SSM Introducing Scrum in SAFe Practice Question
Which THREE items are primary responsibilities of a Scrum Master when introducing Scrum within a SAFe environment?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often include options involving architectural design decisions or backlog prioritization, mistakenly attributing Product Owner or System Architect responsibilities to the Scrum Master.
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
✓
Removing impediments that block the team's progress.
The Scrum Master is a servant leader who facilitates team events, coaches the team on SAFe practices, and removes systemic impediments. In SAFe, they also coordinate across teams to manage dependencies. These responsibilities are vital for maintaining the flow of value across the Agile Release Train and ensuring the team remains aligned with the broader program goals while maximizing their own local agility.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Removing impediments that block the team's progress.
Why this is correct
Identifying and removing blockers is essential for maintaining team velocity and flow. In SAFe, many impediments may span across teams or involve architectural issues, requiring the Scrum Master to escalate and coordinate with the Release Train Engineer to ensure the team can maintain its pace of delivery throughout the PI.
- ✗
Writing and maintaining the Program Backlog.
Why it's wrong here
The Program Backlog is managed by Product Management. The Scrum Master focuses on the team's internal processes and execution. While they provide feedback on the backlog, they are not responsible for its maintenance, prioritization, or definition, as their role is to facilitate the team's ability to execute against the defined plan.
- ✓
Facilitating team ceremonies such as the Daily Stand-up and Iteration Review.
Why this is correct
Facilitation is a core competency of the Scrum Master. By ensuring these events are productive, time-boxed, and focused, the Scrum Master helps the team maintain alignment and inspect/adapt their work. This is crucial for keeping the team on track with their iteration goals and providing transparency to all stakeholders.
- ✓
Coordinating with other Scrum Masters to manage dependencies.
Why this is correct
In an ART, no team works in isolation. Dependency management is a key responsibility for Scrum Masters, who must communicate and collaborate with counterparts on other teams to resolve potential conflicts, synchronize work efforts, and ensure that the program's objectives are met collectively without being stalled by inter-team handoff delays.
- ✗
Setting the vision and roadmap for the ART.
Why it's wrong here
The vision and roadmap are the responsibility of Product Management, System Architects, and Business Owners. The Scrum Master's focus is inward on the team and outward to assist with coordination; they do not set the strategic direction or the product vision, as that is a high-level leadership responsibility.
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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.