SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
During the first Sprint of a newly formed SAFe Scrum team, the Scrum Master observes that the Product Owner is assigning tasks to individual developers and asking for status updates twice a day. The team members have stopped self-organizing and are waiting for direction. What should the Scrum Master do first to address this situation?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming the Scrum Master should immediately escalate to the RTE or take over coordination, rather than first coaching the Product Owner on self-management.
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
✓
Coach the Product Owner on the Scrum principle of self-organizing teams and clarify that task assignment and daily coordination belong to the Developers.
The Scrum Master is a servant-leader who coaches the team and others in Scrum principles. When the Product Owner oversteps by assigning tasks and demanding frequent status updates, the Scrum Master should first coach the Product Owner on self-organizing teams and the boundaries of the Product Owner role. This addresses the root cause without escalating or undermining the team's autonomy, and it preserves a healthy working relationship.
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 Developers to ignore the Product Owner's task assignments and continue working only on items they select during Iteration Planning.
Why it's wrong here
Telling the Developers to ignore the Product Owner creates conflict and does not address the root cause. The Scrum Master should facilitate a constructive conversation and coach the Product Owner, not bypass them. Directly instructing the team to disregard the Product Owner undermines collaboration and may damage trust, which is contrary to the Scrum Master's servant-leader stance.
- ✓
Coach the Product Owner on the Scrum principle of self-organizing teams and clarify that task assignment and daily coordination belong to the Developers.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master serves the team by coaching others on Scrum theory and practice. The Product Owner is overstepping by assigning tasks and demanding frequent status updates, which undermines self-management. The Scrum Master should first coach the Product Owner to respect the Developers' autonomy, reinforcing that the team owns how work gets done, while the Product Owner focuses on value and backlog priority.
- ✗
Escalate the Product Owner's behavior to the Release Train Engineer and request that the Product Owner be replaced on the team.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation and replacement are premature and disruptive. The Scrum Master's first duty is to coach the Product Owner on self-management and Scrum principles. Involving the RTE may be appropriate later if the behavior persists and impedes the team, but immediately requesting a replacement ignores the Scrum Master's role in fostering healthy team dynamics and resolving impediments through coaching.
- ✗
Take over the daily coordination of tasks yourself to shield the team from the Product Owner and allow them to focus on development.
Why it's wrong here
Assuming coordination duties makes the Scrum Master a task manager and prevents the team from self-organizing. The Scrum Master should not become the team's director or shield them in a way that removes their ownership. This approach would reinforce dependency on the Scrum Master and fail to develop the team's self-management, which is central to Scrum in SAFe.
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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.