SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
During the Inspect and Adapt event, a team's quantitative measurement shows a sharp increase in escaped defects over the last three iterations. The Scrum Master wants the team to move from the metrics review into meaningful root-cause analysis. What is the most appropriate next step?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating the Inspect and Adapt as a reporting or planning exercise and skipping the structured root-cause workshop that is the heart of the event.
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 the team through a structured problem-solving workshop to identify the root cause, then define and own corrective actions.
The Inspect and Adapt event is structured to move from the quantitative measurement of a significant problem into a Problem-Solving Workshop where the team performs root-cause analysis and defines corrective actions it owns. Facilitating that workshop addresses the defect trend at its source, while estimating cost, adding a PI objective, or delegating to an architect all skip the diagnosis the event requires.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Facilitate the team through a structured problem-solving workshop to identify the root cause, then define and own corrective actions.
Why this is correct
The Inspect and Adapt event includes a structured Problem-Solving Workshop where the team uses root-cause analysis, often with a fishbone or five-whys technique, to find the underlying cause of a significant problem. Facilitating this lets the team move from symptom to cause and define corrective actions it owns, which is the intended flow of the event.
- ✗
Have the team estimate the cost of each escaped defect and report the total to the Release Train Engineer for prioritization.
Why it's wrong here
Cost estimation may inform prioritization but does not perform root-cause analysis, which is the purpose of the Problem-Solving Workshop in the Inspect and Adapt event. Jumping to cost and escalation skips the structured diagnosis the team needs, so the underlying cause of the defect trend would remain unidentified and likely recur in later iterations.
- ✗
Add a defect-reduction objective to the team's next Program Increment planning so the issue is tracked at the ART level.
Why it's wrong here
Adding an objective changes what the team plans to deliver, but it does not diagnose why defects are escaping. The Inspect and Adapt event is designed to analyze problems and propose improvements before the next PI, so skipping the workshop leaves the real cause unknown and risks committing the team to a target without a workable fix.
- ✗
Ask the system architect to review the team's code and assign the necessary refactoring work to specific developers.
Why it's wrong here
Bringing in an architect to assign refactoring may address a technical symptom, but it bypasses the team's own analysis and ownership. The Problem-Solving Workshop is a team activity, and having an outside role diagnose and assign work removes the collective learning that makes the corrective actions stick, so the defect trend could easily continue.
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.