Scaled Agile SSM SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master Exam Practice Test

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the metrics that are reported at the Inspect and Adapt event is the ART predictability measure. This metric shows how well the ART delivers on its PI objectives, which are the SMART commitments made by the teams during PI planning. The ART predictability measure is calculated by dividing the total actual business value achieved by the total planned business value, as shown in the PI system demo. The ART predictability measure helps the ART to assess its performance, identify gaps, and improve its forecasting accuracy and reliability. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Inspect and Adapt
• Program Increment
• Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

One purpose of iteration goals is to align team members to a common purpose and vision. Iteration goals are a high-level summary of the business and technical goals that an Agile Team agrees to accomplish in an iteration. They help the team and the product owner to reach agreement on the business value they intend to deliver, align their work to their team PI objectives, and ground everyone on their shared purpose. Iteration goals also provide transparency and management information, as well as support the coordination and dependency management of the Agile Release Train (ART).

References:

• Iteration Goals - Scaled Agile Framework
• Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the ways a servant leader can support team members in decision-making is by giving each team member the opportunity to contribute. This means that the servant leader encourages and facilitates the participation of all team members in the decision-making process, ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and valued. By giving each team member the opportunity to contribute, the servant leader fosters a culture of collaboration, empowerment, and trust, as well as increases the quality and buy-in of the decisions. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• The Power of Shared Decision-Making through Servant-Leadership
• The Scrum Master as a Servant-Leader

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

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

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. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Iteration Planning
• Iteration Goals
• Scrum Master/Team Coach

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 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework
• Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework
• SAFe Scrum Master Course Outline

Backlog Refinement is the Agile Team event where team members estimate relative story sizes. 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 Backlog1 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 iteration2 To achieve this, the team uses relative story sizing, which is a technique to compare the effort, complexity, and uncertainty of different stories based on a common reference point3 Relative story sizing helps the team to create a consistent and shared understanding of the scope and value of the work, as well as to optimize the flow and predictability of the delivery process4 The team can use various methods to estimate relative story sizes, such as story points, T-shirt sizes, or Fibonacci numbers35 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework
• Backlog Refinement - Scaled Agile Framework
• Story - Scaled Agile Framework
• How to Estimate Agile Stories: Introducing Relative Sizing - LeanDog
• Why Your Agile Team Should Use Relative Story Point Estimation

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 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework
• PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

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

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the important attendees to the PI System Demo is the Business Owners. Business Owners are a small group of stakeholders who have the primary business and technical responsibility for governance, compliance, and return on investment (ROI) for a Solution developed by an Agile Release Train (ART). They are key stakeholders on the ART who must evaluate fitness for use and actively participate in certain ART events. The PI System Demo provides them an opportunity to see the integrated view of new features delivered by the ART, give feedback, and influence the future direction of the solution. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• System Demo
• [Business Owners]

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

One way to ensure a team is holding successful iteration reviews and demos is to have the team demo working, tested system components that meet the definition of done (DoD). This shows the team’s progress and value delivery, and allows them to receive feedback from the product owner and other stakeholders. The team should minimize the use of slides and the preparation time for the demos, and focus on the solution instead of the presentation. The team should also discuss the impact of the current solution on the nonfunctional requirements (NFRs) and identify any risks or impediments.

References:

• Iteration Review - Scaled Agile Framework
• Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master