SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
During Team Breakout #1 in PI Planning, the team finds that their capacity is exceeded by the features assigned to them. What should the Scrum Master do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest the Scrum Master should unilaterally reduce scope or ask the team to work overtime, ignoring the Product Owner's authority over priority.
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 conversation between the team and the PO to prioritize the work.
The Scrum Master's role is to ensure the team creates a realistic plan. When capacity is exceeded, the first step is to seek clarification and prioritization from the Product Owner. This prevents the team from committing to an unachievable amount of work and ensures they focus on the highest value items.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask the team to work overtime to ensure all features are included.
Why it's wrong here
Planning for overtime is unsustainable and violates the principle of maintaining a constant pace. It leads to burnout and lower quality work. The purpose of PI Planning is to create a sustainable and predictable plan based on the team's actual historical velocity and current capacity.
- ✗
Move the excess features to the 'Uncommitted' list without consultation.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master should not unilaterally move features. This decision requires collaboration with the Product Owner to ensure that the most important features remain in the plan. Uncommitted objectives are for items with high uncertainty, not simply for work that exceeds the team's capacity.
- ✗
Wait for the Draft Plan Review to see if management notices the gap.
Why it's wrong here
Waiting for the Draft Plan Review wastes valuable planning time. The Scrum Master should facilitate immediate problem-solving during the breakout session so the team can present a more mature and realistic draft plan when the review session actually begins later in the day.
- ✓
Facilitate a conversation between the team and the PO to prioritize the work.
Why this is correct
Facilitating a prioritization discussion is the most effective way to handle capacity issues. It allows the Product Owner to decide which features are essential and which can be deferred. This ensures the team's plan is realistic while still aligned with the most important business priorities.
About these practice questions
This SSM question is part of Courseiva's 385-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.