SAFe-Agilist Leading the Change Practice Question
A large financial services company is midway through a SAFe transformation. The Lean Portfolio Management group has funded value streams, but many teams still receive detailed work assignments from functional managers. Sprint Reviews are sparsely attended by business stakeholders, and teams complain that feedback arrives too late. Which action best addresses the root cause of this situation?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that a structural or training intervention, such as forming a LACE, will change behavior without leaders personally modeling the new way of working.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Have leadership model the change by shifting from project-based assignments to value stream funding and actively participating in ART events.
The root cause is that leadership has not fully embraced the new operating model. Continuing to assign work through functional managers and failing to engage in ART events perpetuates old behaviors. Leaders must model the change by aligning funding to value streams and actively participating in PI Planning and Sprint Reviews, which creates the conditions for timely feedback and team empowerment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Establish a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) to train managers on Lean-Agile principles and facilitate the transformation.
Why it's wrong here
A LACE can help drive the transformation by providing training and coaching, but it does not directly solve the structural problem of functional managers assigning work or the lack of business feedback. The LACE is a supporting mechanism, not a substitute for leadership action to change the operating model. Without leadership changing the system, the LACE alone will not create the needed alignment.
- ✗
Instruct functional managers to stop assigning work and instead have them participate in PI Planning as Business Owners.
Why it's wrong here
Simply removing functional managers from work assignment does not create the missing business engagement or feedback loops. Business Owners are accountable for the ART's business outcomes, but they are not a substitute for the ongoing collaboration needed between teams and stakeholders. This action addresses only one symptom and can leave teams without clear priorities, so it does not resolve the underlying misalignment.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of Scrum of Scrums meetings to improve coordination among teams.
Why it's wrong here
Scrum of Scrums improves coordination among teams, but the core issue is not team-level coordination; it is the misalignment between functional management, funding, and business engagement. More frequent coordination meetings will not resolve the lack of stakeholder feedback or the conflicting direction from functional managers. This action treats a symptom rather than the systemic cause.
- ✓
Have leadership model the change by shifting from project-based assignments to value stream funding and actively participating in ART events.
Why this is correct
Leadership must model the new way of working by aligning funding and decision-making with value streams and by personally engaging in ART ceremonies. When leaders participate in PI Planning and Sprint Reviews, they reinforce the importance of business feedback and demonstrate that the transformation is a priority. This directly addresses the root cause: the persistence of old project-based behaviors and the lack of visible leadership support for the new operating model.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
This SAFe-Agilist practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scaled Agile certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAFe-Agilist exam.