SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
During the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event, the ART's quantitative measurement shows that the team's predictability measure has dropped from 90% to 65% over the last three iterations. The Scrum Master wants to help the team address this in the problem-solving workshop. What should the Scrum Master do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is jumping straight to a specific suspected cause, such as missed dependencies or uncompleted stories, instead of facilitating a structured root-cause analysis with the team.
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 in brainstorming all possible causes of the drop, then use dot voting to select the top root cause for further analysis.
The problem-solving workshop in the I&A follows a structured sequence: agree on the problem, brainstorm potential causes, apply a root-cause technique, and identify the most probable root cause. Starting with broad brainstorming and dot voting engages the team and avoids premature conclusions. Only after the root cause is identified should the team create improvement stories and action 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.
- ✗
Escalate the metric drop to the Release Train Engineer and request that the team's capacity be reduced for the next PI to improve predictability.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating before the team has analyzed the problem bypasses the team's ownership of its own improvement. Reducing capacity might mask the issue rather than solve it. The I&A problem-solving workshop is a team-level activity where the team identifies root causes and creates improvement stories. The Scrum Master should facilitate that process, not short-circuit it by escalating or adjusting capacity prematurely.
- ✓
Facilitate the team in brainstorming all possible causes of the drop, then use dot voting to select the top root cause for further analysis.
Why this is correct
The problem-solving workshop in the I&A follows a structured approach: agree on the problem, brainstorm causes, use a root-cause technique such as the Five Whys or fishbone, and identify the most likely root cause. Brainstorming all possible causes and then dot voting to select the top one is a valid first step before deeper analysis. This engages the team and ensures the root cause is not assumed prematurely.
- ✗
Ask the team to review the program board and identify which dependencies were missed, then update the board to reflect the correct dependencies.
Why it's wrong here
Reviewing the program board for missed dependencies is a narrow hypothesis, not a comprehensive root-cause analysis. The predictability drop could stem from many factors such as unclear requirements, technical debt, or estimation issues. Jumping to dependencies as the cause assumes the answer. The problem-solving workshop should start with broad brainstorming and structured analysis before focusing on any specific area.
- ✗
Present the team with the metric and ask the Product Owner to identify which backlog items were not completed so the team can commit to finishing them next iteration.
Why it's wrong here
Focusing on uncompleted backlog items and committing to finish them next iteration addresses symptoms, not root causes. The predictability measure dropped, indicating a systemic issue in planning or execution. The problem-solving workshop is designed to find root causes through structured analysis, not to assign blame or make new commitments. This approach skips the essential diagnostic step and may repeat the same problem.
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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.