SAFe-Agilist Leading the Change Practice Question
During a SAFe transformation, a mid-sized enterprise has successfully launched its first Agile Release Train (ART). However, after several Program Increments (PIs), leaders notice that the ART is not delivering on its commitments and that team morale is low. Retrospectives reveal that teams feel overwhelmed by the number of dependencies and lack of support from other parts of the organization. The Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) wants to address this. What should the LACE do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is jumping to tools or escalation as quick fixes, when the first step should be to engage the team in identifying and solving their own problems.
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
✓
Facilitate a problem-solving workshop with the ART to identify root causes and create an action plan.
When an ART is struggling with delivery and morale, the LACE should first facilitate a problem-solving workshop. This collaborative approach helps teams identify root causes, such as dependency management or lack of support, and develop an action plan. It empowers the teams and aligns with SAFe's principles of continuous improvement and respect for people. Other actions like value stream mapping, escalation, or tool implementation may be useful later but do not directly address the immediate need to understand and solve the teams' problems.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Facilitate a problem-solving workshop with the ART to identify root causes and create an action plan.
Why this is correct
The most effective first step is to engage the ART in a problem-solving workshop. This allows teams to voice concerns, identify root causes of the issues, and collaboratively create an action plan. It empowers the teams and addresses both delivery and morale. This approach aligns with SAFe's emphasis on continuous improvement and respect for people, and it directly tackles the reported problems.
- ✗
Escalate the issues to senior leadership and request additional resources.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation without first understanding root causes may lead to ineffective solutions. Requesting more resources might not solve the underlying dependency and support issues. The LACE should first work with the ART to diagnose problems. Escalation can be part of the solution, but it should come after a collaborative analysis. This option is premature and may undermine team empowerment.
- ✗
Conduct a value stream mapping workshop to identify and eliminate bottlenecks.
Why it's wrong here
Value stream mapping is useful, but it is not the first step to address team overwhelm and morale. The immediate issue is the lack of support and overwhelming dependencies. Before mapping, the LACE should focus on immediate support and coaching. Value stream mapping might be beneficial later, but it does not directly address the current team distress and dependency management.
- ✗
Implement a new tool to track dependencies and enforce adherence to PI objectives.
Why it's wrong here
Introducing a tool addresses symptoms, not causes. The issue is not lack of tracking but overwhelming dependencies and lack of support. A tool alone will not improve morale or reduce overwhelm. The LACE should focus on people and process first. Tool implementation without addressing root causes may add burden and fail to resolve the underlying problems.
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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.