SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During an Iteration Retrospective, a Scrum Master facilitates a team that has identified several process problems but is now stuck in vague complaints. The Scrum Master wants to help the team produce a small number of actionable improvement items that can be completed within the next iteration. (Choose two.)

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

Accepted Answer

Ask the team to limit improvements to one or two items and assign a single owner and due date for each.. When a team is stuck in vague complaints, the Scrum Master should introduce structure and limit the number of improvements. Start-Stop-Continue converts observations into concrete behaviors, while limiting improvements to one or two with a single owner and due date creates accountability. Together these practices help the team produce actionable outcomes within the iteration and avoid the trap of overcommitting to too many changes.

Answer

Extend the retrospective by an hour to ensure every complaint is fully analyzed before selecting improvements.

Answer

Ask each team member to write a personal improvement goal and track it privately without team discussion.

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Document all identified problems in the team's backlog so the Product Owner can prioritize them alongside features.

Question 2

During a team's Iteration Retrospective, the Scrum Master notices that two team members dominate the conversation while quieter members remain silent. The team must produce actionable improvement items before the timebox ends. What is the most effective facilitation action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Use a structured format such as silent brainstorming or round-robin to ensure all voices contribute before grouping and prioritizing actions.. The Scrum Master facilitates the retrospective so the team can inspect its process and choose improvements. When a few voices dominate, changing the format to silent brainstorming or round-robin broadens participation without directing content. This preserves team ownership, respects the timebox, and yields actionable items that the whole team understands and supports.

Answer

Ask the dominant members to stop talking so the Scrum Master can interview each silent member one by one.

Answer

Extend the retrospective beyond its timebox until every person has spoken at least twice.

Answer

Record only the dominant members' suggestions and ask the quieter members to submit written feedback after the retrospective.

Question 3

A SAFe Scrum Master notices that during the Daily Stand-up, team members consistently arrive late, check phones, and give lengthy updates to the Scrum Master rather than to each other. The Scrum Master wants to improve the effectiveness of this event. What is the most appropriate action?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team on the purpose of the Daily Stand-up and model a format where members speak to each other about progress toward the Iteration Goal.. The Daily Stand-up is a team synchronization event, not a status report to the Scrum Master. When members arrive late, disengage, or report to the Scrum Master, the Scrum Master should coach the team on the event's purpose and facilitate a format where members speak directly to each other about progress toward the Iteration Goal. This restores ownership and improves communication.

Answer

Require each member to submit a written status update before the meeting to reduce the time spent speaking.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to attend and lead the Daily Stand-up to ensure it stays focused and on time.

Answer

Cancel the Daily Stand-up for a week to see if the team self-organizes around communication.

Question 4

A Scrum Master is facilitating the team's Iteration Review. The Product Owner is presenting the increment to stakeholders, but a stakeholder begins to challenge the team's technical design decisions. Which action should the Scrum Master take?

Accepted Answer

Redirect the conversation to the product outcomes and offer to schedule a separate technical discussion with the stakeholder after the review.. The Iteration Review is for inspecting the increment and collecting stakeholder feedback, not for resolving technical design debates. The Scrum Master should keep the event on track by redirecting the technical discussion to a separate forum. This preserves the event's purpose, respects the stakeholder's concern, and ensures the team still benefits from broader feedback.

Answer

Allow the technical debate to continue so that all concerns are transparently addressed.

Answer

End the Iteration Review early and reschedule it for a time when only supportive stakeholders can attend.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to answer the stakeholder's technical questions since they own the product vision.

Question 5

A Scrum Master is preparing to facilitate the Iteration Review for a team that has completed several stories and one enabler. The Product Owner will attend, along with stakeholders from other teams. What is the Scrum Master's primary responsibility during this event?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate the event so the team and stakeholders can inspect the increment and adapt the backlog based on feedback.. The Iteration Review exists so the team and stakeholders can inspect the completed increment and adapt the backlog. The Scrum Master facilitates this inspection and adaptation by managing the timebox, encouraging participation, and helping the Product Owner capture feedback. The team demonstrates the work, and the Product Owner owns backlog changes. Facilitation keeps the event focused on product outcomes rather than metrics or technical explanation.

Answer

Present the team's velocity metrics and compare them to other teams in the Agile Release Train.

Answer

Demonstrate each completed story to stakeholders and answer technical questions about the implementation.

Answer

Collect feedback from stakeholders and rewrite the acceptance criteria for unfinished stories before the next iteration.

Question 6

A Scrum Master notices that during the team's Iteration Retrospective, the same two senior developers dominate the conversation while other members remain silent, and no actionable improvements have been produced for three consecutive iterations. What should the Scrum Master do first to improve the effectiveness of this event?

Accepted Answer

Introduce a structured format such as silent brainstorming or round-robin sharing to ensure all voices are heard and to drive toward a small set of owned improvement actions.. The most effective first step is to change how the Retrospective is facilitated so that participation is balanced and outcomes are actionable. Structured formats such as silent brainstorming or round-robin reduce the influence of dominant speakers and help the team identify and commit to a few concrete improvements. This keeps ownership with the team while the Scrum Master improves the event's process and safety.

Answer

Cancel the Retrospective for the next iteration and replace it with a team-building lunch, since the team seems unable to produce improvements.

Answer

Ask the two senior developers to stop talking so much and allow others to speak, then continue the Retrospective as usual.

Answer

Report the issue to the Release Train Engineer and ask them to attend and lead the next Retrospective for the team.

Question 7

A Scrum Master is facilitating a team's first Iteration Retrospective after several iterations of declining predictability. The team wants to identify root causes rather than symptoms. Which two facilitation techniques best support this goal? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Use a fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram to trace contributing factors across categories such as people, process, tools, and environment.. Root-cause analysis requires techniques that push past symptoms and engage the whole team. A fishbone diagram organizes contributing factors across categories, while the Five Whys drills from an observed symptom to an underlying cause. Both keep the team in control of the analysis and lead to countermeasures aimed at the system, which is more likely to restore predictability than quick votes or individual blame.

Answer

Have the Scrum Master present a slide deck of the team's velocity chart and recommend the changes the team should adopt.

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Ask each team member to state one thing that went well and one thing that did not, then immediately vote on the top action.

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Conduct a round-robin where each member names a person who contributed to the predictability problems so accountability is clear.

Question 8

A Scrum Master is facilitating the Iteration Retrospective for a team that just completed a difficult Iteration. One team member starts dominating the conversation, repeatedly interrupting others and steering discussion toward their own grievances. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Use a facilitation technique such as a round-robin or silent brainstorming to ensure all voices are heard, and gently redirect the conversation to the team's shared data.. The Scrum Master serves the team by facilitating effective events and ensuring balanced participation. Using structured techniques like round-robin keeps the Retrospective safe and productive while preventing any single member from dominating. This allows the team to inspect its process honestly and generate actionable improvements, which is the core purpose of the Retrospective. Redirecting to shared data also helps maintain focus on systemic issues rather than personal complaints.

Answer

Interrupt the dominant member and firmly remind them that the Retrospective is not a complaint session, then move on to the next topic.

Answer

End the Retrospective early and schedule a separate one-on-one with the dominant member to discuss their behavior.

Answer

Allow the dominant member to continue, because the Retrospective is a safe space for all voices and limiting anyone could harm psychological safety.

Question 9

During a SAFe Scrum Master's facilitation of the Iteration Retrospective, the team is discussing a recent production incident. One senior developer loudly blames a junior developer for a configuration error, and the junior developer becomes visibly upset. The Scrum Master wants to maintain a safe and productive environment. What is the best action?

Accepted Answer

Intervene to stop the personal blame, remind the team of the Retrospective's focus on systemic issues, and facilitate a discussion about what process changes could prevent the error.. The Scrum Master must protect psychological safety during the Retrospective. When personal blame emerges, the Scrum Master should intervene, refocus the team on systemic causes, and facilitate a discussion about process improvements. This approach preserves safety, encourages honest reflection, and aligns with the Retrospective's purpose of continuous improvement.

Answer

Suggest that the team vote on who was responsible for the incident to settle the matter quickly and move on.

Answer

End the Retrospective early and schedule a separate meeting with the two individuals to resolve their conflict privately.

Answer

Allow the discussion to continue so the team can fully air its feelings and reach a resolution on its own.

Question 10

During an Iteration Retrospective, a Scrum Master facilitates a team that has identified several process problems but is now stuck in vague complaints. The Scrum Master wants to help the team produce a small number of actionable improvement items that can be completed within the next iteration. (Choose two.)

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

Accepted Answer

Use a silent brainstorming or round-robin technique so every member contributes ideas before discussion and voting.. When dominant personalities overshadow quieter members, the Scrum Master should use a structured technique such as silent brainstorming or round-robin to ensure balanced participation. These methods surface ideas from everyone before discussion and voting, reducing the influence of the most vocal members. This approach preserves psychological safety, captures diverse perspectives, and leads to better improvement actions than simply asking senior developers to stop talking.

Answer

Postpone the vote and schedule a separate meeting with only the newer team members to gather their input.

Answer

Ask the senior developers to stop talking so the newer members can share their views.

Answer

Allow the senior developers to continue leading the discussion since their experience makes their input most valuable.

Question 11

A Scrum Master observes that during Iteration Planning, the team consistently commits to more work than they can complete, leading to unfinished stories at the end of the Iteration. Which action should the Scrum Master take to improve the team's planning?

Accepted Answer

Use the team's historical velocity and capacity as input, and facilitate a discussion to adjust the plan until it is realistic.. Overcommitment during Iteration Planning often stems from unrealistic forecasting. The Scrum Master should facilitate the use of historical velocity and capacity to help the team create a realistic plan. This builds the team's ability to forecast and own its commitments, rather than relying on external directives or structural changes that mask the problem.

Answer

Instruct the Product Owner to assign fewer stories to the team for the next Iteration.

Answer

Extend the Iteration length so the team has more time to finish the committed work.

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Add a buffer of unplanned work to the Iteration backlog to absorb any overcommitment.

Question 12

During a SAFe Team Sync (Daily Stand-up), a developer shares that they are blocked because a shared component owned by another Agile Team has not been updated. The Scrum Master notices the blocker is not on any team board. What should the Scrum Master do first to support the event?

Accepted Answer

Record the blocker and facilitate a brief after-event conversation with the relevant team members to route it through the appropriate ART coordination mechanism.. The Scrum Master supports the Team Sync by protecting its timebox and purpose while ensuring blockers become visible and are routed correctly. Capturing the dependency and facilitating a short follow-up after the event keeps the team synchronized, respects self-organization, and uses SAFe's ART coordination mechanisms to address cross-team impediments.

Answer

Add the blocker to the team's Iteration Backlog as a new user story and assign it to the developer so it is tracked.

Answer

Instruct the blocked developer to skip the remainder of the Team Sync and immediately contact the other team's Product Owner.

Answer

Ask the developer to resolve the blocker themselves by escalating directly to the Release Train Engineer during the Team Sync.

Question 13

During a Daily Stand-up, a team member reports that they are blocked by a missing API from another team. The Scrum Master should take which action to best support the team?

Accepted Answer

Take ownership of the impediment, collaborate with the other team or relevant stakeholders to resolve it, and keep the team informed of progress.. The Scrum Master's core service to the team includes removing impediments. When a cross-team dependency blocks a member during the Daily Stand-up, the Scrum Master should take ownership and actively coordinate with the other team or stakeholders. This enables the team to continue delivering value and maintains transparency. Escalating immediately or just recording the issue would delay resolution and fail to support the team's flow toward the Iteration goal.

Answer

Ask the blocked member to resolve the issue directly with the other team after the stand-up, and note it for the Retrospective.

Answer

Escalate the blocker immediately to the Release Train Engineer and wait for their direction before taking any further action.

Answer

Record the blocker on the team's impediment board and continue the stand-up, addressing it only if the team raises it again.

Question 14

A Scrum Master is preparing to facilitate the team's Daily Stand-up. The team has recently grown and the meeting is running long because members give detailed status updates to the Scrum Master. What should the Scrum Master do to keep the event effective?

Accepted Answer

Coach the team to focus on progress toward the Iteration Goals and to collaborate directly on impediments, keeping the event within its timebox.. The Daily Stand-up is a team synchronization event focused on progress toward the Iteration Goals and the plan for the next day. When members report to the Scrum Master, the event becomes a status meeting and expands. Coaching the team to talk to each other, raise impediments, and move detailed discussions offline preserves the timebox and restores the event's value.

Answer

Allow the meeting to run longer so every technical detail can be discussed thoroughly each day.

Answer

Ask each member to report only to the Scrum Master so the information is captured consistently.

Answer

Convert the Daily Stand-up into a written status update in the team's chat tool to save time.

Question 15

During an Iteration Review, a stakeholder asks the team to demonstrate a feature that was completed but is not yet integrated with another team's component, so the end-to-end scenario cannot be shown. The Product Owner looks to the Scrum Master for guidance on how to handle the situation in the moment. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?

Accepted Answer

Ask the team to show whatever portion is working and transparently state the integration dependency, then capture the stakeholder's concern as a potential new backlog item for the Product Owner to consider.. The best response is to keep the Iteration Review honest and useful: show what actually works, openly acknowledge the missing integration, and turn stakeholder feedback into an input the Product Owner can prioritize. This preserves transparency, keeps the event focused on inspecting the real increment, and respects the Product Owner's ownership of the backlog while acknowledging the cross-team dependency.

Answer

Instruct the team to skip the demonstration entirely and reschedule the Iteration Review once the integration with the other team is complete.

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Direct the team to quickly build a mock integration so the stakeholder sees a complete demonstration, and note the work as a defect to be fixed later.

Answer

Tell the stakeholder that integration issues are outside the team's control and refer them to the other team's Product Owner for any questions.