SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
During the Inspect and Adapt event, the ART's quantitative measurement shows that the current PI delivered only 60 percent of planned business value. The Scrum Master is helping the team prepare for the problem-solving workshop. What is the most appropriate first step for the team?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is leaping to solutions or retroactively changing objectives instead of following the workshop's disciplined problem-first sequence.
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
✓
Identify and agree on the problem to be solved before conducting root cause analysis.
The Inspect and Adapt problem-solving workshop is a structured, timeboxed activity that begins with agreeing on the problem, then moves to root cause analysis, corrective actions, and prioritization. Starting with a clear problem statement keeps the team aligned and ensures subsequent analysis targets the real cause of the missed business value rather than a symptom.
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 Release Train Engineer to adjust the PI Objectives retroactively to reflect the delivered value.
Why it's wrong here
Retroactively editing PI Objectives would distort the measurement and hide the real performance gap the Inspect and Adapt event is meant to reveal. The quantitative measurement exists to drive honest reflection and systemic improvement. Changing objectives after the fact undermines transparency and prevents the ART from learning why planned business value was not achieved, which is the core purpose of the event.
- ✗
Immediately assign a new improvement story to the next Sprint to raise the metric.
Why it's wrong here
Jumping straight to a solution skips the structured problem-solving the Inspect and Adapt workshop requires. The workshop first identifies the problem, then analyzes root causes, and only then generates and prioritizes corrective actions. Assigning an improvement story without understanding why value fell short risks addressing a symptom rather than the underlying cause, wasting the team's limited improvement capacity.
- ✗
Move directly to brainstorming corrective actions so the team can finish the workshop early.
Why it's wrong here
Brainstorming corrective actions before identifying the problem and its root causes produces unfocused solutions that may not address the actual cause of the shortfall. The workshop's structure exists precisely to prevent premature solutioning. Skipping diagnosis wastes the dedicated improvement time and typically results in actions that fail to move the metric in the next PI.
- ✓
Identify and agree on the problem to be solved before conducting root cause analysis.
Why this is correct
The problem-solving workshop follows a deliberate sequence: agree on the problem, perform root cause analysis, identify corrective actions, and prioritize them. The team must first align on a clear, specific problem statement before analyzing causes. This discipline prevents the group from chasing divergent issues and ensures the resulting improvement backlog addresses the actual shortfall in planned business value.
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.