SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Question
A team is struggling with meeting the Iteration Goal because they have too many 'carry-over' stories. What should the Scrum Master suggest?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose knee-jerk administrative actions like simply lowering future capacity or working overtime, rather than identifying the systemic root causes behind carry-over stories.
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 root cause analysis to identify why stories are not being completed within the iteration.
The Scrum Master must help the team understand the root cause of the carry-over, such as poor estimation, scope creep, or technical debt. By analyzing these trends, the team can adjust their planning approach to be more realistic and focused. This helps the team become more predictable, which is essential for building confidence with stakeholders and delivering value consistently every single iteration.
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 team to work longer hours to finish the carry-over stories.
Why it's wrong here
Working longer hours is not a sustainable solution and will lead to burnout. The Scrum Master must protect the team's sustainable pace. The goal should be to improve the team's planning accuracy and process efficiency, rather than relying on human endurance to compensate for systemic failures in the planning process.
- ✓
Facilitate a root cause analysis to identify why stories are not being completed within the iteration.
Why this is correct
Root cause analysis is the most effective way to address chronic carry-over. By identifying the specific bottlenecks—whether they are technical, process-related, or external—the team can implement targeted improvements. This scientific, data-driven approach is key to improving team performance and achieving the consistency needed for reliable delivery in SAFe.
- ✗
Suggest the team stop taking on new stories until all carry-over stories are finished.
Why it's wrong here
This approach is too blunt and ignores the dynamic nature of Agile priorities. The Product Owner must be involved in deciding what is most valuable to complete next. The Scrum Master should focus on helping the team plan more accurately, not on arbitrarily stopping them from working on new, high-value tasks.
- ✗
Update the Definition of Done to exclude testing for the carry-over stories.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing quality standards is never an acceptable solution to meet a deadline. Technical debt incurred by skipping testing will inevitably come back to haunt the team, causing more delays and bugs. The Scrum Master must ensure the team keeps their quality high, even if it means finishing less work overall.
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.