteration. What should the Scrum Master do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a root-cause discussion to understand why the improvement is not being implemented and help the team adjust their Iteration plan or working agreements.. The Scrum Master/Team Coach should first facilitate a root-cause discussion to uncover why the improvement is not being implemented, then help the team adjust their plan or working agreements. This keeps ownership with the team, builds their problem-solving capability, and addresses the real obstacle. Imposing a solution or escalating prematurely would not create sustainable change.

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Escalate the issue to the Product Owner and ask them to reduce the team's Iteration commitment so they have time for improvements.

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Add the improvement action as a mandatory backlog item for the next Iteration and track it like a Story.

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Decide that the improvement is not a priority and remove it from the retrospective action list to avoid frustration.

Question 18

During a SAFe transformation, a Scrum Master notices that the team treats the Iteration Review as a status meeting for the Scrum Master and Product Owner only. Stakeholders are not invited, and no working software is demonstrated. What should the Scrum Master do to correct this when introducing Scrum in SAFe?

Accepted Answer

Invite stakeholders, coach the team to demonstrate the working increment, and use the feedback to adapt the backlog.. The Iteration Review exists so the team can demonstrate a working, tested increment to stakeholders and use their feedback to adapt. When it degrades into a status meeting, the Scrum Master must restore stakeholder participation and a demo of working software. That feedback also feeds the train-level System Demo and helps keep the Agile Release Train aligned to value.

Answer

Convert the Iteration Review into a second Retrospective so the team can focus solely on its internal process.

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Replace the Iteration Review with a written status report distributed to stakeholders at the end of each iteration.

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Ask the Release Train Engineer to present the team's results at the next System Demo instead of holding a team-level review.

Question 19

A Scrum Master is preparing her team for their first ART Sync. The team is unsure what the primary purpose of this event is. What should she tell them?

Accepted Answer

It is where the train's teams and shared services coordinate their work and address dependencies and risks.. The ART Sync is a recurring train-level coordination event where teams, shared services, and other representatives align on progress, dependencies, and risks during PI execution. It complements team-level events like the daily stand-up and is distinct from PI Planning and the Inspect and Adapt. Explaining this purpose helps the team understand how their work connects to the broader train.

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It is the formal event where the train commits to the PI objectives that were drafted during PI Planning.

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It is a retrospective where the train inspects its process and identifies improvement items for the next PI.

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It replaces the daily stand-up for teams on the train so they only need to meet once per week.

Question 20

The ART Sync is becoming a status reporting meeting rather than a synchronization event. How can the Scrum Master help the RTE pivot the meeting?

Accepted Answer

Focus the agenda on dependencies and the ROAM board risks.. The ART Sync is intended for cross-team coordination and risk management, not for reading status reports that could be found in a tool. The Scrum Master should coach the RTE to focus the conversation on dependencies, risks, and progress toward PI Objectives, ensuring the time is spent solving problems.

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Extend the meeting time to allow for more detailed team status updates.

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Require each team to submit a detailed written report before the meeting.

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Cancel the meeting if there are no major issues to report that day.