SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
Exhibit
{
"Team_Objectives": {
"Committed": ["Objective_1", "Objective_2"],
"Uncommitted": ["Objective_3 (Auth_API)"],
"Context": "High_Dependency_on_External_Team"
}
}Refer to the exhibit. Why would the Scrum Master coach the team to mark the 'Auth API' objective as uncommitted?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly believe uncommitted objectives represent low-priority work that can be discarded, failing to understand they are valid, planned objectives with higher levels of inherent risk.
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
✓
The team faces high technical uncertainty or external dependencies.
Uncommitted objectives are not extra work; they are planned items that have significant uncertainty or dependency risks. The Scrum Master coaches the team to use this category to ensure the ART's commitment remains reliable. This practice improves predictability by distinguishing between what is highly likely and what is contingent on external factors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The objective has low business value for the stakeholders.
Why it's wrong here
Low business value is not a reason to mark an objective as uncommitted; instead, low-value items should likely be removed from the plan entirely. Uncommitted objectives often have high business value but carry too much risk to be included in the primary commitment of the team for the Program Increment.
- ✓
The team faces high technical uncertainty or external dependencies.
Why this is correct
High technical uncertainty or external dependencies are the primary reasons for using uncommitted objectives. By categorizing it this way, the team can still plan the work and gain experience without failing their commitment if the external dependencies or technical challenges prove to be insurmountable during the Program Increment execution.
- ✗
The team has a lack of interest in this specific technical task.
Why it's wrong here
A team's lack of interest is never a valid reason for how objectives are categorized in SAFe. Objectives are driven by business needs and the ART backlog, and the Scrum Master's role is to ensure the team is aligned with the mission regardless of their personal interest in a specific task.
- ✗
It is a stretch goal that the team will only start if they finish early.
Why it's wrong here
While some might see them as stretch goals, uncommitted objectives are actually part of the team's capacity and are not 'extra' work. Calling them stretch goals can lead to teams over-committing their actual capacity, whereas uncommitted objectives are part of the planned load but with a different confidence level.
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.