SAFe Scrum Master SSM Questions 376–385 | Page 6/6

376

Multi-Selectmedium

A Scrum Master is helping a new SAFe team understand what distinguishes their way of working from traditional project management. Which two characteristics describe how the team plans and delivers within the iteration? (Choose two.)

Select 2 answers

A.The team pulls work from a prioritized Team Backlog and determines how much it can complete within the iteration

B.The team assigns each user story to a single specialist who owns it end to end and reports status to the functional manager

C.The team delivers a potentially shippable increment of value at the end of each iteration

D.The team reports percent complete against a detailed baseline schedule to the Project Management Office each iteration

E.The team commits to a fixed scope defined at the start of the Program Increment and cannot adjust it during iterations

AnswersA, C

In Scrum inside SAFe, the team pulls from a prioritized Team Backlog and forecasts how much it can deliver in the iteration, rather than receiving a fully pre-assigned workload. This pull-based, capacity-aware planning is a defining characteristic that distinguishes the team's way of working from traditional push-based project assignment.

Why this answer

Two hallmarks of Scrum team delivery inside SAFe are pulling work from a prioritized Team Backlog with a capacity-based forecast, and producing an integrated, potentially shippable increment every iteration. Fixed unchangeable scope, percent-complete PMO reporting, and specialist ownership with functional reporting all reflect traditional project management rather than the self-managing, value-delivering behavior SAFe expects.

Exam trap

The trap here is assuming that because the PI is a fixed timebox, the iteration scope must also be frozen and reported against a baseline.

Full explanation →

377

MCQeasy

A newly formed Agile Team in a SAFe ART is struggling with self-organization. Team members constantly look to the Scrum Master / Team Coach to assign tasks and make decisions. Which action best fulfills the Scrum Master / Team Coach role in this situation?

A.Recommend that the team adopt a strict task board with predefined columns and require daily updates to enforce accountability.

B.Escalate the team's lack of self-organization to the Release Train Engineer so they can provide additional guidance.

C.Assign tasks to team members based on their skills and track progress to ensure the Iteration Goal is met.

D.Coach the team on self-management by asking powerful questions and facilitating team decision-making rather than providing direct answers.

AnswerD

This is correct because the Scrum Master / Team Coach serves as a servant leader and coach. By asking powerful questions and facilitating decision-making, they help the team develop self-organization skills. This approach builds the team's capability over time, rather than creating dependency on the Scrum Master.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master / Team Coach should coach the team to become self-organizing. Asking powerful questions and facilitating decision-making helps the team learn to solve problems independently. This approach aligns with the servant leader role and builds sustainable capability, rather than creating reliance on the Scrum Master for direction.

Exam trap

The trap here is falling back into a traditional project manager mindset by assigning tasks or escalating, instead of coaching the team to self-organize.

Full explanation →

378

MCQmedium

A newly formed Scrum team inside an Agile Release Train keeps asking the Scrum Master to assign tasks, resolve every technical disagreement, and approve their design decisions. The Scrum Master wants to establish the appropriate Scrum Team self-management behavior described in SAFe. What should the Scrum Master do first?

A.Teach the team that they own how they do the work, and coach them to pull work and decide technical matters themselves.

B.Escalate to the Release Train Engineer so that the RTE can direct the team until it matures.

C.Ask the Product Owner to assign tasks and arbitrate technical disagreements during Iteration Planning.

D.Begin assigning tasks for one more iteration while the team builds technical confidence, then gradually withdraw.

AnswerA

In SAFe, a Scrum Team is self-managing and cross-functional, so the team itself decides how to turn backlog items into value, including task breakdown and technical design. The Scrum Master serves the team by teaching and coaching this ownership rather than directing the work. This directly addresses the dependency behavior the team is showing.

Why this answer

A Scrum Team in SAFe is self-managing and cross-functional, meaning the team determines how it accomplishes its work. When a team repeatedly looks to the Scrum Master for task assignment and technical decisions, the correct response is coaching that transfers ownership back to the team. Directing, escalating, or delegating that authority to the Product Owner all preserve the dependency instead of building self-management.

Exam trap

The trap here is assuming a newly formed team needs the Scrum Master to keep assigning work until it matures, when Scrum in SAFe expects the team to own how it does the work from the start.

Full explanation →

379

MCQeasy

A Scrum Master is facilitating the ART Sync for a newly launched Agile Release Train. The Product Manager has not attended the last three sessions, and the System Architect is also consistently absent. The teams are still sharing progress and dependencies. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master?

A.Take over the Product Manager's backlog prioritization duties during the ART Sync to keep the meeting productive.

B.Raise the attendance gap with the Release Train Engineer and help the Product Manager and System Architect understand their role in the ART Sync.

C.Replace the ART Sync with a written status report distributed by email to the Product Manager and System Architect.

D.Cancel the ART Sync until the Product Manager and System Architect can attend.

AnswerB

The ART Sync depends on the Product Manager and System Architect to provide content authority and technical guidance, so their absence undermines the event's purpose. The Scrum Master serves the ART by coaching participants and escalating impediments they cannot resolve. Involving the Release Train Engineer, who owns the ART's overall execution, is the correct path to restore participation without disrupting the event.

Why this answer

The ART Sync exists to synchronize teams and surface dependencies, and it relies on the Product Manager and System Architect for content and technical decisions. When those roles are absent, the Scrum Master should coach and escalate through the Release Train Engineer rather than cancel or replace the event. This preserves the cadence while addressing the root cause of the attendance problem.

Exam trap

The trap here is assuming that a missing role justifies cancelling or replacing a cadence event instead of coaching and escalating the attendance issue.

Full explanation →

380

MCQmedium

A Scrum Master notices that the System Demo is frequently delayed because teams are struggling to integrate their code at the end of the iteration. What is the best way to support this ART event?

A.Suggest moving the System Demo to every other iteration to allow more time.

B.Ask the Product Owner to demo only the features that are fully completed.

C.Encourage the team to adopt Continuous Integration and align on integration points.

D.Request that the System Architect takes over the integration responsibilities.

AnswerC

Coaching the team on Continuous Integration ensures that code is merged and tested frequently throughout the iteration. By aligning on integration points with other teams, the ART reduces the 'integration debt' that typically causes delays, making the System Demo a smoother and more valuable event for stakeholders.

Why this answer

The System Demo relies on the ability to show integrated work from all teams on the Agile Release Train. If integration is failing, the Scrum Master must advocate for technical practices like Continuous Integration and more frequent synchronization to ensure the demo remains a viable mechanism for gathering stakeholder feedback and measuring progress.

Exam trap

Candidates often suggest manual coordination or meetings, failing to recognize that technical practices like Continuous Integration are the only scalable way to solve systemic integration delays in SAFe.

Full explanation →

381

MCQmedium

During an Iteration, an Agile Team member repeatedly bypasses the team's agreed-upon engineering practices, causing rework and integration issues. Other team members are frustrated but hesitant to confront the individual. As the Scrum Master / Team Coach, what is the most appropriate first action?

A.Escalate the issue to the Release Train Engineer so they can enforce the engineering standards.

B.Privately coach the individual on the impact of their actions and remind them of the team's working agreements.

C.Update the team's definition of done to include stricter checks that will catch the individual's mistakes.

D.Raise the issue during the next Daily Scrum to ensure everyone is aware and can hold each other accountable.

AnswerB

Addressing the behavior privately respects the individual and focuses on the specific issue without embarrassing them. The Scrum Master / Team Coach should first understand the reasons behind the behavior and coach the person on how it affects the team. This approach aligns with servant leadership and helps maintain psychological safety while upholding team agreements.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master / Team Coach should first address the behavior privately with the individual, coaching them on the impact and reinforcing the team's working agreements. This respects the individual, maintains psychological safety, and aligns with servant leadership. Escalation or public confrontation should be avoided unless the behavior persists and cannot be resolved within the team.

Exam trap

The trap here is thinking that team accountability requires public confrontation or immediate escalation, when the first step should be private coaching.

Full explanation →

382

MCQmedium

A Scrum Master joins an ART where teams are running Iterations but nobody is coordinating cross-team dependencies, and risks are only discovered mid-Program Increment. The Release Train Engineer asks the Scrum Master to help establish the right forum. What should the Scrum Master recommend?

A.Ask each Product Owner to email a weekly dependency list to the Release Train Engineer, who will resolve conflicts during the Inspect and Adapt workshop.

B.Establish the Scrum of Scrums so team representatives meet several times per week to coordinate dependencies, surface risks, and decide whether an ART Sync is needed.

C.Add a second Daily Stand-up each afternoon where all teams join one call so every member hears every other team's progress.

D.Schedule a daily Program Increment status meeting led by the Release Train Engineer where teams report percentage complete on their PI Objectives.

AnswerB

The Scrum of Scrums is the ART-level event designed for exactly this need: team delegates meet multiple times per week to manage cross-team dependencies, escalate impediments, and determine whether the broader ART Sync is warranted. Recommending it directly addresses the missing coordination and late risk discovery described in the scenario.

Why this answer

SAFe addresses cross-team coordination with the Scrum of Scrums, where designated team representatives meet several times per week to manage dependencies, surface risks, and decide if an ART Sync is required. Establishing this forum gives the train continuous coordination rather than discovering risks late in the Program Increment.

Exam trap

The trap here is reaching for a train-wide daily status meeting instead of the representative-based Scrum of Scrums.

Full explanation →

383

MCQmedium

A Scrum team new to SAFe is preparing for its first Iteration Review. The Product Owner plans to present a slide deck summarizing the team's work and take questions. What should the Scrum Master recommend to align with Scrum in SAFe?

A.Demonstrate the working increment to stakeholders and use their feedback to adapt the Team Backlog.

B.Replace the Iteration Review with a written status report distributed to ART stakeholders.

C.Present the slide deck but limit questions to the Product Owner to keep the event timeboxed.

D.Postpone the review until the end of the PI so all four iterations can be demonstrated at once.

AnswerA

The Iteration Review is an inspect-and-adapt event where the team demonstrates a working, tested increment to stakeholders and captures feedback. That feedback informs backlog adaptation. Replacing the demonstration with slides removes the empirical inspection of the actual product, which is the core purpose of the event in Scrum and SAFe.

Why this answer

The Iteration Review is a working-session event where the team demonstrates the increment to stakeholders and uses their feedback to adapt the Team Backlog. Slides describing work are not the increment and cannot be inspected empirically. The Scrum Master should coach the Product Owner and team to show the actual product and invite stakeholder input.

Exam trap

The trap here is accepting a slide-based status presentation as equivalent to demonstrating a working increment during the Iteration Review.

Full explanation →

384

MCQhard

Refer to the exhibit. Given these findings, which action should the Scrum Master prioritize to improve team flow?

A.Implement a strict rule that no new work can be added after the planning session.

B.Facilitate a discussion on how to protect the team from mid-iteration requests and pull testing earlier.

C.Enforce a timebox of 15 minutes for the Daily Stand-up and cut off any long discussions.

D.Ask the team to move testing tasks to the start of the iteration to avoid delays.

AnswerB

Protecting the team from interruptions ensures stable velocity and focus, while shifting testing earlier identifies defects sooner. This dual approach addresses the root cause of the testing bottleneck and the feeling of being overwhelmed, directly leading to higher quality outcomes and more predictable delivery cycles for the team.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master must address the root causes of flow disruption. By focusing on the mid-iteration requests, the team can stabilize their work-in-progress, which directly impacts their ability to complete testing on time. Addressing the stand-up duration is important, but flow stability is a higher priority because it directly impacts the team's ability to meet the Iteration Goal and quality standards.

Exam trap

Candidates often focus on symptoms like the meeting length or individual performance rather than the systemic flow issues like mid-iteration interruptions and testing delays.

Full explanation →

385

MCQeasy

During PI Planning, the Scrum Master for Team Gamma notices that one team member is dominating the discussion and dismissing others' ideas during the team breakout. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?

A.Intervene to ensure all voices are heard and the team remains focused on the PI objectives.

B.Ignore the behavior because PI Planning is time-boxed and the team must complete their plan.

C.Escalate the behavior to the functional manager of the dominating team member.

D.Let the team resolve the issue on their own to encourage self-management.

AnswerA

The Scrum Master serves as a facilitator during PI Planning, ensuring effective collaboration. When one person dominates, the Scrum Master should step in to balance participation and keep the team aligned with the planning goals. This action supports the team's ability to self-organize and make collective decisions.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master should intervene to ensure all voices are heard and the team stays focused. Facilitating inclusive discussions is a key Scrum Master responsibility during PI Planning. By addressing the dominating behavior, the Scrum Master helps the team leverage diverse perspectives and create a more robust plan.

Exam trap

The trap here is assuming that self-management means the Scrum Master should never intervene in team dynamics, even when facilitation is needed to uphold collaboration.

Full explanation →

SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) — Questions 376–385