POPM Iteration Execution Practice Question
During an iteration, the Product Owner learns that a critical dependency on another team will not be delivered as planned, jeopardizing an Iteration Goal. The other team's Product Owner is unavailable. What should the Product Owner do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is immediately escalating to the RTE or waiting, rather than attempting direct collaboration with the other team.
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
✓
Collaborate with the other team's representative to find an alternative solution or adjust scope.
The Product Owner should first attempt to resolve the dependency by collaborating with the other team's representative. This could involve adjusting scope, finding a workaround, or renegotiating the Iteration Goal. Direct engagement is faster and more effective than waiting or escalating immediately. If resolution is not possible, then escalation to the RTE is appropriate.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Wait until the other Product Owner returns and then address the issue.
Why it's wrong here
Waiting may cause the iteration goal to be missed and delays any mitigation. The PO should be proactive and find an interim contact or escalate if necessary. In SAFe, dependencies should be managed continuously, not deferred.
- ✓
Collaborate with the other team's representative to find an alternative solution or adjust scope.
Why this is correct
The Product Owner should first try to resolve the dependency by working with the other team's representative, such as a developer or the other PO if reachable. This might involve renegotiating scope, finding a workaround, or adjusting the Iteration Goal. Direct collaboration is the fastest path to resolution and aligns with SAFe's emphasis on decentralized decision-making.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer (RTE) to facilitate resolution.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation may be necessary eventually, but the first step should be to attempt direct resolution with the other team's PO or representative. The RTE is a facilitator for impediments that cannot be resolved at the team level, but immediate escalation without trying to collaborate may be premature.
- ✗
Reassign the dependent work to the team and have them build it themselves.
Why it's wrong here
Reassigning work without coordination can lead to duplication, integration issues, and overburdening the team. It also ignores the existing dependency and may violate architectural boundaries. The PO should not unilaterally decide to take on another team's work without understanding the impact and capacity.
Visual reference
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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.