SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A Product Owner on a newly formed SAFe Scrum team frequently changes acceptance criteria on user stories mid-iteration, causing developer confusion and incomplete stories at the end of the iteration. How should the Scrum Master coach the Product Owner and the team to resolve this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many examinees incorrectly assume the Scrum Master should instruct the Product Owner to stop refining backlogs entirely, rather than coaching them on timing.
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 Product Owner on the importance of stabilizing acceptance criteria before iteration planning and establishing a clear Definition of Ready.
Stability during an iteration is critical for team focus and predictability. While refinement is ongoing, altering acceptance criteria after work has commenced disrupts development and leads to unfinished work. The Scrum Master must coach the Product Owner on the value of a frozen iteration scope and guide the team to establish clear criteria for when a story is ready for development.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Instruct the Product Owner that all backlog items must be permanently frozen three months prior to the start of any Program Increment.
Why it's wrong here
Freezing backlog items three months before a Program Increment contradicts SAFe's principle of applying cadence and synchronisation with continuous exploration, where the backlog is refined dynamically and acceptance criteria may be clarified during the iteration. It is tempting because PI Planning establishes committed objectives, but that commitment concerns features, not rigidly locked story criteria.
- ✓
Coach the Product Owner on the importance of stabilizing acceptance criteria before iteration planning and establishing a clear Definition of Ready.
Why this is correct
Stabilising acceptance criteria before iteration planning, reinforced by a Definition of Ready, prevents mid-iteration changes that confuse developers. Coaching the Product Owner on this discipline satisfies the stem's need to stop incomplete stories caused by shifting criteria.
- ✗
Advise the development team to ignore all future requests from the Product Owner and build the software based on their own assumptions.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the Product Owner destroys collaboration and results in software that fails to meet business needs. The Product Owner remains the sole authority on what gets built, but their interactions must follow agreed-upon agile processes.
- ✗
Assume the role of Product Owner and take over all backlog refinement and acceptance criteria writing responsibilities from the current Product Owner.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master must never act as the Product Owner or take over business prioritization and story definition duties. Doing so creates a conflict of interest and violates the servant-leadership role of the Scrum Master.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
This SSM question is part of Courseiva's 385-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 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.