Scrum SAFe-SASM SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) Exam Practice Test

Phase-gate milestones are problematic because they often use documentation as a proxy for solution progress. This approach assumes that completing certain documents or passing through predefined gates accurately reflects the progress of the solution. However, in Agile methodologies, working software is the primary measure of progress. Relying on documentationcan lead to a false sense of security, where teams believe they are on track based on completed paperwork rather than actual working software. This can delay the discovery of issues and hinder the ability to make necessary adjustments in a timely manner.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: valuing working software over comprehensive documentation

SAFe 5.0 framework: the drawbacks of phase-gate milestones and the emphasis on iterative progress with working solutions

Teams that fear conflict exhibit certain characteristics that can hinder their success:

They ignore controversial topics that are critical to team success (B): When teams avoid addressing difficult or controversial issues, they miss out on resolving important problems that could impact their success. Ignoring such topics can lead to unresolved conflicts, misalignment, and suboptimal decision-making.

They fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of team members (C): Fear of conflict can prevent team members from voicing their opinions and sharing diverse perspectives. This lack of open communication can result in missed opportunities for innovation and improvement, as well as decisions that do not reflect the collective wisdom of the team.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration

Inspect and Adapt (I&A) events occur at both the Team Level and the Value Stream Level in SAFe. At the Team Level, these events allow individual Agile teams to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and plan actions for the next iteration. At the Value Stream Level, I&A events involve multiple teams working within a Value Stream to review progress, identify systemic issues, and make improvements that benefit the entire Value Stream. These levels ensure that continuous improvement practices are applied both locally within teams and more broadly across the organization.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe 5.0 framework: levels of Inspect and Adapt events

SAFe Principles: continuous improvement at multiple levels of the organization

Creating collaboration opportunities on a team is essential for fostering a cooperative and innovative environment. Three effective opportunities for collaboration include:

Pair work (A): Pair programming or pairing on tasks allows team members to work closely together, share knowledge, and improve the quality of their work through constant feedback and collaboration.

Communities of Practice (C): These are groups of people who share a common interest in a particular domain or practice. They provide a platform for sharing best practices, discussing challenges, and developing new skills collaboratively.

Hackathons (E): Hackathons are events where team members come together to work intensively on projects, often with a focus on innovation and creative problem-solving. These events foster collaboration, creativity, and rapid prototyping.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: fostering a collaborative culture

SAFe 5.0 framework: encouraging team collaboration through various practices and events

The Scrum Master should coach Lee to discuss his progress in the context of the Iteration goals. By framing his updates around how his work contributes to the broader objectives of the iteration, Lee can provide the team with better visibility into his progress and the impact of his work. This approach encourages team members to think beyond individual tasks and understand how their efforts align with the team's goals, fostering greater collaboration and accountability.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: focusing on outcomes and aligning individual efforts with team goals

SAFe 5.0 framework: effective daily stand-up practices

The decision to implement pair programming in future iterations is a team-level improvement action that stems from reflecting on their current processes and identifying areas for enhancement. This is best captured during the team's retrospective:

Retrospective Purpose:The retrospective is a regular meeting where the team reflects on what went well, what didn’t, and what could be improved.

Action Items:Decisions and action items, such as adopting pair programming, are documented in the retrospective notes to ensure they are followed up in future iterations.

Continuous Improvement:Capturing this in the retrospective notes ensures the team is committed to continuous improvement and has a clear record of their decisions and plans for process enhancements.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Team Retrospectives​​.

Phase-gate milestones are traditional project management mechanisms that mark the end of one phase and the beginning of another. One major problem with phase-gate milestones is that they assume a point solution exists and can be built correctly the first time. This assumption does not account for the iterative nature of Agile methodologies, where solutions are developed incrementally and iteratively, with feedback loops and continuous improvement. Assuming a point solution can be finalized early often leads to rigidity, lack of adaptability, and higher risks of delivering a product that does not meet the actual needs or expectations.

In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), lead time is an essential metric used to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of a process. Lead time is defined as the total time it takes for a work item to move through the entire process from the moment it is initiated until it is completed. To measure lead time accurately using a Team Kanban board, two specific timestamps are crucial:

When the Agile Team pulls a Story onto the board (Timestamp C):

This is the starting point of the lead time. It marks the moment when the team commits to working on a particular story by pulling it into the workflow. This action indicates that the story is now in progress and the clock starts ticking from this point.

When the Story is accepted by the Product Owner (Timestamp D):

This is the endpoint of the lead time. It signifies that the story has been completed to the satisfaction of the team and has met the acceptance criteria defined by the Product Owner. When the Product Owner accepts the story, it indicates that the work is done and the lead time measurement stops.

These two timestamps effectively capture the duration a story takes to go through the development process, providing valuable insights into process efficiency and identifying areas for improvement.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials

SAFe 5.0 Scrum Master Certification resources

The 2020 Scrum Guide:Scrum Guide 2020

This information aligns with the principles and practices outlined in the SAFe framework and the Scrum Guide, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of lead time measurement within a Team Kanban board context.

One way a Scrum Master can gain the confidence of a stakeholder is by making the process visible. Transparency is a key principle in Agile and SAFe, as it builds trust and ensures that stakeholders are well-informed about the progress, challenges, and successes of the team. By making the process visible through tools like information radiators, progress charts, and regular updates, the Scrum Master can demonstrate accountability, foster open communication, and build stakeholder confidence in the team's ability to deliver value.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: transparency and visibility

SAFe 5.0 framework: building stakeholder confidence through visible processes

Iteration Planning:

Purpose:Iteration Planning is a crucial event where the team collaborates to determine what will be delivered in the upcoming iteration and how the work will be accomplished. The entire team, including the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Developers, come together to plan the iteration's work.

Process:

The Product Owner presents the prioritized backlog items to the team.

The team discusses each item, clarifies any ambiguities, and breaks down the items into tasks.

The team estimates the effort required for each task and commits to what they believe can be achieved in the iteration.

Outcome:A detailed iteration plan that includes the selected backlog items and a clear understanding of the tasks and responsibilities for each team member.

Backlog Refinement:

Purpose:Backlog Refinement (also known as Grooming) is an ongoing process where the team and the Product Owner collaborate to review and update thebacklog. This ensures that the backlog is in good shape for future iteration planning.

Process:

The team reviews the items in the backlog to ensure they are well understood and ready for future iterations.

The Product Owner provides context and clarifications for each backlog item.

The team discusses the requirements, refines the acceptance criteria, and estimates the effort required for each item.

The backlog items are prioritized based on their value and urgency.

Outcome:A well-maintained and prioritized backlog that facilitates effective and efficient iteration planning.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

Iteration Planning:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master training materials emphasize the importance of Iteration Planning as a key event for team collaboration, ensuring everyone is aligned on the iteration goals and tasks.

2020 Scrum Guide: The Iteration Planning section outlines the collaborative nature of this event and its role in setting the stage for successful iterations​​.

Backlog Refinement:

In the SAFe framework, Backlog Refinement is highlighted as an essential activity to maintain a healthy backlog, allowing the team to prepare for future iterations effectively.

Scrum Open: This document discusses the significance of Backlog Refinement in fostering team collaboration and ensuring the backlog is well-groomed and ready for planning​​.

The first step a team should take to feed potential problems into the Problem Solving workshop is to analyze quantitative and qualitative metrics. These metrics provide objective data about the team's performance and can highlight areas where issues may be occurring. By reviewing these metrics, the team can identify trends, pinpoint specific problems, and prioritize them for discussion in the Problem Solving workshop. This approach ensures that the workshop focuses on data-driven issues, leading to more effective and targeted solutions.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe 5.0 framework: importance of data-driven decision-making and problem-solving

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials: analyzing metrics for continuous improvement

Continuous Integration (CI) is a practice where code changes are automatically built, tested, and merged into a shared repository multiple times a day. The main purpose of CI is to ensure that the codebase is always in a state that could be potentially deployable. This means that any integration issues are identified and addressed as soon as possible, reducing the chances of bugs slipping into production.

Frequent Integration:Developers frequently integrate their code changes into the main repository, often several times a day.

Automated Builds:Each integration is verified by an automated build to detect integration errors as quickly as possible.

Automated Testing:Along with building, automated tests are run to ensure new changes do not break existing functionality.

Feedback Loop:Quick feedback is provided to the development team, allowing them to fix issues promptly.

By maintaining a potentially deployable codebase, teams can deliver high-quality software more rapidly and with greater confidence.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Continuous Integration​​.

The ROAM risk management framework categorizes risks to ensure they are managed appropriately. When a risk is mitigated, a plan is put in place to reduce or eliminate the threat posed by the risk.

ROAM Framework:

Resolved:The risk is no longer an issue.

Owned:Someone is assigned to manage the risk.

Accepted:The risk is acknowledged, and its impact is accepted without further action.

Mitigated:Actions are taken to reduce the likelihood or impact of the risk.

Mitigation involves proactive planning and actions to reduce the severity or likelihood of a risk.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Risk Management​​.

Large stories, often referred to as "epics," pose a challenge to iterative development because they encompass too much work to be completed within a single iteration. This contradicts the principles of Agile, which emphasize small, incremental deliveries to ensure continuous progress and feedback. By breaking down large stories into smaller, more manageable pieces, teams can better align with iterative development practices, allowing for more frequent delivery of value, better risk management, and easier progress tracking.

One way a Scrum Master leads the team's efforts for relentless improvement is by helping teams become better problem solvers. This involves coaching and mentoring the team in effective problem-solving techniques, facilitating problem-solving workshops, and encouraging a mindset of continuous improvement. By empowering teams to identify and address issues autonomously, the Scrum Master supports the development of a high-performing, self-sufficient team.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe 5.0 framework: role of the Scrum Master in promoting continuous improvement

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials: techniques for improving problem-solving skills within teams

Release Train Engineer (RTE):

Role:The RTE is a servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART). They facilitate ART events and processes, assist teams in delivering value, and help manage risks and dependencies.

Interaction with Scrum Master:

Scrum Masters frequently collaborate with the RTE to coordinate cross-team activities and dependencies.

They work together during events like PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, and Inspect & Adapt (I&A) workshops to ensure alignment and continuous improvement.

The RTE provides support and guidance to Scrum Masters, helping them resolve impediments that affect the ART.

Product Owner (PO):

Role:The Product Owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing the team backlog, ensuring that the team is working on the most valuable tasks.

Interaction with Scrum Master:

Scrum Masters work closely with Product Owners to facilitate effective backlog refinement sessions, ensuring that the backlog items are well-understood and ready for iteration planning.

They support the Product Owner in maintaining a clear and prioritized backlog, helping to communicate the vision and goals to the team.

During iteration planning and reviews, Scrum Masters assist Product Owners in engaging with the team and stakeholders, ensuring that feedback is collected and incorporated.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

Release Train Engineer:

SAFe materials outline the critical role of the RTE in coordinating the ART and supporting Scrum Masters in their efforts to remove impediments and ensure smooth execution of plans.

Scrum Open: Discusses the collaborative relationship between Scrum Masters and RTEs in facilitating ART events and managing dependencies​​.

Product Owner:

The SAFe framework emphasizes the importance of the Scrum Master-Product Owner partnership in driving the delivery of value and maintaining a healthy backlog.

Product Owner Open: Provides insights into how Scrum Masters and Product Owners work together to align on priorities and ensure the team is focused on the right tasks​​.

When a team struggles with breaking down large stories into smaller ones, the Scrum Master can coach them by demonstrating specific story-splitting techniques. This hands-on approach provides practical examples of how large stories can be decomposed into smaller, more manageable tasks. Techniques might include splitting by workflow steps, by business rules, by user roles, or by data boundaries. By using a specific example, the Scrum Master can illustrate the process and benefits, helping the team develop this essential skill.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Agile Principles: continuous delivery of value

SAFe 5.0 framework: techniques for effective story splitting

SAFe Core Valuesare the fundamental beliefs that guide behaviors and decision-making in SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). They are critical for fostering a culture that supports Lean-Agile principles.

Transparency:

Definition:Transparency in SAFe means having an open and honest environment where everyone has access to the information they need. It involves making work visible to all stakeholders, sharing risks, and ensuring that everyone understands the status of the work.

Importance:Transparency enables trust across the Agile Release Train (ART) because it ensures that everyone is aware of what is happening, leading to informed decision-making and reducing misunderstandings. It builds a culture of openness and accountability.

SAFe Framework Reference:In SAFe, transparency is crucial for effective collaboration and alignment across teams and stakeholders. It ensures that progress, challenges, and changes are communicated openly, fostering trust and collective problem-solving.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe training materials emphasize the importance of transparency as a core value that underpins trust and collaboration within and across teams.

The SAFe website and guides detail how transparency is implemented through various practices like visual management, open communication, and regular feedback loops.