POPM PI Execution Practice Question
During Iteration 3 of a Program Increment, a Product Owner notices that the team is consistently completing backlog items ahead of schedule. The team has capacity to pull in additional work. What should the Product Owner do first to maintain flow and align with PI objectives?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is defaulting to technical debt or waiting for the next PI Planning instead of proactively pulling aligned work from the Program Backlog to maintain flow and maximize value.
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 item from the Program Backlog that aligns with the current PI objectives.
The Product Owner should pull the next highest-priority item from the Program Backlog that aligns with PI objectives. This maintains flow, utilizes available capacity, and ensures that the team continues to deliver value that supports the ART's goals. It also reflects the principle of applying cadence and synchronization while allowing for flexibility during execution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask the team to start working on technical debt items that are not related to PI objectives.
Why it's wrong here
While technical debt is important, it should not be the first choice if there is capacity to deliver features that align with PI objectives. The Product Owner's primary focus is on maximizing value, and unplanned technical debt work may not directly contribute to the current PI goals, potentially diverting effort from committed objectives.
- ✗
Reduce the team's velocity for the next iteration to avoid overcommitment.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing velocity is not appropriate when the team has demonstrated capacity to complete more work. Velocity should reflect actual throughput, and artificially reducing it would underutilize the team and delay value delivery. The Product Owner should instead use the capacity to pull in more work that aligns with objectives.
- ✓
Pull the next highest-priority item from the Program Backlog that aligns with the current PI objectives.
Why this is correct
This is correct because the Product Owner should prioritize work that contributes to the PI objectives. Pulling from the Program Backlog ensures alignment with the ART's goals and maintains flow. It also leverages the team's available capacity to deliver additional value, which is a key responsibility during PI execution.
- ✗
Wait until the next PI Planning to assign additional work to avoid disrupting the current plan.
Why it's wrong here
Waiting until the next PI Planning would waste the team's available capacity and delay value delivery. SAFe encourages continuous flow and adaptation during PI execution. The Product Owner should proactively adjust the backlog to keep the team productive and aligned with PI objectives, rather than sticking rigidly to the original plan.
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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.