SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A Scrum Master is supporting a newly formed SAFe team that has just started its first iteration. The team members keep asking the Scrum Master to assign tasks, prioritize the Team Backlog, and decide who will work on each story. Which action best reflects the Scrum Master's role when introducing Scrum in SAFe?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that because the team is new, the Scrum Master should temporarily take on task assignment or backlog prioritization until the team matures.
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 self-manage by facilitating events, teaching Scrum principles, and removing impediments.
Introducing Scrum in SAFe means coaching the team toward self-management rather than directing its work. The Scrum Master facilitates Scrum events, teaches Scrum and SAFe principles, and removes impediments, while the Product Owner owns backlog priority and the team owns how work is done. This builds the team-level agility that the Agile Release Train depends on.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Coach the team to self-manage by facilitating events, teaching Scrum principles, and removing impediments.
Why this is correct
This aligns with the SAFe Scrum Master role of servant leadership and team coaching. By facilitating Scrum events, teaching the framework, and clearing impediments, the Scrum Master helps the team learn to own its process, estimates, and commitments. That builds the self-management and relentless improvement SAFe expects from teams contributing to the Agile Release Train.
- ✗
Escalate to the Release Train Engineer and ask them to direct the team's daily work until the team matures.
Why it's wrong here
Asking the RTE to direct daily work removes accountability from the team and introduces a command-and-control pattern that contradicts Scrum and SAFe principles. The RTE coordinates the train and removes cross-team impediments, not individual team tasks. The Scrum Master should build the team's capability rather than outsource its self-management.
- ✗
Assign each story to a specific developer and update the Team Board daily to keep the team on track.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning stories and updating the board turns the Scrum Master into a task manager and undermines team self-management. In SAFe, the Scrum Master coaches the team to pull work and own the board themselves. Doing this for them delays the formation of shared ownership and hides impediments that should surface during the team's daily coordination.
- ✗
Take ownership of the Team Backlog and reprioritize items each morning so the team always has clear direction.
Why it's wrong here
Team Backlog content and priority belong to the Product Owner, not the Scrum Master. Taking over prioritization blurs accountability between the two roles and prevents the team from learning how to refine and sequence work. The Scrum Master should instead coach the Product Owner and team on effective backlog management and iteration planning.
Visual reference
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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.