Questions for the SSM were updated on : Nov 21 ,2025
What is one recommendation a Scrum Master/Team Coach can give the team to handle a potential
PI Objective with high uncertainty?
B
Explanation:
In SAFe®, during PI Planning, each team defines PI Objectives — clear, measurable statements of
intended business outcomes. Some objectives carry higher uncertainty or risk due to technical
complexity, dependency, or unknown factors.
To manage such uncertainty, teams can classify these as uncommitted objectives. This approach
maintains visibility and alignment while signaling to stakeholders that these objectives are goals the
team will pursue but cannot guarantee delivery. This helps set realistic expectations without
discouraging ambition or exploration.
From SAFe guidance:
“Teams identify some objectives as uncommitted when there is significant uncertainty. These are not
included in the committed plan but are made visible to stakeholders.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. Move it to uncommitted objectives, as this is the recommended
SAFe practice for handling objectives with high uncertainty.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – PI Objectives
What is one intended outcome of the problem-solving workshop?
D
Explanation:
The problem-solving workshop is the third part of the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event in SAFe®. Its
main purpose is to use structured root cause analysis to develop solutions to recognized problems
that blocked or slowed work during the Program Increment (PI).
Teams and ART stakeholders collaboratively identify systemic issues using techniques like the 5 Whys
or fishbone diagrams. They then define concrete improvement actions, which are prioritized and
added to the improvement backlog for implementation in the next PI.
From SAFe guidance:
“The purpose of the problem-solving workshop is to identify the root causes of systemic issues that
impacted performance during the PI and create improvement actions to address them.”
Therefore, the correct answer is D. Developing solutions to recognized problems that blocked or
slowed work.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Inspect and Adapt
What is one Scrum value that can help Agile Teams create transparency?
B
Explanation:
Among the five Scrum values — Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage — the value
that most directly supports transparency is Openness.
In both Scrum and SAFe®, transparency is a foundational principle of empirical process control.
Teams must be open about progress, impediments, challenges, and feedback to allow effective
inspection and adaptation. When teams practice openness, trust grows, collaboration deepens, and
issues are surfaced early rather than hidden.
The Scrum Guide (2020) states:
“The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Openness
encourages transparency, inspection, and adaptation.”
Similarly, SAFe encourages openness as part of the Lean-Agile mindset and team culture, ensuring
alignment, honesty, and clarity across teams and ARTs.
Thus, the correct answer is B. Openness, as it directly enables transparency and honest collaboration.
Reference: Scrum Guide 2020 – Scrum Values
What is one responsibility of a Scrum Master/Team Coach?
B
Explanation:
A key responsibility of the Scrum Master/Team Coach (SM/TC) in SAFe® is to support Iteration
Execution. This involves ensuring that the team adheres to Agile principles, manages dependencies,
removes impediments, and maintains focus on achieving iteration goals.
The Scrum Master facilitates team events, promotes collaboration, and helps the team continuously
improve. They also assist in managing scope and ensuring transparency by tracking progress through
iteration burndowns, Kanban boards, or burn-up charts.
From SAFe guidance:
“Scrum Masters support iteration execution, help the team meet iteration goals, and ensure all
Scrum events are productive and within their timeboxes.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. Supporting Iteration Execution, as it encapsulates a central part of
the Scrum Master/Team Coach role.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Scrum Master
What is one element of the CALMR approach to DevOps?
B
Explanation:
The CALMR approach to DevOps in SAFe® stands for Culture, Automation, Lean Flow, Measurement,
and Recovery. It represents the foundational mindset required to achieve continuous delivery and
operational excellence.
The “C” in CALMR stands for Culture, which emphasizes building a culture of shared responsibility
between development, operations, and business teams. This shared responsibility ensures
alignment, collaboration, and a collective focus on delivering value rather than working in silos.
From SAFe guidance:
“DevOps is founded on a culture of shared responsibility for the delivery of value, encouraging
collaboration across all roles and reducing handoffs.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. Create a culture of shared responsibility, as it reflects the first and
most essential principle of the CALMR approach.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – DevOps and Release on Demand
Team A has decided to use the IP Iteration to continue the finalizing Feature delivery work they have
been working on for the past two IP Iterations. What is one effect Team A might experience by
continuing to stay heads-down rather than using the IP Iteration as intended?
D
Explanation:
The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is designed to give teams space for innovation,
exploration, learning, and improvement, not for continuing regular feature work. When a team
misuses the IP Iteration to “catch up” on delivery, it misses the opportunity to experiment, innovate,
and explore new ways to deliver solutions more effectively.
This reduces the long-term adaptability and creativity of the team, limiting their ability to introduce
process or technical improvements that could increase efficiency in future PIs. The IP Iteration is also
a time for the Inspect and Adapt event and PI Planning, both of which are critical to continuous
improvement.
From SAFe guidance:
“The IP Iteration provides dedicated time for innovation and planning. Using it for normal work
diminishes opportunities to innovate, learn, and explore new approaches.”
Therefore, the correct answer is D. They could lose an opportunity to consider new approaches to
Solution delivery.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Innovation and Planning Iteration
According to SAFe, how many Stories should teams maintain in their backlog?
B
Explanation:
According to SAFe®, Agile Teams should maintain 2–3 iterations’ worth of refined Stories in their
team backlog. This ensures a steady flow of ready work without excessive upfront planning,
preserving adaptability while avoiding delays caused by unrefined items.
Maintaining this level of refinement allows the team to respond effectively to changing priorities,
dependencies, or feedback from stakeholders while ensuring that upcoming iterations are well-
prepared. Refinement sessions are typically ongoing and collaborative, focusing on breaking down
larger items into ready Stories with clear acceptance criteria.
From SAFe guidance:
“Teams continuously refine their backlog to maintain 2–3 iterations of ready stories. This supports
continuous flow and readiness for iteration planning.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. 2–3 Iterations of refined Stories.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Team Backlog
Which of the following statements describes a servant leader?
A
Explanation:
A servant leader is defined in SAFe® as someone who prioritizes the growth, well-being, and
development of their team over personal or organizational agendas. Rather than exercising authority
or control, servant leaders empower, support, and enable their teams to achieve autonomy and high
performance.
Scrum Masters and Team Coaches embody this leadership style by removing impediments, fostering
collaboration, and promoting a safe environment for experimentation and learning. The servant
leader’s goal is to help the team reach its full potential, not to command or direct.
From SAFe guidance:
“Servant leaders focus on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they
belong. They put the needs of others first and help people develop and perform as highly as
possible.”
Therefore, the correct answer is A. A leader that prioritizes the needs and growth of the team over
their own priorities.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Servant Leadership
What is one SAFe Core Competency?
B
Explanation:
SAFe® defines seven core competencies that enable business agility. One of these is Agile Product
Delivery, which focuses on building a customer-centric approach to defining, developing, and
releasing valuable solutions.
This competency emphasizes Design Thinking, DevOps, continuous delivery, and release on demand
to ensure fast, high-quality value delivery aligned with customer needs. While Built-in Quality is a
foundational SAFe principle, it is not categorized as a core competency.
From SAFe guidance:
“Agile Product Delivery is a customer-centric approach to defining, building, and releasing a
continuous flow of valuable products and services to customers and users.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. Agile Product Delivery, as it is one of SAFe’s official seven core
competencies.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Agile Product Delivery
What is one aspect of the Scrum Master/Team Coach role as it relates to PI Planning?
B
Explanation:
During PI Planning, the Scrum Master/Team Coach (SM/TC) plays an important facilitative and
support role. One key responsibility is to participate in the management review and problem-solving
meeting that occurs midway through PI Planning.
This meeting allows leaders and Scrum Masters to review the teams’ progress, resolve cross-team
risks, address scope challenges, and ensure alignment before finalizing PI objectives. The Scrum
Master’s insights into team capacity, dependencies, and risks are crucial for ART-level decision-
making.
From SAFe guidance:
“Scrum Masters participate in the management review and problem-solving session during PI
Planning to help resolve issues that may prevent teams from meeting their objectives.”
Therefore, the correct answer is B. Participate in management review and problem-solving.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – PI Planning
What is the intended value of the Team Sync event?
A
Explanation:
The Team Sync (or Daily Stand-up) in SAFe® is a short, focused, timeboxed event that allows the team
to align on progress toward iteration goals, identify impediments, and plan the next 24 hours.
The meeting promotes transparency and collaboration, ensuring that all team members are aware of
progress and issues that could affect delivery. It also reinforces self-management by allowing the
team to adapt plans daily based on new information.
From SAFe guidance:
“The Team Sync allows team members to align on progress toward iteration goals, discuss
impediments, and adjust their plans to stay on track.”
Thus, the correct answer is A. The team aligns on the progress of Iteration Goals, as it captures the
event’s primary intent.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Team Sync
Which of the following types of information is shared between the teams on an ART?
D
Explanation:
Within a SAFe Agile Release Train (ART), all teams work together toward a common mission guided
by a single Program Backlog. This shared backlog aligns every team’s work to the same vision,
ensuring coordination and synchronization.
This structure fosters transparency, dependency management, and alignment across all teams,
allowing them to collaborate effectively while maintaining autonomy within their scope. The ART
operates under the principle of “aligning with a common mission and cadence.”
From SAFe guidance:
“All teams on an ART share a common vision and a single Program Backlog that defines the work
necessary to realize that vision.”
Thus, the correct answer is D. A common mission using a single backlog.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Agile Release Train (ART)
What is one benefit of moving from waterfall methods to Agile delivery?
C
Explanation:
The key benefit of transitioning from Waterfall to Agile delivery is the ability to deliver value to
customers earlier and more frequently.
Traditional waterfall approaches deliver value only at the end of long development cycles, increasing
risk and reducing adaptability. In contrast, Agile uses iterative and incremental delivery, allowing
teams to release small increments of working solutions regularly. This provides faster feedback
loops, improves responsiveness to change, and enhances customer satisfaction.
From SAFe guidance:
“Agile delivery enables teams to deliver value continuously and early, ensuring that customer
feedback can be incorporated to improve outcomes and minimize risk.”
Therefore, the correct answer is C. Ability to deliver value to customers earlier, as this encapsulates
one of the main advantages of Agile over waterfall.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Agile Product Delivery
Which of the following SAFe events supports Agile Teams to measure the outcome of the Iteration?
A
Explanation:
In SAFe®, the Iteration Review is the event where the Agile Team measures and demonstrates the
outcome of the iteration. The team reviews the completed work, compares it against the iteration
goals, and gathers feedback from stakeholders.
This review allows the team to assess whether the iteration delivered the intended value and
identify areas for improvement in future iterations. The focus is on transparency, empirical
measurement, and alignment to customer needs.
From SAFe guidance:
“The Iteration Review provides the opportunity for the team to demonstrate the increment, measure
progress toward iteration goals, and collect feedback.”
Thus, the correct answer is A. The Iteration Review, as it specifically measures the outcome of the
iteration and validates progress.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – Iteration Review
What is a common anti-pattern for teams trying to prepare their draft objectives at PI Planning?
A
Explanation:
During PI Planning, teams are expected to create draft PI Objectives that summarize the business
value they intend to deliver. However, a common anti-pattern occurs when teams spend too much
time analyzing each Story instead of focusing on higher-level outcomes.
The goal of draft objectives is to express intent, alignment, and expected value—not to finalize every
technical detail or task. Over-analyzing individual stories during PI Planning slows progress, distracts
from collaboration with other teams, and limits the time available for identifying dependencies and
risks.
From SAFe guidance:
“Teams should avoid excessive analysis of stories during PI Planning. The focus should be on creating
draft objectives that align with business value and ART goals.”
Thus, the correct answer is A. Too much time is spent analyzing each Story, as it prevents the team
from maintaining the right level of planning abstraction.
Reference: Scaled Agile Framework – PI Planning