SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A newly formed SAFe Scrum team has been running one-week iterations, and the Scrum Master notices that the team treats the Iteration Review as a status meeting where the Product Owner reads through completed tickets. The Product Owner argues that this is efficient because stakeholders only want a summary. What should the Scrum Master do to align the team with Scrum in SAFe?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating the Iteration Review as a reporting ceremony, when SAFe expects a demonstration of a working increment that generates feedback for backlog adaptation.
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
✓
Coach the team to demonstrate a working, tested increment to stakeholders at the Iteration Review and use their feedback to adapt the Team Backlog.
In SAFe, the Iteration Review is the team's inspect-and-adapt event, and its value comes from demonstrating a working, tested increment and using stakeholder feedback to adjust the Team Backlog. A ticket-reading status meeting removes that feedback loop, so the Scrum Master should coach the team to demonstrate functionality and capture input that shapes the next iteration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cancel the Iteration Review and let the Product Owner review completed tickets privately before the System Demo.
Why it's wrong here
Cancelling the Iteration Review eliminates a core Scrum event that SAFe teams retain. Private ticket review by the Product Owner excludes the team and stakeholders from inspecting the increment and adapting the backlog. It also undermines transparency and delays feedback until the System Demo, which is an ART-level event, not a replacement for the team's own review.
- ✓
Coach the team to demonstrate a working, tested increment to stakeholders at the Iteration Review and use their feedback to adapt the Team Backlog.
Why this is correct
In SAFe, the Iteration Review is an inspect-and-adapt event where the team demonstrates a working, tested increment to stakeholders, and the feedback gathered informs Team Backlog adaptation. Reading tickets is not a demonstration; the Scrum Master should coach the team toward showing real functionality so stakeholders can give meaningful input that shapes upcoming work.
- ✗
Keep the format but invite the Release Train Engineer to validate the Product Owner's summary before it is shared.
Why it's wrong here
Adding a Release Train Engineer to validate a summary still leaves the event as a status meeting rather than a demonstration of a working increment. The Release Train Engineer coordinates the ART and does not approve team-level review content. This change preserves the underlying problem, so the team would still not receive stakeholder feedback to adapt its Team Backlog.
- ✗
Replace the Iteration Review with a written status report circulated to stakeholders so the team can protect its iteration time.
Why it's wrong here
A written status report removes the inspect-and-adapt purpose of the Iteration Review. SAFe expects stakeholders to see a working increment and provide feedback that feeds the Team Backlog. Substituting documentation for demonstration hides integration problems and prevents the Product Owner from gathering the input needed to order future work, so this does not address the team's misalignment.
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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 SSM 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 SSM exam.