Scaled Agile SSM Dumps

According to the SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework) guidelines, an effective Scrum Master or Team Coach (SM/TC) exhibits several key traits that enable them to support Agile Teams effectively. One of the most emphasized characteristics is the ability to navigate conflict constructively.

A "conflict navigator" refers to someone who helps the team identify and work through disagreements in a productive way. Rather than avoiding or suppressing conflict, a skilled Scrum Master uses it as an opportunity to surface issues, enhance team learning, and drive continuous improvement. This aligns with the servant-leadership stance encouraged both in SAFe and the Scrum Guide.

While traits like being charismatic or ambitious may be personally beneficial, they are not explicitly listed in SAFe or Scrum literature as core attributes for Scrum Masters. Similarly, competitiveness could actually contradict the collaborative, team-focused nature of Agile frameworks.

From the SAFe® Scrum Master role description:

“Effective Scrum Masters are servant leaders who display characteristics such as active listening, empathy, persuasion, and conflict facilitation.”

This highlights the importance of conflict facilitation, making “Conflict navigator” the correct answer.

For full reference, see:

???? SAFe Scrum Master Role – Scaled Agile Framework

An anti-pattern is a behavior that seems helpful but actually undermines Agile principles. In the context of Iteration Retrospectives, one anti-pattern for Scrum Masters or Team Coaches is focusing only on what to improve and not on what to preserve.

Effective retrospectives are balanced—they highlight both what went well and what can be improved. Recognizing and reinforcing successful practices helps the team sustain productive behaviors while targeting specific areas for change. Ignoring positive aspects can lower morale and overlook practices that contribute to success.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams use the retrospective to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what actions to take. Recognizing what to preserve reinforces effective team habits and strengths.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. They focus only on what to improve and not what to preserve, as this behavior disrupts balanced reflection and continuous improvement.

An effective Scrum Master/Team Coach (SM/TC) not only supports the team’s daily operations but also helps them grow and improve over time. Thinking beyond the day-to-day means guiding the team toward strategic improvement and long-term effectiveness, not just tactical task completion.

By helping the team prioritize improvement activities to ensure progress, Scrum Masters promote a mindset of continuous learning and adaptation. This aligns with SAFe’s Relentless Improvement pillar, encouraging the team to use metrics, feedback, and retrospectives to drive sustained enhancement in flow, quality, and collaboration.

From SAFe guidance:

“Scrum Masters help teams improve continuously by identifying, prioritizing, and pursuing improvement opportunities that enhance value delivery and team performance.”

Thus, the correct answer is D. Help the team prioritize improvement activities to ensure progress, as this demonstrates strategic thinking beyond daily coordination.

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.

One recommended practice for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches when coaching teams on presenting a draft plan at PI Planning is to align on how the team will answer questions about their proposed objectives. This practice helps the team to prepare for the feedback and input they will receive from the business owners, product management, and other teams and stakeholders during the draft plan review. The team should agree on who will present the objectives, how they will explain the business value and technical feasibility, and how they will handle any objections or concerns. The team should also rehearse their presentation and anticipate potential questions and scenarios. By aligning on how to answer questions, the team can increase their confidence and clarity, and demonstrate their commitment and alignment to the vision and goals of the ART.

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the ways teams can use Iteration planning to stay aligned on their work is by committing to a set of goals to be delivered. Iteration goals are a summary of the business and technical outcomes that the team intends to achieve in the Iteration. They are based on the stories selected from the team backlog, the team’s capacity, and the acceptance criteria. By committing to a set of goals, the team creates a shared understanding of the purpose and scope of the Iteration, as well as the expected value and quality. The team also aligns with the ART vision and objectives, and communicates their commitment to the stakeholders and customers. Iteration goals help the team to stay focused, motivated, and accountable throughout the Iteration.

One anti-pattern of the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is to have no actionable improvement Features created as a result of the problem-solving workshop. This is considered an anti-pattern because the main goal of the I&A workshop is to identify and address the systemic issues that are limiting the effectiveness of the Agile Release Train (ART). The workshop should produce one or more improvement Features that are added to the ART backlog and prioritized for the next PI Planning event. These Features should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and aligned with the ART vision and goals. Without actionable improvement Features, the ART will miss the opportunity to learn and improve from the feedback and data collected during the PI.

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.

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the ways a Scrum Master/Team Coach can help improve ART performance is to facilitate cross-team collaboration. Cross-team collaboration is the ability of Agile teams to work together effectively and efficiently to deliver value to the customers and stakeholders. It involves sharing information, resolving dependencies, aligning on goals, and providing feedback. Cross-team collaboration is essential for achieving the ART vision and objectives, as well as for delivering integrated and high-quality solutions.

The Scrum Master/Team Coach plays a key role in facilitating cross-team collaboration by 1:

Participating in the Scrum of Scrums (SoS) and ART Sync meetings, where they communicate the team’s progress, impediments, and dependencies, and coordinate with other teams and the Release Train Engineer (RTE)

Helping the team prepare for and participate in the PI Planning event, where they collaborate with other teams to define and commit to the PI objectives and identify risks and dependencies

Supporting the team in the System Demo, where they demonstrate the team’s work to other teams and stakeholders, and receive feedback and validation

Assisting the team in the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event, where they review the ART performance, identify improvement opportunities, and create action plans

Encouraging the team to adopt Communities of Practice (CoPs), where they share knowledge, best practices, and learnings with other teams and experts

Promoting a culture of trust, respect, and cooperation among the team and other teams

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.

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.

Norming is the stage of team development where team members stop focusing on their own goals and begin focusing on developing better ways of working together. Norming occurs after the team has gone through the Forming and Storming stages, where they have established their roles and responsibilities, and have resolved their initial conflicts and disagreements12 In the Norming stage, the team starts to build trust, respect, and cohesion among themselves. They also align on a common vision, mission, and goals, and agree on the norms and expectations for their collaboration and communication12 The team becomes more productive, efficient, and effective, as they leverage their collective strengths and skills, and support each other in overcoming challenges and delivering value12 The team also develops a sense of identity and pride, and celebrates their achievements and learnings12 

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.

One benefit of having an IP Iteration every PI is that it creates an estimating buffer for meeting PI objectives. PI objectives are a set of SMART goals that align the teams and stakeholders to a common vision and mission for the upcoming Program Increment (PI). They are derived from the business context, priorities, and dependencies, and are agreed upon and committed by the teams during PI Planning1 However, since PI objectives are based on estimates and assumptions, there is always a degree of uncertainty and variability in the delivery process. To account for this, SAFe recommends that teams reserve 10% of their capacity for each PI as an estimating buffer. This buffer is used during the IP Iteration, which is a unique, dedicated iteration that occurs every PI and provides dedicated time for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and Inspect and Adapt events2 By having an IP Iteration as an estimating buffer, the teams can improve the predictability and flow of value delivery, as well as reduce the stress and pressure of meeting the PI objectives23 

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.

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.

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.

Hackathons are one of the activities that can be done during the IP Iteration to foster innovation and learning. They allow the team members to work on whatever they want, with whomever they want, as long as the work reflects the mission of the company. The teams then demo their work to others at the end of the hackathon. Hackathons can help the team explore new ideas, technologies, and solutions that can benefit the business and the customers. They can also increase the team’s engagement, creativity, and collaboration. References: Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework, Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

Without DevOps, organizations often face significant disconnects between development and operations teams. In traditional setups, developers build the software and then “hand it off” to operations teams for deployment and maintenance. This siloed approach creates delays, quality issues, and feedback gaps.

DevOps bridges this divide by integrating development and operations into a continuous delivery pipeline that promotes automation, collaboration, and shared responsibility for outcomes. SAFe emphasizes DevOps as a key enabler of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, ensuring faster delivery of value, higher quality, and improved customer satisfaction.

From SAFe guidance:

“Without DevOps, organizations experience challenges between teams that build solutions and those who operate them. DevOps practices close this gap, fostering collaboration and accelerating the flow of value.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Challenges between teams that build Solutions and those who operate the Solutions.

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 

The Coach Sync (sometimes referred to as the Scrum of Scrums or SM/TC Sync) is a coordination event within SAFe® where Scrum Masters and Team Coaches from the Agile Release Train (ART) meet to discuss progress, dependencies, and impediments that affect multiple teams.

This event provides a forum for escalating and addressing ART-level impediments that cannot be resolved within a single team. The RTE (Release Train Engineer) typically facilitates this meeting to ensure transparency and problem-solving across teams.

From SAFe guidance:

“The Coach Sync allows Scrum Masters and Team Coaches to discuss cross-team progress and impediments, escalating those that require ART-level visibility or resolution.”

Therefore, the correct answer is C. Coach Sync. This event enables effective synchronization among teams and promotes continuous improvement across the ART.

In the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®), sustainable pace and predictable delivery are essential for high-performing Agile teams. An important signal that a team may be overcommitting to work is when team members begin pulling in work from future Iterations before completing the committed iteration backlog.

This behavior is an anti-pattern because it disrupts the cadence and predictability of the Agile Release Train (ART). It also undermines flow and focus, spreading the team’s effort too thin across multiple iterations and reducing quality. Overcommitting leads to burnout, missed commitments, and lower morale, which negatively affect the team’s long-term velocity and dependability.

According to SAFe:

“Teams should plan only as much work as they can complete within the iteration based on historical velocity and available capacity. Pulling work from future iterations indicates overcommitment or lack of focus on the planned goals.”

Therefore, C. Team members are pulling in work from future Iterations is the correct answer—it’s a clear symptom of overcommitment and poor iteration discipline.

One way uncommitted objectives help Agile Teams make a plan for the PI is that they maintain the predictability of achieving the objectives. Uncommitted objectives are PI objectives that are not included in the team’s commitment or counted against teams in the ART predictability measure. They are used to identify work that can be variable within the scope of a PI, such as stretch goals, spikes, innovation, or exploration1 Uncommitted objectives help improve the predictability of delivering business value since they allow the team to adjust their scope based on the actual progress and feedback during the PI. They also provide the team with some flexibility and capacity to respond to changing needs and expectations, as well as to pursue learning and improvement opportunities12 

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.

In the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®), Scrum Masters or Team Coaches (SM/TCs) support their teams by making work visible and ensuring transparency around progress and delivery. One of the most effective tools for visualizing team delivery is the Burn-up Chart.

A Burn-up Chart shows progress toward the completion of work over time. It tracks the amount of work completed compared to the total scope, helping teams and stakeholders visualize how close they are to meeting iteration or PI objectives. This visualization enables data-driven discussions, supports predictability, and helps identify delivery risks early.

While other metrics like Cycle Time or Cumulative Flow Diagrams are valuable for measuring flow and efficiency, the Burn-up Chart specifically visualizes delivery progress.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams use burn-up charts to visualize progress toward the goal and communicate delivery status. They enable transparency and support empirical planning and adaptation.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Burn-up chart—it is the primary visualization tool for tracking and communicating team delivery progress.

In SAFe®, the team backlog is the source of work for the Agile Team and includes all the user stories, enablers, and defects that represent potential upcoming work. It is owned and managed by the team, often guided by the Product Owner, who ensures the backlog remains prioritized and ready for iteration planning.

A crucial ongoing activity related to the backlog is refinement (or backlog refinement)—the process of reviewing, clarifying, and breaking down backlog items into smaller, well-understood Stories that are ready for implementation. During this activity, the team collaborates to ensure backlog items have sufficient detail, appropriate acceptance criteria, and relative sizing estimates.

From SAFe guidance:

“The team backlog is the source for stories, enablers, and defects planned in iterations. Teams continuously refine the backlog to ensure upcoming work is well understood and ready for planning.”

Therefore, the correct answer is C. The team backlog is where the team refines possible Stories.

The Iteration Retrospective is a core event in SAFe® and Scrum where the team reflects on the past iteration to identify ways to improve processes, collaboration, and effectiveness. One of the most powerful ways to transform retrospective insights into action is by writing improvement Stories.

An improvement Story is treated like any other backlog item—it is estimated, prioritized, and included in the upcoming iteration backlog to ensure continuous, measurable progress toward higher performance. This approach aligns with SAFe’s focus on Relentless Improvement, a pillar of the SAFe House of Lean.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams record improvement items as stories and include them in the next iteration backlog. This ensures that improvement work receives visibility, commitment, and action.”

Thus, the correct answer is B. By writing improvement Stories, as it ensures improvement actions are tangible, trackable, and continuously implemented.