SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
During the Inspect and Adapt event for the first Agile Release Train PI, a newly formed Scrum Team expresses frustration that their velocity dropped significantly in the second iteration due to technical debt and unexpected defect rework. How should the Scrum Master guide the team in utilizing this feedback?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many examinees incorrectly think that increasing team velocity should be addressed by demanding longer working hours or cutting QA steps, rather than tackling root causes.
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
✓
Guide the team to analyze the root causes of rework and create specific improvement backlog items to address technical debt during upcoming iterations.
The Inspect and Adapt event provides a structured mechanism for teams to evaluate their performance, identify systemic impediments, and generate actionable improvement backlog items. By framing the velocity drop as a learning opportunity rather than a failure, the Scrum Master helps the team prioritize technical debt remediation. This ensures continuous improvement is systematically integrated into future iteration planning sessions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Recommend that the team abandon formal Definition of Done criteria temporarily to restore high story point delivery velocity in the next iteration.
Why it's wrong here
Dropping the Definition of Done permits incomplete increments to count as done, hiding the defect rework that caused velocity to fall instead of addressing it. It is tempting because restoring story point counts looks like recovered throughput, and relaxing criteria would be defensible only if the team had over-specified quality gates beyond what the product genuinely requires.
- ✓
Guide the team to analyze the root causes of rework and create specific improvement backlog items to address technical debt during upcoming iterations.
Why this is correct
Analyzing root causes allows the team to pinpoint why technical debt impacted their delivery and take corrective action through dedicated backlog items. This directly operationalizes the continuous improvement mindset fostered during the Inspect and Adapt event and builds sustainable velocity.
- ✗
Advise the Product Owner to remove all complex stories from the team backlog until the team achieves a stable baseline velocity of thirty points.
Why it's wrong here
Arbitrarily restricting backlog complexity prevents the team from tackling real business value and deprives them of valuable learning opportunities. Teams must confront complex requirements and learn to estimate and manage them within their standard iteration cycles.
- ✗
Report the velocity drop as an underperformance issue to executive management so they can reassign lower-performing developers to other teams.
Why it's wrong here
Reporting velocity drops as individual underperformance contradicts SAFe principles of psychological safety and systemic problem-solving. Velocity fluctuations are normal learning signals for new teams and should be addressed through collaborative retrospectives, not punitive management actions.
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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.