Scaled Agile SAFE-SSM Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Scaled Agile SAFE-SSM Online Questions & Answers

• Question 21:

  According to SAFe, which of the following types of work should fit into one Iteration for one team?

  A. Features
  B. Epics
  C. Tasks
  D. Stories
  D. Stories

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  Explanation

  According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, the type of work that should fit into one Iteration for one team is a Story. A Story is a short description of a small piece of functionality that provides value to the customer or stakeholder. Stories are derived from Features, which are larger units of value that typically span multiple Iterations. Stories are also decomposed into Tasks, which are the specific activities that the team members perform to implement the Story. Stories are the primary backlog items that the team plans, estimates, and delivers in an Iteration. They are also the basis for defining and committing to the Iteration goals. Stories should be small enough to be completed within one Iteration, and they should meet the definition of ready and the definition of done. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Stories Features Tasks Iteration Planning

• Question 22:

  What is one practice Scrum Masters/Team Coaches can use to run successful meetings?

  A. Leave meetings with clear action items
  B. Maintain vague agendas to allow for any urgent issues
  C. Allow individuals to override timeboxes to ensure full discussions
  D. Schedule meetings around the Product Owner to ensure they are able to make final decisions
  A. Leave meetings with clear action items

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  Explanation

  One of the best practices Scrum Masters/Team Coaches can use to run successful meetings is to leave meetings with clear action items. Action items are specific tasks that need to be done by a certain person or group by a certain deadline. They help the team to follow up on the outcomes of the meeting, track progress, and ensure accountability. Action items should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Scrum Masters/Team Coaches should document and communicate the action items to the team and stakeholders, and review them in the next meeting. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Scrum Master/Team Coach How To Run Effective Scrum Meetings - Xebia Four agile ceremonies, demystified | Atlassian

• Question 23:

  What is one anti-pattern that emerges when teams do not spend enough time refining the backlog?

  A. Teams arrive to Team Sync without progress to share
  B. Teams enter retrospectives without improvement ideas
  C. Teams enter new Iterations without enough Stories prepared
  D. Teams arrive to Iteration Planning without specified goals
  C. Teams enter new Iterations without enough Stories prepared

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  Explanation

  One anti-pattern that emerges when teams do not spend enough time refining the backlog is that they enter new Iterations without enough Stories prepared. This can result in several negative consequences, such as: The team may struggle to plan and commit to the Iteration Goals, as they lack clarity, feasibility, and testability of the Stories. The team may face delays, rework, and waste, as they encounter unanticipated dependencies, risks, or technical issues during the Iteration. The team may deliver low-quality or incomplete Stories, as they rush to meet the Iteration deadlines or compromise on the Definition of Done. The team may lose focus, alignment, and motivation, as they work on ambiguous or unrealistic Stories that do not deliver value to the customers or the organization. To avoid this anti-pattern, the team should dedicate sufficient time and effort to refine the backlog on a regular basis, preferably every Iteration Backlog Refinement is an ongoing process where the team collaborates with the Product Owner and other stakeholders to review, split, prioritize, and estimate the Stories in the Team Backlog One of the main objectives of Backlog Refinement is to ensure that the Stories are ready for Iteration Planning, which means they are clear, feasible, testable, and small enough to be completed in a single Iteration By doing so, the team can improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of their work, as well as deliver value to the customers and the organization

• Question 24:

  What is one benefit of PI Planning?

  A. It maximizes team capacity
  B. It aligns the ART to established DevOps practices
  C. It fosters cross-team dependencies
  D. Allows for faster decision-making
  D. Allows for faster decision-making

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  Explanation

  One benefit of PI Planning is that it allows for faster decision-making by bringing together all the members of the Agile Release Train (ART) and the relevant stakeholders in a face- to-face (or virtual) event. PI Planning provides an opportunity for the ART to align on a common vision and mission, review the business context and priorities, identify and resolve dependencies and risks, and commit to a realistic and achievable plan for the next Program Increment (PI). By having everyone involved in the planning process, the ART can leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of the participants, reduce ambiguity anduncertainty, and make informed and timely decisions that support the delivery of value to the customers. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework Planning Interval (PI) - Scaled Agile Framework Preparing for PI Planning | Checklist for Scrum Masters and Product ... Scrum Master - Scaled Agile Framework Scrum Master role in PI Planning - ValueGlide

• Question 25:

  What is the first step of the problem-solving workshop?

  A. Perform a root-cause analysis
  B. Agree on the problem to solve
  C. Restate the new problem for the biggest root cause
  D. Identify the biggest root cause
  B. Agree on the problem to solve

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  Explanation

  The first step of the problem-solving workshop is to agree on the problem to solve. This step is important because it helps the teams to clearly state the problem, highlight the what, where, when, and impact of the problem, and avoid addressing the symptoms instead of the root causes. By agreeing on the problem to solve, the teams can focus their investigation and analysis, and save time and effort. The problem statement should be succinct and specific, and should not include any assumptions or solutions.

  References: Inspect and Adapt - Scaled Agile Framework Problem-solving workshop: Step-by-Step - Agilephoria The Sun Never Sets on the Problem-Solving Workshop

• Question 26:

  What is one example of Scrum Masters/Team Coaches helping without diminishing the commitment of others?

  A. Facilitating necessary meetings for the team
  B. Demoing the team's completed work
  C. Encouraging handoffs so each team member contributes to the work
  D. Coaching the team to refrain from relying on external resources
  A. Facilitating necessary meetings for the team

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  Explanation

  One example of Scrum Masters/Team Coaches helping without diminishing the commitment of others is facilitating necessary meetings for the team. Facilitating means providing guidance and support to the team in conducting effective and productive meetings, such as Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, Iteration Review, and Iteration Retrospective1 Facilitating does not mean taking over the meeting or making decisions for the team. Rather, it means creating a safe and respectful environment, ensuring clear and shared objectives, encouraging participation and collaboration, managing time and agenda, resolving conflicts and issues, and summarizing outcomes and action items23 By facilitating necessary meetings for the team, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches help the team to achieve their goals, improve their processes, and deliver value to the customers and the organization14 At the same time, they respect and empower the team's autonomy, self- organization, and self-management, and do not interfere with their commitment or accountability14 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Scrum Master/Team Coach - Scaled Agile Framework Facilitation - Scaled Agile Framework How to Facilitate Effective Meetings as a Scrum Master | Agile Velocity The Scrum Master Balancing Act | Scrum.org

• Question 27:

  According to SAFe, which of the following key traits of effective Scrum Masters/Team Coaches is crucial for team members to accept coaching?

  A. Optimism
  B. Empathy
  C. Fairness
  D. Agreeableness
  B. Empathy

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  Explanation

  According to SAFe, empathy is one of the key traits of effective Scrum Masters/Team Coaches. Empathy means displaying an authentic understanding and concern for a team member's beliefs or feelings. By being empathetic, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches canbuild trust and rapport with the team, which are essential for people to accept and welcome coaching. Empathy also helps Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to tailor their coaching style and approach to the needs and preferences of each team member. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Scrum Master/Team Coach According to SAFe which of the following key traits of effective - Studocu

• Question 28:

  What is one element of the CALMR approach to DevOps?

  A. Maximize work in process
  B. Relentlessly reduce risk
  C. Lean flow accelerates delivery
  D. Activate the knowledge worker
  C. Lean flow accelerates delivery

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  Explanation

  Lean flow is one of the elements of the CALMR approach to DevOps in SAFe. It means applying lean principles and practices to optimize the flow of value from idea to production. Lean flow accelerates delivery by eliminating waste, reducing batch sizes, implementing pull systems, limiting work in process, managing queues, reducing handoffs, and applying cadence and synchronization. Lean flow enables faster feedback, shorter lead times, higher quality, and lower costs. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: CALMR - Scaled Agile Framework The CALMR Approach to DevOps [Complete Guide] - KnowledgeHut SAFe Scrum Master Course Outline

• Question 29:

  What is one recommended practice for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches when facilitating Iteration Review?

  A. Limit participants to just the team members
  B. Encourage team members to spend 3+ hours preparing
  C. Encourage the team member with the best presentation skills to demo each Iteration
  D. Begin to consider how and what to demo in Iteration Planning
  D. Begin to consider how and what to demo in Iteration Planning

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  Explanation

  One of the recommended practices for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches when facilitating Iteration Review is to begin to consider how and what to demo in Iteration Planning. This helps the team to have a clear vision of the expected outcome and to align their work with the iteration goals. It also facilitates the preparation and execution of the demo, as the team can anticipate the feedback and questions from the stakeholders. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Iteration Review - Scaled Agile Framework SAFe Scrum Master Course Outline

• Question 30:

  Three members of Team C created a new workflow to speed up the testing process. They spent an entire Iteration designing the process but discovered, just before implementation, that the system could not support the workflow. The rest of the team was excited to hear what was learned from the failed experiment. Which of the following characteristics of a high-performing Agile Team is Team C demonstrating?

  A. Accountability to each other and the organization for reliably completing quality work
  B. Mutual trust that allows for both healthy conflict and reliance on others
  C. A safe environment for taking risks without fear of embarrassment or criticism
  D. Enjoying the work and working together
  C. A safe environment for taking risks without fear of embarrassment or criticism

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  Explanation

  A safe environment for taking risks without fear of embarrassment or criticism is one of the characteristics of a high-performing Agile Team. A high-performing Agile Team is a cross- functional group of people that have everything, and everyone, necessary to produce a working, tested increment of product1 They are empowered, collaborative, aligned, and committed to delivering value to the customers and the organization2 One of the factors that enable a high-performing Agile Team is a safe environment where team members can experiment, learn, and grow without fear of failure, blame, or judgment3 A safe environment fosters a culture of innovation, creativity, and continuous improvement, as well as a sense of psychological safety, trust, and belonging among team members4 Team C is demonstrating this characteristic by creating a new workflow to speed up the testing process, even though it did not work out as expected. The rest of the team was excited to hear what was learned from the failed experiment, rather than being disappointed or critical. This shows that the team values learning over perfection, and supports each other in taking risks and trying new things. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

  References: Agile Teams - Scaled Agile Framework High-Performing Teams - Scaled Agile Framework How to Create a Safe Environment for Agile Teams | AgileConnection Psychological Safety - Scaled Agile Framework