POPM Iteration Execution Practice Question
A team is struggling with frequent context switching due to unplanned support requests. What should the PO do to support the team?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers often suggest rejecting support requests entirely or handling them completely outside the planning process, ignoring operational realities.
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
✓
Allocate a portion of the team's capacity for support in the backlog.
The PO must protect the team's capacity by formalizing support work in the backlog. By allocating a percentage of capacity for maintenance and support, the team can handle these requests predictably without disrupting their planned work. This proactive management allows the team to deliver features while acknowledging the reality of operational support, leading to a more sustainable pace and improved team morale.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Tell the team to ignore support requests and finish the features.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring necessary support requests is not a viable strategy. It causes customer dissatisfaction and may lead to larger system issues later. The PO must manage the work, not try to hide it. A balanced approach that accounts for support within the team's capacity is required for healthy delivery.
- ✓
Allocate a portion of the team's capacity for support in the backlog.
Why this is correct
This is the standard SAFe approach for handling predictable, unplanned work. By explicitly planning for a percentage of capacity to be used for support, the PO ensures these requests are addressed without breaking the team's focus on their committed feature work, enabling both maintenance and development to coexist.
- ✗
Ask the team to work longer hours to address the support requests.
Why it's wrong here
Expecting overtime to cover unplanned work is a failure of planning. It leads to burnout, diminished code quality, and poor team culture. The PO should instead adjust the plan to fit the actual capacity, ensuring the team works at a sustainable pace that balances new development with ongoing system support.
- ✗
Report the team for low velocity to the ART's management.
Why it's wrong here
Punishing the team for failing to address unplanned work is toxic and counter-productive. The issue lies in the planning, not the team's effort. The PO should take responsibility for planning and help the team adjust their capacity, rather than escalating the problem to management in a punitive way.
About these practice questions
This POPM question is part of Courseiva's 336-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 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.