SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
A team has recently transitioned to SAFe and is struggling with excessive 'work in progress' (WIP). What should the Scrum Master recommend to address this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest increasing team capacity or hiring more staff, failing to realize that limiting WIP is the primary mechanism for improving flow and reducing cycle time.
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
✓
Implement WIP limits at the team level to ensure focus.
Excessive WIP is a classic indicator of poor flow and often results in multitasking, which reduces productivity. The Scrum Master should coach the team on limiting WIP to improve cycle time and focus. This is critical because it forces the team to finish tasks before starting new ones, ensuring a steady, predictable delivery of value that aligns with the ART's cadence and overall program success.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the team size to handle the higher volume of work.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more people to a process suffering from high WIP typically creates more overhead and communication complexity, worsening the situation. The issue is likely a failure to manage the flow of work, not a lack of headcount; teams must first stabilize their process before adding more capacity.
- ✓
Implement WIP limits at the team level to ensure focus.
Why this is correct
WIP limits are a core Lean-Agile practice that directly manages flow. By restricting the number of active items, the team is forced to collaborate and complete work, which reduces context switching and leads to faster delivery times. This shift in focus is essential for improving team performance and quality.
- ✗
Extend the iteration length to allow more time for tasks.
Why it's wrong here
Extending the iteration length is a band-aid solution that ignores the root cause of poor flow management. In SAFe, teams must work within a fixed cadence to stay synchronized with the ART. Changing the iteration length breaks this synchronization, causing downstream delays and making integration across teams more difficult.
- ✗
Start all planned tasks on the first day to maximize utilization.
Why it's wrong here
Starting all tasks at once maximizes WIP, leading to context switching and delayed value delivery. This is the opposite of the desired behavior. High utilization often leads to queues, bottlenecks, and longer lead times; true agility is achieved by finishing work rather than simply starting it on time.
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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.