SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  It allows individual team members to specialize deeply in one area.

  Why it's wrong here

  While individuals can maintain specializations, the goal of a cross-functional team is to share knowledge and reduce silos. Over-specialization leads to bottlenecks if someone is unavailable. Cross-functional teams encourage 'T-shaped' skills, where members have a primary specialty but can also contribute to other tasks to keep work moving forward.

• ✗

  It eliminates the need for any external dependencies on other teams.

  Why it's wrong here

  While it reduces dependencies, it cannot eliminate them entirely in complex systems. The true benefit is that the team has the skills to own their tasks without constantly waiting for external groups for every step. It maximizes local autonomy, but inter-team coordination remains necessary for large-scale, complex system development in SAFe.

• ✓

  It enables the team to deliver value independently and faster.

  Why this is correct

  By keeping all the required skills within the team, work flows much faster because wait times and handoffs between functional silos (like QA or Dev) are removed. This independence is key to the SAFe concept of 'team-based agility,' allowing the team to commit to and deliver their objectives with minimal interference.

• ✗

  It forces team members to do work they are not trained for.

  Why it's wrong here

  Cross-functional teams emphasize collaboration, not forced labor. Team members contribute based on their skills but are encouraged to support one another. This fosters a 'whole-team' mentality where everyone takes responsibility for the iteration goals, rather than just protecting their own specific functional domains, which improves quality and team cohesion.