SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Question
A team is failing to reach their Iteration Goal consistently. What should the Scrum Master focus on to help the team improve?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest increasing pressure on the team to work harder or faster, ignoring the structural problems that cause the failure to meet goals.
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
✓
Focus the Retrospective on identifying systemic blockers and improving backlog refinement.
Consistency in meeting iteration goals is a sign of healthy team flow. When a team fails, the Scrum Master should look at the systemic factors: are the stories too large? Is the team over-committing? Are there blockers they aren't addressing? By analyzing these factors and facilitating process improvements in the Retrospective, the Scrum Master enables the team to become more predictable and successful.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Require the team to work longer hours to meet the goal.
Why it's wrong here
Working longer hours is a short-term fix that leads to burnout and does not solve the underlying process issues. It is anti-pattern behavior in SAFe, which emphasizes sustainable, predictable pace. The Scrum Master should focus on optimizing the process, not on increasing the input of human labor and hours.
- ✓
Focus the Retrospective on identifying systemic blockers and improving backlog refinement.
Why this is correct
The Retrospective is the ideal place to identify and solve systemic problems. By focusing on root causes like backlog refinement quality, the team can address the issues that prevent them from reaching their goals. This leads to sustainable improvements that help the team become more predictable and effective over time.
- ✗
Change the team members to bring in 'better' talent.
Why it's wrong here
Changing team composition is rarely the solution to team performance issues. It disrupts team dynamics and ignores the fact that the problem is likely systemic. The Scrum Master's role is to help the existing team improve their processes and collaboration, not to replace the team members with someone else.
- ✗
Lower the Iteration Goals to ensure they are always met, regardless of value.
Why it's wrong here
Lowering goals to ensure success is misleading and reduces the value delivered to the business. The goal should be ambitious but achievable. The Scrum Master should help the team improve their delivery capability, not lower the bar to the point where the team is no longer providing meaningful business value.
About these practice questions
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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.