SSM Supporting ART Events — 40 Questions

Question 1

Which preparation activity is essential for a successful PI Planning event according to the Scrum Master's responsibilities?

Accepted Answer

Ensuring the Team Backlog is refined and features are prioritized.. Preparation is key to a smooth PI Planning. The Scrum Master supports the RTE and Product Management by ensuring that the logistics, content, and people are ready. This includes making sure the team understands the vision and that the backlog is sufficiently refined to allow for effective planning during the breakout sessions.

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Finalizing the exact daily schedule for every developer on the team.

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Writing all the user stories for the team to save time during breakouts.

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Determining the business value for each of the team's PI Objectives.

Question 2

What are TWO primary outputs of the PI Planning event? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Committed PI Objectives.. PI Planning results in two main outputs that guide the ART for the next several iterations. These outputs provide both the 'what' (objectives) and the 'how/when' (plan). They are the culmination of the collaboration between business stakeholders and the technical teams during the two-day event.

Answer

Individual team performance reviews.

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A detailed project plan with daily milestones.

Answer

The Architectural Runway Roadmap.

Question 3

When a team identifies a risk during PI Planning, which TWO categories are part of the ROAM technique? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Mitigated.. ROAM is a powerful technique used during PI Planning to manage and categorize risks transparently. It allows the ART to decide how to handle each risk collaboratively. The Scrum Master ensures the team properly identifies and categorizes their risks so they can be addressed by the right people.

Answer

Overlooked.

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Reassigned.

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Minimized.

Question 4

Which THREE components make up the Inspect and Adapt event? (Choose THREE)

Accepted Answer

The PI System Demo. The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is a significant event held at the end of every Program Increment to improve the ART's performance. It consists of three distinct parts that allow the train to reflect on the past PI and plan improvements for the next. The Scrum Master facilitates the team's participation to ensure they contribute to the collective growth.

Answer

PI Planning

Answer

Solution Demo

Question 5

Refer to the exhibit. During the Scrum of Scrums at PI Planning, the Scrum Master for Team B notices the dependency link. How should the Scrum Master address this?

Accepted Answer

Verify the dependency is resolved before Feature Beta starts by coordinating a schedule change.. Managing dependencies on the Program Board is a critical skill for a Scrum Master during PI Planning. The board provides a visual representation of how Features and stories interact across different teams and iterations. Identifying a red string that points backward in time indicates a scheduling conflict that will prevent a Feature from being completed on time without intervention.

Answer

Move Feature Beta to Iteration 1.1 immediately to align with the dependency.

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Request that the System Architect remove the dependency from the board.

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Assign the dependency to a different ART to reduce the burden on Team A.

Question 6

During the Draft Plan Review in PI Planning, what THREE pieces of information are teams expected to present? (Choose THREE)

Accepted Answer

Draft PI Objectives. The Draft Plan Review is a critical touchpoint where teams present their initial thoughts to the entire ART and leadership. This allows for early feedback and identifies major issues before the final plan is locked in. The Scrum Master ensures the team is prepared to clearly communicate their capacity and risks.

Answer

The final ART Backlog

Answer

Individual task lists

Question 7

Which TWO metrics are typically reviewed during the Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement part of the Inspect and Adapt event? (Choose TWO)

Accepted Answer

Program Predictability Measure. During the Inspect and Adapt event, the train looks at both data and process to find improvement areas. Quantitative and Qualitative measurements provide the 'what' of the performance, while the subsequent workshops investigate the 'why.' The Scrum Master helps the team interpret these metrics to ensure improvements are based on facts.

Answer

Team Velocity

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Individual Performance Reviews

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Number of daily stand-ups held

Question 8

Refer to the exhibit. Based on the PI Objectives and their Business Value (BV) scores, what should the Scrum Master highlight during the Inspect and Adapt Quantitative Measurement phase?

Accepted Answer

The failure to deliver API Security is the primary driver of the predictability gap. During the I&A quantitative measurement, the train's predictability is calculated. Uncommitted objectives are included in the 'Actual BV' but not the 'Planned BV' denominator. In this exhibit, 'API Security' received 0, significantly lowering predictability. The Scrum Master should facilitate a discussion on why a high-value objective was not met while an uncommitted one was.

Answer

The team achieved 100% predictability because they finished the uncommitted work

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The uncommitted objective should have been given a Planned BV of zero

Answer

Business Owners were incorrect to assign a 10 to Cloud Migration

Question 9

During the first iteration execution of a Program Increment, the Scrum Master notices that the Agile Release Train's teams are struggling to integrate their work continuously. Feature dependencies are discovered late, threatening the PI commitment. What is the most effective action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate increased participation in the Scrum of Scrums and coach teams to establish earlier, incremental system integration points.. Facilitating cross-team synchronization through effective Scrum of Scrums and ART sync events helps surface dependencies immediately. The Scrum Master must coach the teams to improve their system demo cadence and build integration points earlier in the iteration, ensuring alignment and early risk identification across the Agile Release Train.

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Escalate the integration issues directly to the Release Train Engineer to mandate stricter subsystem boundaries.

Answer

Cancel the current iteration and require all teams to completely rewrite their integration test suites.

Answer

Wait until the next Inspect and Adapt event to discuss these systemic integration failures during the problem-solving workshop.

Question 10

Which TWO actions are primary responsibilities of the Scrum Master during the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) event?

Accepted Answer

Provide visibility into cross-team dependencies and their current status.. The Scrum of Scrums is a vital synchronization event where Scrum Masters represent their teams to coordinate work across the ART. Its primary focus is on identifying and resolving cross-team dependencies and tracking the progress of Features. This ensures that the ART remains on track to meet its PI Objectives and can respond to issues early.

Answer

Facilitate the technical design of cross-team interfaces and APIs.

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Update the individual team's burn-down charts for the current iteration.

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Assign new Stories to teams based on the remaining ART capacity.

Question 11

Refer to the exhibit. As a Scrum Master for Team Alpha, what is the most appropriate action to take at the next Scrum of Scrums based on the JSON data?

Accepted Answer

Collaborate with Team Beta's Scrum Master to identify if F-102 delivery must be moved to Iteration 4.. The exhibit shows a critical dependency for Feature F-102 where Team Beta's delay directly impacts Team Alpha's ability to deliver in the same iteration. In SAFe, dependencies must be completed at least one iteration before they are needed, or at minimum, the sequence must be carefully managed. A delay in a dependency during the delivery iteration is a high-risk event.

Answer

Ask Team Beta to move their work to Iteration 4 to provide more buffer.

Answer

Advise Team Alpha to begin their work anyway and use mock data until Team Beta finishes.

Answer

Request that the System Architect redesign the Feature to remove the dependency entirely.

Question 12

During the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) meeting, a Scrum Master from Team Beta reports that they will not meet a dependency needed by Team Alpha for an upcoming feature. The Scrum Master for Team Alpha is present. What is the most appropriate action for Team Alpha's Scrum Master to take next?

Accepted Answer

Work with Team Beta's Scrum Master during the SoS to understand the root cause and explore options to mitigate the impact.. The Scrum Master should collaborate with Team Beta's Scrum Master during the SoS to understand the root cause and explore mitigation options. The SoS is intended for cross-team coordination and dependency resolution. By engaging directly, the Scrum Master helps the teams adapt and maintain alignment, embodying the servant-leader role.

Answer

Instruct Team Alpha to proceed with their plan assuming the dependency will be met, and adjust later if needed.

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Ask Team Alpha to reprioritize their backlog to remove the dependency on Team Beta's work entirely.

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Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer (RTE) immediately after the SoS meeting to ensure visibility.

Question 13

During the ART Sync, the Scrum Master for Team Delta hears Team Echo report that they will not finish a shared API feature because Team Delta has not yet delivered the authentication service. Team Delta's board shows the authentication service is in progress but not yet started. What should the Scrum Master for Team Delta do first?

Accepted Answer

Ask Team Delta to immediately reprioritize the authentication service above its current work and inform Team Echo of the new expected delivery date.. The ART Sync is where cross-team dependencies and impediments are surfaced and resolved. When one team is blocked by another team's undelivered work, the Scrum Master helps the delivering team reprioritize the enabling work and communicate a realistic date. This keeps the ART aligned and allows the blocked team to replan based on facts rather than assumptions.

Answer

Record the dependency on the program board and ask Team Echo to wait until the next PI Planning to renegotiate the feature.

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Advise Team Echo to split the feature and deliver the non-authentication portions first while Team Delta continues its current work.

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Escalate to the Release Train Engineer and ask that Team Echo's feature be reassigned to another team that is not blocked.

Question 14

During the first day of PI Planning, the team realizes their drafted plan requires dependencies from another Agile Release Train (ART) that have not been committed. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to facilitate?

Accepted Answer

Escalate the uncommitted cross-ART dependencies to the Management Review and Problem-Solving session at the end of Day 1.. The Scrum Master must guide the team to surface these cross-ART dependencies immediately during the management review and problem-solving session at the end of Day 1. This ensures leadership from both trains can negotiate solutions, adjust scope, or reallocate capacity before finalizing the plan on Day 2, keeping the program increment aligned.

Answer

Ignore the uncommitted dependencies and finalize the plan anyway to avoid delaying the PI Planning schedule.

Answer

Independently rewrite the other team's backlog items to ensure the required functionality is built locally.

Answer

Cancel the PI Planning event immediately and postpone it until the other ART finishes their own planning cycle.

Question 15

Which Agile Release Train event provides the primary mechanism for synchronizing the work of all Agile Teams on the train?

Accepted Answer

Program Increment Planning. Program Increment Planning is the foundational cadence-based event where all teams align on a shared mission and vision. It synchronizes the entire Agile Release Train around a common set of objectives for the upcoming program increment, establishing visibility and dependency management across all participating teams.

Answer

The Daily Stand-up

Answer

The Scrum of Scrums

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System Demo

Question 16

During the first day of PI Planning, a team realizes that a critical architectural dependency will prevent them from completing their committed features. How should the Scrum Master coach the team for the Management Review and Problem-Solving session?

Accepted Answer

Summarize the dependency and its impact on the team's draft plan for the RTE.. The Management Review and Problem-Solving session is a pivotal event where leadership addresses challenges that teams cannot resolve alone. By clearly articulating the impact of the dependency, the Scrum Master ensures that the Release Train Engineer and Business Owners can make informed decisions about scope adjustments or resource reallocation to maintain the integrity of the ART.

Answer

Wait until the second day to see if other teams can take over the work.

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Advise the team to mark the feature as uncommitted without informing management.

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore the dependency and plan as if it were resolved.

Question 17

A Scrum Master notices that the System Demo is frequently delayed because teams are struggling to integrate their code at the end of the iteration. What is the best way to support this ART event?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to adopt Continuous Integration and align on integration points.. The System Demo relies on the ability to show integrated work from all teams on the Agile Release Train. If integration is failing, the Scrum Master must advocate for technical practices like Continuous Integration and more frequent synchronization to ensure the demo remains a viable mechanism for gathering stakeholder feedback and measuring progress.

Answer

Suggest moving the System Demo to every other iteration to allow more time.

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Ask the Product Owner to demo only the features that are fully completed.

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Request that the System Architect takes over the integration responsibilities.

Question 18

Which TWO activities occur during the ART Sync event to ensure the train stays on track? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Reviewing progress toward the PI Objectives and the ART predictability.. The ART Sync combines the visibility of the Scrum of Scrums and the PO Sync. It is designed to provide a holistic view of the progress toward PI Objectives while addressing dependencies and risks that cross team boundaries. It ensures that both the technical execution and the product vision remain aligned.

Answer

Estimating new Features using Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF).

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Conducting individual team retrospectives to improve internal processes.

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Assigning business value to the newly identified uncommitted objectives.

Question 19

During the Problem-Solving Workshop of the Inspect and Adapt event, several teams identify 'lack of automated testing' as a root cause. What is the Scrum Master's role in the next step?

Accepted Answer

Help the team define a specific improvement story for the PI Planning backlog.. The Problem-Solving Workshop is designed to produce actionable improvement items. Once a root cause is identified, the Scrum Master must guide the team to create specific, measurable backlog items that can be integrated into the next PI. This ensures that the I&A results in real change rather than just identifying complaints.

Answer

Assign the testing tasks to the most experienced developers immediately.

Answer

Create a new Feature for 'Automated Testing' and add it to the Funnel.

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Escalate the issue to the System Architect to solve for the whole ART.

Question 20

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.

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

Answer

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