SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A newly formed SAFe team has just completed its first Iteration. During the Iteration Review, the Scrum Master notices that the team presented dozens of completed technical tasks rather than working, integrated product. The Product Owner is unsure whether any value was actually delivered to stakeholders. What should the Scrum Master do first to align the team with Scrum in SAFe?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming the Iteration Review is a status or task-reporting meeting rather than an inspect-and-adapt event centered on the Increment.
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 that the Iteration Review should inspect the Increment and gather feedback, so work should be demonstrated as integrated, potentially shippable functionality rather than task lists.
The Iteration Review exists so the team and stakeholders can inspect the actual Increment and adapt the Product Backlog. When a team presents tasks rather than integrated functionality, the event loses its ability to reveal whether value was delivered. The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching this distinction, helping the Product Owner gain real feedback and keeping the team aligned with Scrum's empirical approach inside the Agile Release Train.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the Iteration Review with a task-status meeting until the team matures enough to demonstrate integrated functionality.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing a Scrum event with a status meeting removes the inspect-and-adapt opportunity that the Iteration Review provides. Scrum in SAFe expects teams to demonstrate integrated work each Iteration, even early on, and maturity comes from practicing the event correctly. Substituting a status meeting would entrench the wrong behavior and delay the team's growth toward delivering value.
- ✗
Ask the Release Train Engineer to add a System Demo so stakeholders can see integrated value on the ART cadence instead of at the team's Iteration Review.
Why it's wrong here
The System Demo is an ART-level event that provides integrated feedback across teams, but it does not replace the team's own Iteration Review. Relying on it would let the team continue avoiding inspection of its own Increment. The immediate issue is team-level Scrum behavior, so the Scrum Master should coach the team rather than redirect the responsibility to an ART event.
- ✗
Instruct the Product Owner to reject the Increment and require the team to rebuild the demonstration for the next Iteration Review.
Why it's wrong here
Rejecting the Increment and demanding a rebuild misplaces the problem, which is about how the team demonstrates its work, not about whether the work itself is defective. The Scrum Master's role is to coach the team and Product Owner on the purpose of the Iteration Review, not to escalate a rejection. This action would damage trust and does not teach the team how to inspect an Increment properly.
- ✓
Coach the team that the Iteration Review should inspect the Increment and gather feedback, so work should be demonstrated as integrated, potentially shippable functionality rather than task lists.
Why this is correct
The Iteration Review is a Scrum event where the team inspects the Increment and adapts the backlog based on stakeholder feedback. Demonstrating tasks instead of integrated functionality prevents meaningful inspection and hides whether value was created. Coaching the team to present working, integrated increments restores the event's purpose and supports SAFe's emphasis on continuous value delivery each Iteration.
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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 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.