SSM Supporting Team Events — Timed 40 Questions

Question 1

An Agile Team is struggling with low engagement during their Daily Stand-ups, with members reporting status strictly to the Scrum Master instead of collaborating. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to improve this event? (Choose two.)

40 minute time limit — choose an answer to begin.

Accepted Answer

Walk the board from right to left, focusing on how to move stories toward completion and achieve iteration goals.. The Daily Stand-up is designed for the Agile Team to synchronize activities for the next 24 hours, not for status reporting to leadership or the Scrum Master. Shifting the focus toward plan achievement and encouraging peer-to-peer collaboration revitalizes the meeting and restores its intended collaborative purpose.

Answer

Require all team members to submit written status reports to management one hour prior to the meeting.

Answer

Facilitate the meeting by asking each member what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and what impediments they have.

Answer

Extend the duration of the Daily Stand-up to 45 minutes to allow for deep technical problem-solving.

Question 2

During Iteration Planning, an Agile Team is struggling to agree on story point estimates because team members have vastly different interpretations of complexity. Which THREE facilitation techniques should the Scrum Master use? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion where outliers explain their reasoning, highlighting hidden technical assumptions.. When estimation consensus breaks down due to differing complexity views, the Scrum Master should employ facilitation techniques that uncover hidden assumptions and leverage historical velocity data. Encouraging transparent dialogue and comparative sizing helps align the team around a shared understanding of work.

Answer

Allow the loudest senior engineer to dictate the final story point value to save valuable time.

Answer

Enforce a strict rule that all stories must automatically be estimated at exactly 5 points.

Question 3

During the System Demo, the team realizes they have not met the definition of done for several features. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to support the team?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a session to identify why the DoD was not met and update team norms for the next iteration.. The Scrum Master must ensure the team maintains high quality and transparency. By addressing the definition of done (DoD) during the retrospection process, the team can learn why the work failed to meet standards. Furthermore, engaging the Product Owner ensures that the incomplete work is correctly prioritized for future iterations, maintaining the integrity of the team's backlog and commitment.

Answer

Update the Definition of Done to be more lenient so the team can mark work as complete.

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Ask the developers to work overtime to complete the unfinished features before the next demo.

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Instruct the team to ignore the DoD for this iteration and focus on the next PI's goals.

Question 4

The team is planning for the next Iteration. Which THREE activities are essential for the Scrum Master to facilitate to ensure a successful planning session?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate the selection of stories based on the team's capacity and the product owner's priorities.. Successful iteration planning requires clear alignment between the team and the Product Owner regarding priorities and capacity. By facilitating the estimation of new stories, confirming capacity, and finalizing the goal, the Scrum Master ensures the team commits to a realistic, high-value set of work, which is the cornerstone of building trust and delivering consistent business results throughout the Program Increment.

Answer

Have the team estimate all stories in the product backlog to ensure future planning is easier.

Answer

Assign specific tasks to individual team members to ensure everyone has an equal workload.

Question 5

Which THREE outcomes should a Scrum Master expect from an effective Iteration Retrospective?

Accepted Answer

A list of identified process improvements that the team commits to trying in the next iteration.. An effective retrospective leads to clear, actionable insights that the team can implement immediately. By focusing on team health, process optimization, and individual growth, the Scrum Master ensures the team matures and becomes more autonomous. These improvements directly correlate with higher quality, faster delivery, and a better team environment, which are all essential for successfully navigating the challenges of a complex development environment.

Answer

A detailed technical report on every bug found during the iteration.

Answer

A list of individual performance reviews to be shared with the team's manager.

Question 6

Which THREE actions should a Scrum Master perform during Iteration Planning to foster team success? (Select THREE)

Accepted Answer

Ensure the team understands the Iteration Goals and why they are important.. The Scrum Master's role during planning is to act as a facilitator and protector of the process. By ensuring the backlog is ready, coaching the team on velocity, and managing the time-box, the Scrum Master enables the team to build a solid, achievable plan. These actions ensure that the team focuses on value, maintains quality, and avoids common planning pitfalls.

Answer

Select the stories for the team to ensure they pick the most technical ones.

Answer

Write the user stories to ensure they are technically accurate.

Question 7

During the Iteration Review, the Product Owner identifies that a key feature does not meet the Definition of Done. What is the appropriate Scrum Master action?

Accepted Answer

Remove the feature from the review and discuss it during the Retrospective for process improvements.. The Scrum Master must facilitate transparency by ensuring the team demonstrates only completed work. By excluding incomplete items, the team maintains the integrity of the velocity metric and prevents false reporting to stakeholders. This supports the SAFe principle of building quality in and provides an accurate feedback loop, allowing the team to replan or adjust their approach in the upcoming iteration based on actual performance data.

Answer

Mark the feature as complete to avoid impacting the team's velocity metrics.

Answer

Demonstrate the feature anyway to show stakeholders the progress made so far.

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Ask the stakeholders to approve the feature as it is so the team can move forward.

Question 8

Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to ensure the Iteration Retrospective is effective?

Accepted Answer

Create an environment where the team feels safe to share honest feedback.. Effective retrospectives require a safe environment for honest feedback and actionable outcomes. By facilitating structured dialogue and focusing on process rather than individuals, the Scrum Master enables the team to identify systemic impediments. These actions are vital because they directly influence the team's ability to inspect and adapt, fostering continuous improvement and higher team morale in subsequent iterations.

Answer

Ensure the team focuses on identifying individuals responsible for iteration failures.

Answer

Allow the Product Owner to dictate which processes the team must change.

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Require the team to document every minor issue discussed during the session.

Question 9

Which THREE responsibilities does a Scrum Master have during Iteration Planning?

Accepted Answer

Facilitating the team in establishing their capacity for the iteration.. The Scrum Master facilitates the planning process to ensure the team remains focused, realistic, and aligned with the PI objectives. By managing the timebox and ensuring that capacity is respected, the Scrum Master enables the team to make a reliable commitment. This role is crucial for preventing over-commitment and ensuring that every team member has a voice in the planning process.

Answer

Assigning specific tasks to individual team members to ensure accountability.

Answer

Writing the user stories for the team based on the Product Owner's vision.

Question 10

During a team's Iteration Planning event, the Product Owner brings a critical story that lacks clear acceptance criteria and is deemed too large for a single iteration. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Instruct the team to decline committing to the story until the Product Owner provides clear acceptance criteria and splits it appropriately.. The Scrum Master facilitates the event by reminding the team that stories must be well-refined and sized for the iteration before planning. Pulling unrefined, oversized stories introduces massive execution risk and violates SAFe backlog hygiene practices. The team should reject committing to this item until it undergoes refinement, preserving the integrity of the iteration commitment and predictable delivery metrics.

Answer

Accept the story into the iteration backlog and schedule a mid-iteration refinement session to write the acceptance criteria.

Answer

Advise the team to split the story immediately during planning and estimate the first smaller piece while discarding the rest.

Answer

Assign the story to a senior developer to write the acceptance criteria and break it down independently after planning concludes.

Question 11

An Agile Team notices that their daily stand-ups have turned into lengthy status reports directed solely at the Scrum Master. Which TWO actions should the Scrum Master take to realign the event with SAFe principles? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Enforce the 15-minute timebox strictly and remind the team that the meeting is for their own synchronization.. Realigning the Daily Stand-up requires shifting the focus from upward status reporting to peer collaboration and synchronization. By establishing strict timeboxes and refocusing the conversation on daily commitment progress toward iteration goals, the team reclaims the meeting value. This matters because dysfunctional stand-ups destroy team engagement and hide impediments.

Answer

Require all team members to address their detailed status reports exclusively to the Product Owner.

Answer

Replace the daily sync with an asynchronous chat channel to eliminate meetings entirely.

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Attend the meeting silently only when invited, refusing to speak or facilitate under any circumstances.

Question 12

During a Daily Stand-up, a team member states that they are blocked because a dependent team has not delivered an API contract. The Scrum Master knows the other team is in a different Agile Release Train. What is the most appropriate immediate action for the Scrum Master?

Accepted Answer

Contact the other team's Scrum Master directly to resolve the dependency, and if needed, involve the Release Train Engineer.. The Scrum Master is accountable for removing impediments that hinder the team's progress. When a cross-team dependency blocks work, the most direct action is to contact the other team's Scrum Master to resolve it. If that is insufficient, the Release Train Engineer should be engaged because the RTE facilitates cross-team coordination and helps manage dependencies across the Agile Release Train.

Answer

Record the dependency on the program board and escalate it at the next Scrum of Scrums or ART Sync.

Answer

Instruct the team member to work on a different backlog item until the other team delivers the API.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to reprioritize the backlog so the blocked item is moved to the next Iteration.

Question 13

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 14

During the Iteration Retrospective, the team identifies that technical debt is accumulating rapidly due to rushed user stories. What is the primary role of the SAFe Scrum Master during this event?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a root-cause analysis discussion to help the team create actionable improvement backlog items.. The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator and servant leader during the Iteration Retrospective, helping the team inspect their processes and identify actionable improvements. By guiding the discussion toward root causes like technical debt, the Scrum Master ensures the team builds sustainable engineering practices into their workflow.

Answer

Impose a mandatory strict coding standard without consulting the development team members.

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Escalate the developers to upper management for poor code quality and demand disciplinary actions.

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Cancel all future retrospectives and reallocate that time strictly to writing more user stories.

Question 15

At the Iteration Review, a key stakeholder expresses deep dissatisfaction because a delivered feature does not function the way they envisioned, despite meeting all written acceptance criteria. What should the Scrum Master facilitate to prevent this in future iterations?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate ongoing stakeholder engagement and encourage the Product Owner to involve stakeholders in refinement sessions.. Misalignment between stakeholder expectations and team output indicates a breakdown in continuous engagement and feedback loops. The Scrum Master should facilitate closer collaboration between the Product Owner, stakeholders, and the team throughout the iteration, rather than waiting until the formal review.

Answer

Bar the dissatisfied stakeholder from attending future Iteration Review meetings to avoid negative feedback.

Answer

Rewrite all future acceptance criteria yourself to ensure stakeholders never complain again.

Answer

File a formal complaint against the stakeholder with the Agile Program Management Office.

Question 16

An Agile Team completes all their iteration backlog items two days before the end of the iteration. During the Iteration Planning meeting for the next cycle, the Product Owner asks why they didn't pull in extra work mid-iteration. How should the Scrum Master explain the team's action?

Accepted Answer

Pulling work mid-iteration risks the iteration goal, so the team focused on quality, testing, and technical debt.. Pulling new work mid-iteration destabilizes the iteration goal and disrupts focus. The Scrum Master should explain that finishing early allows the team to focus on technical debt, quality improvements, or helping other release train members rather than frantically pulling unrefined stories.

Answer

The team took an unauthorized vacation for the remaining two days of the iteration.

Answer

The Scrum Master forbade the team from doing any work once the initial stories were completed.

Answer

The team should have pulled in 20 more user stories immediately without refinement.

Question 17

Refer to the exhibit. Given these findings, which action should the Scrum Master prioritize to improve team flow?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion on how to protect the team from mid-iteration requests and pull testing earlier.. The Scrum Master must address the root causes of flow disruption. By focusing on the mid-iteration requests, the team can stabilize their work-in-progress, which directly impacts their ability to complete testing on time. Addressing the stand-up duration is important, but flow stability is a higher priority because it directly impacts the team's ability to meet the Iteration Goal and quality standards.

Answer

Implement a strict rule that no new work can be added after the planning session.

Answer

Enforce a timebox of 15 minutes for the Daily Stand-up and cut off any long discussions.

Answer

Ask the team to move testing tasks to the start of the iteration to avoid delays.

Question 18

Which behavior should the Scrum Master demonstrate during the Team Sync to ensure it remains effective?

Accepted Answer

Ensure that the discussion focuses on identifying and clearing impediments to progress.. The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, ensuring that the Team Sync remains focused on the iteration goal and progress toward the objectives. By fostering an environment where team members feel safe to share progress and challenges, the Scrum Master promotes transparency and collective ownership of the iteration's success, which is critical for identifying and clearing impediments quickly.

Answer

Act as the primary speaker to ensure all status updates are delivered quickly.

Answer

Require each team member to provide a detailed report on every task they worked on yesterday.

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Direct the discussion to only the technical architecture of the upcoming user stories.

Question 19

During an Iteration Retrospective, the team decides they want to improve their collaboration. What is the Scrum Master's best role in this?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate the discussion to identify specific, actionable improvements and how to measure them.. The Scrum Master's role is to help the team identify actionable improvements and support the execution of those changes. By facilitating a safe environment, the Scrum Master encourages the team to take ownership of their own process. This is crucial because sustainable improvement only happens when the team identifies their own pain points and commits to specific, measurable changes for the next iteration.

Answer

Choose the most important collaboration improvement for the team and assign it as an objective.

Answer

Provide the team with a list of proven collaboration techniques to implement immediately.

Answer

Document the team's concerns but wait for management to provide a solution.

Question 20

Which action should the Scrum Master take if a team member repeatedly misses the Daily Stand-up?

Accepted Answer

Discuss the impact of their absence on the team's ability to sync and solve blockers privately.. The Scrum Master must address the behavior in a private setting to understand the underlying issue without causing public embarrassment. Ensuring attendance is vital for team synchronization and transparency, but understanding the cause allows for a constructive resolution. This approach protects team dynamics and ensures that everyone remains aligned toward the common goals of the iteration while maintaining a respectful, professional, and collaborative environment.

Answer

Call out the team member in front of the team to ensure accountability.

Answer

Ask the Product Owner to remove the team member from the project for lack of commitment.

Answer

Ignore the behavior if the team member completes their assigned tasks on time.