SSM Supporting Team Events Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are benefits of the Scrum Master fostering cross-team collaboration during PI Planning? (Select THREE)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates mistakenly choose options suggesting the Scrum Master writes code for other teams or manages cross-team budgets, overstepping boundaries instead of focusing on alignment and dependency management.
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
✓
Increased understanding of dependencies between teams.
Cross-team collaboration is fundamental to SAFe, as teams are interdependent. By fostering these connections, the Scrum Master helps manage dependencies, align plans, and share knowledge across the ART. This proactive approach prevents bottlenecks, enables the team to deliver integrated value more smoothly, and ensures that the overall PI objectives are met through a unified, collaborative effort.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Increased understanding of dependencies between teams.
Why this is correct
When teams communicate early and often, they identify dependencies that would otherwise cause delays. Understanding these dependencies allows teams to plan their work around them, reducing the risk of being blocked during the PI. This leads to better flow and more predictable delivery of integrated features across the entire train.
- ✗
Elimination of the need for the Product Owner role.
Why it's wrong here
The Product Owner role is essential for backlog management and business value prioritization. Collaboration does not replace the need for this role; rather, it makes the PO's job more effective by ensuring that the backlog is aligned with dependencies and technical realities across the various teams in the ART.
- ✓
Better alignment of team plans to the overall Program Increment objectives.
Why this is correct
Cross-team communication ensures that every team is working toward the same shared goals. This alignment prevents silos and ensures that team-level efforts contribute correctly to the larger PI objectives. It fosters a sense of collective responsibility and ensures that the ART functions as a coherent, unified system for delivery.
- ✗
Reduced need for team-level retrospectives.
Why it's wrong here
Team-level retrospectives are critical for continuous improvement within the team's context. Collaboration does not replace the need to reflect on internal team processes and performance. Teams still need to improve their own ways of working, and the retrospective remains the primary vehicle for that internal team-focused improvement.
- ✓
Faster resolution of cross-team issues during the PI.
Why this is correct
When teams have already established relationships and an understanding of each other's work, resolving future conflicts becomes much faster. They are already accustomed to working together, which facilitates quick communication and collaborative problem-solving. This keeps the ART moving forward and ensures that issues do not linger and stall progress.
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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.