SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A Scrum Master joins a team that has been calling its Daily Scrum a 'stand-up status report' to the Scrum Master, who then updates the Release Train Engineer. The team complains that the meeting feels like a reporting obligation. What should the Scrum Master do to realign the event with Scrum?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is believing that a shorter or more structured status meeting is an acceptable substitute for the Daily Scrum's inspect-and-adapt purpose.
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
✓
Shift the Daily Scrum back to the Developers, who inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan, and stop using it as a reporting channel to the Scrum Master or RTE.
The Daily Scrum is the Developers' event for inspecting progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapting the plan. Using it to report status to the Scrum Master or RTE turns an inspect-and-adapt activity into a control mechanism and erodes self-management. The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching the Developers to own the event and by handling ART-level communication through appropriate channels.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Shift the Daily Scrum back to the Developers, who inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan, and stop using it as a reporting channel to the Scrum Master or RTE.
Why this is correct
The Daily Scrum belongs to the Developers and exists to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the plan for the next day of work. When it becomes a status report to the Scrum Master, the team loses ownership and the event stops producing adaptation. Restoring it to the Developers removes the reporting feel and rebuilds the inspect-and-adapt habit.
- ✗
Invite the Release Train Engineer to attend daily so that cross-team dependencies can be resolved directly in the Daily Scrum.
Why it's wrong here
Bringing the RTE into the team's Daily Scrum reinforces the perception that the event is a reporting forum and expands its audience beyond the Developers. Cross-team dependencies belong in coordination forums such as the Scrum of Scrums, not the team's daily inspection. The Scrum Master should protect the event's focus rather than add external participants who change its purpose.
- ✗
Keep the current format but shorten it to five minutes so that reporting to the Scrum Master takes less time away from development work.
Why it's wrong here
Shortening a status meeting does not change its nature or restore ownership to the Developers. The problem is not duration but purpose and audience. A five-minute report to the Scrum Master still prevents the team from inspecting and adapting its own plan. The Scrum Master should address the event's intent, not optimize an anti-pattern for efficiency.
- ✗
Convert the Daily Scrum into a Kanban flow review where the Scrum Master walks the board and reassigns items to balance workload across Developers.
Why it's wrong here
A flow review led by the Scrum Master who reassigns work is still direction from outside the team and undermines self-management. While reviewing flow can be useful, the Daily Scrum is the Developers' event for adapting their own plan. The Scrum Master facilitates and coaches but does not assign work. This option swaps one form of reporting for another rather than restoring team ownership.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SSM question from scratch — 385 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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.