SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
Two iterations into a PI, the Scrum Master notices that the team's representatives consistently arrive at the Scrum of Scrums unprepared, reporting only their own status while the ART's cross-team dependencies go unaddressed. What is the most effective action for the Scrum Master to take?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is reaching for a process control or attending in the team's place, when the Scrum Master's leverage is coaching the team to prepare for and own its ART-level coordination.
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
✓
Work with the team to prepare dependency information before each Scrum of Scrums, coaching the representative on raising blockers and following up on commitments.
The Scrum Master's responsibility for ART events is to help teams get value from them, so the right move is to coach the team representative to arrive with dependency status, blockers, and follow-up items. That keeps ownership with the team, improves coordination for the whole train, and builds a habit that persists beyond the current PI. Imposing controls or substituting for the representative addresses symptoms rather than capability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Attend the Scrum of Scrums personally and take over reporting so the team's dependency information is presented accurately.
Why it's wrong here
Attending in place of the team's representative removes the team's ownership of its dependencies and does not build the capability to coordinate across the ART. The Scrum Master supports the event's effectiveness rather than substituting for the people closest to the work. Over time this approach also hides the underlying problem, since the team never learns to prepare dependency information before the meeting.
- ✗
Recommend the team stop sending representatives and instead post dependency updates in a shared channel that other teams can read asynchronously.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the Scrum of Scrums with asynchronous posts removes the real-time negotiation and commitment-making that resolves dependencies across teams. Written updates cannot substitute for the dialogue in which teams agree on dates, interfaces, and handoffs. This would reduce visibility for the ART and leave blockers unresolved, which is the opposite of what the event is designed to accomplish.
- ✓
Work with the team to prepare dependency information before each Scrum of Scrums, coaching the representative on raising blockers and following up on commitments.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master serves the team by helping it prepare for and get value from ART events, which here means coaching the representative to bring dependency status, blockers, and follow-ups rather than a status recital. This builds a durable capability, keeps ownership with the team, and directly improves the cross-team coordination the Scrum of Scrums exists to provide. It also models the preparation habit for future PIs.
- ✗
Ask the Release Train Engineer to add a mandatory dependency checklist to the Scrum of Scrums agenda and enforce attendance rules for all representatives.
Why it's wrong here
A checklist imposed from outside may improve form but not understanding, and enforcement addresses symptoms rather than the team's lack of preparation discipline. The Scrum Master's leverage is coaching the team, not adding process controls that the ART must police. This also shifts responsibility away from the team, which undermines the self-management the Scrum Master is meant to foster.
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.