SSM Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach Role Practice Question
An Agile Team's Scrum Master / Team Coach is asked by a new team member, "Who is responsible for ensuring the team adheres to Scrum and SAFe practices?" Which answer is most accurate?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is equating coaching on Scrum and SAFe practices with enforcement by an authority figure such as the RTE or a manager.
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
✓
The Scrum Master / Team Coach coaches the team on Scrum and SAFe practices and helps them self-correct when they deviate.
The Scrum Master / Team Coach is accountable for coaching the team on Scrum and SAFe practices and helping them self-correct. This is a teaching and facilitation responsibility, not enforcement. Neither the Release Train Engineer, the Product Owner, nor functional managers are responsible for policing a team's Scrum adherence. Teams are expected to own their process and improve through inspection and adaptation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The Product Owner ensures the team follows Scrum because they own the Team Backlog and Iteration outcomes.
Why it's wrong here
The Product Owner is accountable for backlog content, prioritization, and value delivery, not for process adherence. While the Product Owner collaborates closely with the team, making them responsible for Scrum compliance conflates value management with process coaching. This option misstates the Product Owner's accountabilities and would create role confusion within the team.
- ✓
The Scrum Master / Team Coach coaches the team on Scrum and SAFe practices and helps them self-correct when they deviate.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master / Team Coach is responsible for coaching the team on Scrum and SAFe, helping them understand and apply practices, and guiding them to self-correct. This is a coaching accountability, not enforcement by authority. The role builds the team's capability to inspect and adapt rather than policing compliance, which aligns with servant leadership in SAFe.
- ✗
The team's functional manager enforces Scrum practices during performance reviews.
Why it's wrong here
Functional managers are not part of the Scrum framework's enforcement model, and tying process adherence to performance reviews is antithetical to self-management. SAFe encourages teams to own their practices and improve through inspection and adaptation. This option introduces a command-and-control mechanism that undermines trust and the coaching nature of the Scrum Master / Team Coach role.
- ✗
The Release Train Engineer enforces Scrum compliance for all teams on the Agile Release Train.
Why it's wrong here
The Release Train Engineer facilitates ART-level events and helps teams, but does not enforce Scrum compliance for individual teams. Compliance enforcement is not a SAFe accountability at any level; teams are expected to own their process. This option misattributes a policing function to the RTE and misunderstands how SAFe promotes self-management and continuous improvement.
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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.