POPM Leadership for PI Planning Practice Question
You are a Product Owner in an ART that is conducting PI Planning. During the team breakout session, your team identifies a critical dependency on an external vendor that is not part of the ART. The dependency could delay a key feature. What is the most appropriate action for your team to take during PI Planning?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that external dependencies cannot be managed and should be ignored or unilaterally removed from the plan, rather than surfaced for collective resolution.
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
✓
Document the dependency on the program board and raise it during the draft plan review.
When a team identifies an external dependency during PI Planning, they should document it on the program board and raise it during the draft plan review. This allows the RTE and Business Owners to become aware and help resolve or mitigate the dependency. It ensures transparency and collaborative problem-solving.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Document the dependency on the program board and raise it during the draft plan review.
Why this is correct
The program board is used to visualize dependencies across teams and with external parties. By documenting the external vendor dependency and raising it during the draft plan review, the team can get visibility and help from the RTE and Business Owners to mitigate the risk. This is the SAFe approach.
- ✗
Adjust the team's PI Objectives to exclude the feature, assuming the dependency cannot be resolved.
Why it's wrong here
Excluding the feature prematurely may not be necessary. The dependency might be resolvable with help from the ART. The team should first surface the issue and seek assistance before removing the feature, which could impact business value.
- ✗
Ignore the dependency, as external vendors are outside the ART's control and cannot be planned for.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the dependency is risky. Even if external, dependencies should be identified and planned for as much as possible. The ART can often influence or mitigate external dependencies through escalation or alternative solutions. Ignoring them could lead to failure.
- ✗
Contact the external vendor directly during the breakout to negotiate a resolution.
Why it's wrong here
Contacting the vendor directly during PI Planning may not be feasible or appropriate. The team should first raise the dependency internally so that the RTE or Business Owners can help manage the external relationship and escalation. Ad hoc contact could bypass proper channels.
Visual reference
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.