POPM PI Execution Practice Question
During the second iteration of a Program Increment, the Product Owner for Team Delta notices that a dependency on Team Echo is at risk of slipping, which would delay a critical feature. The teams are in different time zones, and the Product Owner wants to address this proactively without waiting for the next Scrum of Scrums. What is the most effective first step?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any cross-team issue must be escalated to the Release Train Engineer or logged in the program board before direct communication is attempted.
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
✓
Contact the Product Owner of Team Echo directly to discuss the dependency and agree on a mitigation plan.
Product Owners are expected to actively manage dependencies during PI execution. Directly contacting the other Product Owner is the most effective first step because it enables swift, collaborative problem-solving at the team level. This aligns with SAFe's emphasis on decentralized decision-making and cross-team collaboration. Escalation or passive logging should be reserved for when direct resolution fails.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the dependency to the Release Train Engineer and ask them to reassign the work to another team.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating immediately to the Release Train Engineer may be appropriate if the teams cannot resolve it, but it bypasses the direct collaboration that SAFe encourages. The Product Owner should first attempt to resolve the dependency at the team level, as teams are empowered to self-organize and coordinate. Reassigning work is a drastic step that may disrupt team flow and is not the first action.
- ✗
Ask the team to reprioritize their backlog to work on a different feature until Team Echo catches up.
Why it's wrong here
Reprioritizing the backlog to avoid the dependency may help short-term but does not address the root cause and could delay the critical feature further. It also undermines the team's commitment to their PI objectives. The Product Owner should first seek to resolve the dependency with the other team, not simply work around it.
- ✗
Log the dependency in the program board and wait for the Scrum of Scrums to address it.
Why it's wrong here
While the program board visualizes dependencies, simply logging it and waiting for the Scrum of Scrums is passive and may delay resolution. The Scrum of Scrums is a forum for coordination, but proactive communication is expected during PI execution. Waiting could turn a manageable risk into a blocker, jeopardizing the PI objectives.
- ✓
Contact the Product Owner of Team Echo directly to discuss the dependency and agree on a mitigation plan.
Why this is correct
In SAFe, Product Owners are responsible for managing dependencies and fostering collaboration across teams. Directly contacting the other Product Owner allows for a quick, peer-to-peer resolution that aligns with the principle of decentralized decision-making. This approach addresses the risk early and avoids unnecessary escalation, keeping the focus on delivering value in the Program Increment.
About these practice questions
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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 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.