SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Test 7 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A Scrum Master is helping a new SAFe team understand what distinguishes their way of working from traditional project management. Which two characteristics describe how the team plans and delivers within the iteration? (Choose two.)

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

Accepted Answer

The team pulls work from a prioritized Team Backlog and determines how much it can complete within the iteration. Two hallmarks of Scrum team delivery inside SAFe are pulling work from a prioritized Team Backlog with a capacity-based forecast, and producing an integrated, potentially shippable increment every iteration. Fixed unchangeable scope, percent-complete PMO reporting, and specialist ownership with functional reporting all reflect traditional project management rather than the self-managing, value-delivering behavior SAFe expects.

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The team assigns each user story to a single specialist who owns it end to end and reports status to the functional manager

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The team reports percent complete against a detailed baseline schedule to the Project Management Office each iteration

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The team commits to a fixed scope defined at the start of the Program Increment and cannot adjust it during iterations

Question 2

A newly formed SAFe team has just started its first iteration. The Scrum Master notices that the Product Owner is writing every User Story, estimating it, and assigning it directly to individual developers before Iteration Planning begins. Team members spend planning meetings passively receiving work. What should the Scrum Master do first to introduce Scrum correctly in this SAFe context?

Accepted Answer

Coach the Product Owner to bring prioritized User Stories with acceptance criteria into Iteration Planning and let the team self-manage estimation and task ownership.. The Product Owner should bring a prioritized Team Backlog to Iteration Planning, and the team should decide how much work to pull and how to organize it. Coaching the Product Owner away from pre-assigning and pre-estimating restores the self-management that Scrum requires at the team level in SAFe, while still respecting the Product Owner's authority over content and priority.

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Let the current approach continue for several iterations so the team can compare velocity before changing anything.

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Take over facilitation of Iteration Planning and personally assign each User Story to the developer with the most available capacity.

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Ask the Release Train Engineer to reassign the Product Owner to a different team where planning is already mature.

Question 3

During the first PI Planning event for a new Agile Release Train, a Scrum team's members are unsure how their team-level Scrum events connect to the ART's cadence. What should the Scrum Master emphasize to clarify how Scrum operates within SAFe?

Accepted Answer

Team iterations and ART events run on the same cadence so that team-level inspect-and-adapt feeds the ART's PI cadence.. SAFe preserves Scrum at the team level while adding ART-level alignment. Team iterations run on the same cadence as ART events, with the Program Increment containing several iterations. This nesting allows team-level inspect-and-adapt to feed the train's synchronization and Inspect and Adapt workshop. The Scrum Master clarifies this relationship so the team sees its Scrum events as part of, not replaced by, the ART's cadence.

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The team's iterations should be replaced by ART-level cadence events so planning happens only at the Program Increment boundary.

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The team should hold its Retrospective only at the end of each Program Increment to align with the ART's Inspect and Adapt workshop.

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The team's Daily Stand-up should be merged into the ART's Scrum of Scrums so status is reported once at the ART level.

Question 4

A Scrum Master is coaching a team that is new to Scrum within SAFe. The team keeps confusing which meetings belong to the team and which belong to the Agile Release Train. Which TWO events are ART-level events that the Scrum Master should distinguish from the team's own Scrum events? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Scrum of Scrums. SAFe adds train-level events on top of Scrum's team events. The Scrum of Scrums handles cross-team dependency coordination during the Iteration, and the Inspect and Adapt workshop closes the Program Increment with a system demo, metrics review, and problem-solving. Both involve the whole ART, unlike the team's own Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, and Retrospective.

Answer

Iteration Planning

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Iteration Retrospective

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Daily Stand-up

Question 5

A Scrum Master on a SAFe Agile Release Train observes that the team treats the Iteration Retrospective as a status meeting where each person reports completed stories to the Scrum Master. The Scrum Master wants the Retrospective to serve its purpose in Scrum. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to inspect how they work and identify improvements they will act on in the next Iteration.. The Iteration Retrospective exists for the team to inspect how it works and choose improvements to carry into the next Iteration. When the event degrades into status reporting, the Scrum Master coaches the team back to reflection and action rather than converting, delegating, or cancelling it. Restoring that purpose also strengthens the team's self-management of its own process.

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Cancel the Retrospective and use the time for additional backlog refinement until the team matures.

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Convert the Retrospective into a metrics review of velocity and cumulative flow so the team focuses on data.

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Ask the Product Owner to run the Retrospective so the Scrum Master can observe team dynamics objectively.

Question 6

A Scrum Master is introducing Scrum to a newly formed team within a SAFe Agile Release Train. Which two actions are appropriate for the Scrum Master to take to help the team adopt Scrum principles effectively? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Facilitate the team's understanding of how their work aligns with the Agile Release Train's PI objectives and cadence.. The Scrum Master should coach the team on self-organization and cross-functionality, and facilitate their understanding of alignment with the ART's PI objectives and cadence. These actions empower the team to take ownership and work effectively within the SAFe framework. Assigning tasks, making technical decisions, or isolating the team would hinder their growth and integration.

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Shield the team from all external stakeholders to prevent interruptions and maintain focus.

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Act as the primary decision-maker for the team's technical implementation to accelerate delivery.

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Assign specific tasks to team members during Sprint Planning to ensure all work is evenly distributed.

Question 7

A Scrum Master is helping a newly formed Scrum team in a SAFe ART understand which activities belong to the team's own Scrum events rather than to ART-level events. Which two activities are performed by the Scrum team during its own Scrum events? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Identifying and addressing process improvements during the Iteration Retrospective. The team's own Scrum events include Iteration Planning, the Daily Stand-up, the Iteration Review, and the Iteration Retrospective. Establishing the Iteration Goal occurs in Iteration Planning, and identifying process improvements occurs in the Iteration Retrospective, so both are team-level activities. The Program Board, PI Objectives review, and Scrum of Scrums are ART-level activities.

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Facilitating the Scrum of Scrums to coordinate cross-team dependencies

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Managing and updating the Program Board dependencies during PI Planning

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Reviewing and adjusting the ART's PI Objectives during the Inspect and Adapt event

Question 8

A Scrum Master joins an Agile Release Train where several teams have adopted Scrum ceremonies but still rely on a separate integration team to combine their work at the end of the Program Increment. The teams pass all their iteration reviews individually but the system demo repeatedly reveals broken integration. What should the Scrum Master focus on first?

Accepted Answer

Coach the teams to integrate and verify their combined work every iteration so the system demo reflects continuous integration rather than a late handoff. The recurring failure at the system demo shows that integration is being deferred to a separate team instead of being owned continuously by the teams that build the solution. Coaching teams to integrate and verify their combined work every iteration restores early feedback and aligns with SAFe's expectation that the ART demonstrates an integrated increment at each system demo. More meetings, a hardening iteration, or backlog reshuffling all leave the root behavior intact.

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Increase the frequency of the Scrum of Scrums so the integration team receives earlier notice of completed work

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Ask the Product Management group to reorder the Program Backlog so dependent features land in the same iteration for all teams

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Recommend that the Release Train Engineer add a hardening iteration at the end of the Program Increment for the integration team

Question 9

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 10

During the first Program Increment, a Scrum Master observes that the team's Iteration Review has become a one-way demo to stakeholders with no discussion of whether the Increment is potentially shippable. The Product Owner also wants to know how the team's progress will be evaluated across the train. What should the Scrum Master do?

Accepted Answer

Refocus the Iteration Review on inspecting the Increment and adapting the Team Backlog, and explain that the System Demo gives the ART an integrated view of progress each Iteration.. The Iteration Review exists so the team and stakeholders inspect the Increment and adapt the Team Backlog, while the System Demo provides the ART with an integrated view of progress each Iteration. Coaching both purposes restores the review's working-session character and answers the Product Owner's need for train-level visibility.

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Replace the Iteration Review with the System Demo so the team only participates in the ART-level event and avoids duplicating stakeholder time.

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Ask the Product Owner to present the team's completed stories at the System Demo instead, and cancel the Iteration Review until the team matures.

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Convert the Iteration Review into a status report delivered to the Release Train Engineer so the train has consistent metrics for the Inspect and Adapt workshop.

Question 11

A Scrum Master is supporting a newly formed SAFe team that has just started its first iteration. The team members keep asking the Scrum Master to assign tasks, prioritize the Team Backlog, and decide who will work on each story. Which action best reflects the Scrum Master's role when introducing Scrum in SAFe?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to self-manage by facilitating events, teaching Scrum principles, and removing impediments.. Introducing Scrum in SAFe means coaching the team toward self-management rather than directing its work. The Scrum Master facilitates Scrum events, teaches Scrum and SAFe principles, and removes impediments, while the Product Owner owns backlog priority and the team owns how work is done. This builds the team-level agility that the Agile Release Train depends on.

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Escalate to the Release Train Engineer and ask them to direct the team's daily work until the team matures.

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Assign each story to a specific developer and update the Team Board daily to keep the team on track.

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Take ownership of the Team Backlog and reprioritize items each morning so the team always has clear direction.

Question 12

A Scrum Master on an Agile Release Train observes that the team's Daily Stand-up has become a status report to the Scrum Master, lasting 30 minutes, with each developer giving a detailed account of tasks. The team is also skipping the Iteration Review and Retrospective because 'there is too much delivery pressure.' What should the Scrum Master do to introduce Scrum correctly?

Accepted Answer

Refocus the Daily Stand-up on inspecting progress toward the iteration goal and re-establish the Iteration Review and Retrospective as non-negotiable Scrum events.. In Scrum within SAFe, the Daily Stand-up exists so the team can inspect progress toward the iteration goal and adapt its plan, and the Iteration Review and Retrospective provide essential inspection and adaptation at the team level. Refocusing the stand-up and restoring the missing events keeps the team aligned with Scrum while supporting the ART's need for transparency and flow.

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Replace the Daily Stand-up with a written status email so the team can save time for delivery work.

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Ask the Release Train Engineer to attend the Daily Stand-up and enforce a strict 15-minute timebox for the team.

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Cancel the Iteration Review and Retrospective permanently and rely on the ART's System Demo and Inspect and Adapt instead.

Question 13

At the start of a SAFe adoption, a Scrum Master is explaining the Scrum Master role to a team that previously reported to a project manager. A team member asks how the Scrum Master differs from the project manager they are used to. Which description best reflects the Scrum Master role in Scrum within SAFe?

Accepted Answer

The Scrum Master serves the team and the organization by coaching, facilitating events, removing impediments, and fostering self-management. In Scrum within SAFe, the Scrum Master is a servant leader and coach: facilitating team events, teaching Scrum, removing impediments, and helping both the team and the wider organization improve. The role does not own schedule, budget, or technical decisions, and it does not own backlog priority, which belongs to the Product Owner. The coaching and facilitation description is the only one consistent with self-managing teams.

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The Scrum Master is the team's technical lead and makes architectural decisions when the team cannot reach consensus

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The Scrum Master owns the team's schedule and budget and is accountable for delivering the committed scope on time

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The Scrum Master represents the team's interests to stakeholders and owns the priority order of the Team Backlog

Question 14

A Scrum Master joins an ART where teams are running Iterations but nobody is coordinating cross-team dependencies, and risks are only discovered mid-Program Increment. The Release Train Engineer asks the Scrum Master to help establish the right forum. What should the Scrum Master recommend?

Accepted Answer

Establish the Scrum of Scrums so team representatives meet several times per week to coordinate dependencies, surface risks, and decide whether an ART Sync is needed.. SAFe addresses cross-team coordination with the Scrum of Scrums, where designated team representatives meet several times per week to manage dependencies, surface risks, and decide if an ART Sync is required. Establishing this forum gives the train continuous coordination rather than discovering risks late in the Program Increment.

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Ask each Product Owner to email a weekly dependency list to the Release Train Engineer, who will resolve conflicts during the Inspect and Adapt workshop.

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Add a second Daily Stand-up each afternoon where all teams join one call so every member hears every other team's progress.

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Schedule a daily Program Increment status meeting led by the Release Train Engineer where teams report percentage complete on their PI Objectives.

Question 15

A newly formed SAFe Scrum team has been running one-week iterations, and the Scrum Master notices that the team treats the Iteration Review as a status meeting where the Product Owner reads through completed tickets. The Product Owner argues that this is efficient because stakeholders only want a summary. What should the Scrum Master do to align the team with Scrum in SAFe?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to demonstrate a working, tested increment to stakeholders at the Iteration Review and use their feedback to adapt the Team Backlog.. In SAFe, the Iteration Review is the team's inspect-and-adapt event, and its value comes from demonstrating a working, tested increment and using stakeholder feedback to adjust the Team Backlog. A ticket-reading status meeting removes that feedback loop, so the Scrum Master should coach the team to demonstrate functionality and capture input that shapes the next iteration.

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Cancel the Iteration Review and let the Product Owner review completed tickets privately before the System Demo.

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Keep the format but invite the Release Train Engineer to validate the Product Owner's summary before it is shared.

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Replace the Iteration Review with a written status report circulated to stakeholders so the team can protect its iteration time.