SSM Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach Role Practice Question
A SAFe Scrum Master / Team Coach is helping an Agile Team improve its collaboration with the System Team and Shared Services. The team frequently encounters delays because they are unsure when to engage these groups. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is jumping to escalation or avoidance instead of first facilitating a working agreement to clarify engagement expectations, which is the Scrum Master's core coordination role.
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
✓
Facilitate a working agreement between the team, System Team, and Shared Services that defines when and how to request support, and review it in retrospectives.
The Scrum Master / Team Coach should facilitate effective collaboration between the team and support groups. Creating a working agreement that specifies when and how to engage System Team and Shared Services, and reviewing it in retrospectives, establishes clear expectations and fosters continuous improvement. Avoiding these groups, escalating prematurely, or altering the backlog do not build sustainable coordination and may harm ART flow.
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 to stop putting stories in the backlog that require support from the System Team or Shared Services.
Why it's wrong here
Removing such stories would limit the team's ability to deliver value and is not a sustainable solution. The Scrum Master should not dictate backlog content; that is the Product Owner's domain. Moreover, dependencies on System Team and Shared Services are normal in SAFe. The better approach is to improve coordination, not avoid necessary work. This option also fails to address the root cause of delays, which is unclear engagement processes.
- ✗
Tell the team to avoid using Shared Services and instead build all capabilities internally to reduce dependencies.
Why it's wrong here
Avoiding Shared Services is impractical and contradicts SAFe's intent to leverage specialized capabilities across the ART. Shared Services exist to provide expertise that teams may not need full-time. The Scrum Master should help the team learn how to engage them effectively, not discourage their use. Building all capabilities internally would be costly, slow, and likely outside the team's core competency, reducing overall ART efficiency and flow.
- ✓
Facilitate a working agreement between the team, System Team, and Shared Services that defines when and how to request support, and review it in retrospectives.
Why this is correct
This action directly addresses the coordination gap by establishing clear expectations and processes. A working agreement clarifies engagement triggers, lead times, and communication channels, reducing delays. Reviewing it in retrospectives ensures continuous improvement. The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, helping the team and support groups collaborate effectively. This aligns with SAFe's emphasis on cross-team coordination and relentless improvement, without overstepping into management of those groups.
- ✗
Escalate to the Release Train Engineer that the System Team and Shared Services are unresponsive and demand they prioritize the team's requests.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation may be appropriate if there are systemic issues, but immediately demanding prioritization without first establishing a working agreement is premature and adversarial. It assumes the support groups are at fault and skips the step of clarifying expectations. The Scrum Master should first facilitate collaboration and only escalate if impediments persist. This option also risks damaging relationships and does not build the team's capability to manage dependencies.
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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.