POPM PI Execution Practice Question
A Product Owner is reviewing the team's progress mid-iteration. The team has completed all stories committed for the iteration, but there are still several days left. What is the most appropriate action for the Product Owner?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming the team should just stop or switch to unplanned work, rather than pulling additional prioritized backlog items.
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
✓
Pull the next highest-priority items from the team backlog for the team to work on.
When a team finishes early, the Product Owner should pull the next highest-priority items from the team backlog. This maximizes value delivery and maintains flow. Starting next PI work, unplanned technical debt, or ending the iteration early are not appropriate because they disrupt cadence or bypass backlog prioritization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Pull the next highest-priority items from the team backlog for the team to work on.
Why this is correct
In SAFe, teams often maintain a buffer of uncommitted stories in the team backlog. If the team finishes early, the PO can pull the next highest-priority items to maximize value delivery. This aligns with the principle of optimizing flow and keeping the team productive. It also ensures that the most important work is addressed first, supporting PI objectives.
- ✗
Have the team spend the remaining time on technical debt and refactoring.
Why it's wrong here
While technical debt reduction is important, it should be planned and prioritized in the backlog, not used as fill-in work. Unplanned refactoring can distract from delivering business value. The PO should first check if there are high-priority features or stories that can be completed. If not, then technical debt items could be considered, but they should be in the backlog.
- ✗
End the iteration early and start the next iteration.
Why it's wrong here
Iterations are timeboxed, and ending early disrupts the cadence and rhythm of the ART. It can also cause misalignment with other teams and events like the System Demo. The PO should use the remaining time to deliver additional value from the backlog, not shorten the iteration. Maintaining the cadence is a key SAFe principle.
- ✗
Ask the team to start working on the next PI's objectives.
Why it's wrong here
Starting work on the next PI's objectives prematurely can cause confusion and may not align with current PI priorities. The next PI's objectives are not finalized until PI Planning. The team should focus on delivering value for the current PI. The PO should instead look for additional stories from the current PI backlog that are ready to be worked.
About these practice questions
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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 POPM 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 POPM exam.