CCNA Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach Role Questions — Page 2 of 2

MCQmedium

A SAFe Scrum Master / Team Coach is helping an Agile Team improve its collaboration with the System Team and Shared Services. The team frequently encounters delays because they are unsure when to engage these groups. What is the most appropriate action for the Scrum Master to take?

A.Instruct the Product Owner to stop putting stories in the backlog that require support from the System Team or Shared Services.

B.Tell the team to avoid using Shared Services and instead build all capabilities internally to reduce dependencies.

C.Facilitate a working agreement between the team, System Team, and Shared Services that defines when and how to request support, and review it in retrospectives.

D.Escalate to the Release Train Engineer that the System Team and Shared Services are unresponsive and demand they prioritize the team's requests.

AnswerC

This action directly addresses the coordination gap by establishing clear expectations and processes. A working agreement clarifies engagement triggers, lead times, and communication channels, reducing delays. Reviewing it in retrospectives ensures continuous improvement. The Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, helping the team and support groups collaborate effectively. This aligns with SAFe's emphasis on cross-team coordination and relentless improvement, without overstepping into management of those groups.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master / Team Coach should facilitate effective collaboration between the team and support groups. Creating a working agreement that specifies when and how to engage System Team and Shared Services, and reviewing it in retrospectives, establishes clear expectations and fosters continuous improvement. Avoiding these groups, escalating prematurely, or altering the backlog do not build sustainable coordination and may harm ART flow.

Exam trap

The trap here is jumping to escalation or avoidance instead of first facilitating a working agreement to clarify engagement expectations, which is the Scrum Master's core coordination role.

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MCQmedium

An Agile Team has consistently missed their Iteration Goals for the past three iterations because the Product Owner frequently introduces urgent new stories mid-iteration. What is the most effective way for the Scrum Master to coach the team and Product Owner?

A.Instruct the developers to ignore all requests from the Product Owner and proceed with their original iteration backlog items without communication.

B.Realign expectations by coaching the Product Owner on the cost of context switching, establishing that iteration commitments remain stable once accepted.

C.Extend the iteration duration by three days whenever unplanned stories are introduced to accommodate the extra work without penalty.

D.Assume the role of Product Owner temporarily to filter incoming requests and make executive decisions on scope adjustments during execution.

AnswerB

Coaching the Product Owner on the negative impacts of context switching protects team focus and stability. The Scrum Master helps the Product Owner understand that mid-iteration disruptions destroy predictability, ensuring that urgent requests are properly handled in future planning sessions.

Why this answer

The Scrum Master protects the team from external disruption and coaches the Product Owner on sustainable backlog management. By enforcing the stability of the iteration backlog and redirecting unplanned work through proper refinement channels, the Scrum Master ensures the team can focus on achieving their committed goals without sacrificing quality or predictability.

Exam trap

Many candidates mistakenly believe the Product Owner has the authority to disrupt ongoing iterations at will, failing to recognize that iteration commitments must remain stable.

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MCQmedium

Which role on the Agile Release Train does the Scrum Master collaborate with most closely to resolve cross-team impediments?

A.The System Architect, to ensure the technical solution is robust enough to handle the blocker.

B.The Release Train Engineer (RTE), who facilitates the ART and removes program-level obstacles.

C.The Product Manager, to reprioritize the Feature so the impediment is no longer relevant.

D.The Business Owner, to gain the necessary funding to hire more resources for the team.

AnswerB

The RTE is the Scrum Master's primary partner at the program level. They provide guidance, facilitate the ART sync, and have the authority to address issues that span multiple teams. This partnership is essential for the Scrum Master to effectively protect their team from external disruptions and systemic bottlenecks.

Why this answer

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) is the 'Chief Scrum Master' for the ART. When a Scrum Master identifies an impediment that is outside the team's control or involves multiple teams, they work with the RTE to escalate and resolve it. This collaboration ensures that the train's overall flow is maintained and that systemic issues are addressed.

Exam trap

Many candidates choose 'System Architect' or 'Product Manager' because they are leadership roles, but the RTE is the specific role dedicated to managing the train's process and impediments.

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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.

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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.

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