SSM Defining the Scrum Master / Team Coach Role Practice Question
Exhibit
{
"iteration": "3",
"team_name": "Blue-Squad",
"wip_limit": 4,
"active_items": 7,
"blocked_items": 2,
"cycle_time_avg": "11 days"
}Refer to the exhibit. As the Scrum Master for Blue-Squad, which action should you prioritize during the next Team Sync based on the current JSON status report?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mistake is to suggest adding more capacity or ignoring the WIP limit to 'finish the work faster,' which actually increases cycle time and reduces throughput.
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 a discussion on how to clear the blocked items and reduce the current WIP.
According to the exhibit, the team is significantly exceeding its WIP limit and has multiple blocked items, which directly correlates with the high average cycle time. A key responsibility of the Scrum Master is to facilitate flow by ensuring WIP limits are respected and impediments are addressed immediately. This prevents a buildup of work that delays the feedback loop and delivery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Encourage the team to pull in one more Story to ensure they meet their velocity targets.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more work when the team is already over the WIP limit will further increase cycle time and create more congestion. This ignores the data in the exhibit and violates the Lean principle of limiting work in process to improve flow and deliver value faster.
- ✓
Facilitate a discussion on how to clear the blocked items and reduce the current WIP.
Why this is correct
Clearing blocks and reducing WIP is the most effective way to restore flow and reduce cycle time. By addressing the items that are stuck, the team can finish existing work before starting new tasks, which is the primary goal of managing flow in a SAFe environment.
- ✗
Request the System Architect to redesign the solution to reduce the complexity of the Stories.
Why it's wrong here
While architecture can impact complexity, it is not the immediate solution to a process flow issue shown in the metrics. The exhibit indicates a management-of-work problem (WIP and blocks) rather than a technical failure that requires a complete redesign from the System Architect.
- ✗
Update the WIP limit in the configuration to 8 to reflect the team's actual current capacity.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the WIP limit to match the current state is a reactive move that hides the underlying flow issues. Limits are meant to be constraints that trigger problem-solving; raising them without improving the process simply institutionalizes inefficiency and lengthens the time it takes to deliver value.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
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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.