SSM Sample Questions Answers

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

By continuing to stay heads-down on the finalizing Feature delivery work, Team A might miss the chance to reflect on their team work more holistically and identify areas for improvement. The IP Iteration is intended to provide time for the team to participate in the Inspect and Adapt event, where they can review their PI performance, analyze the root causes of any issues, and create an improvement backlog. The IP Iteration also allows the team to engage in innovation and learning activities, such as hackathons, that can foster creativity, collaboration, and experimentation. These activities can help the team generate new ideas, solutions, and feedback that can benefit their future work. By skipping the IP Iteration, Team A might lose the opportunity to learn from their past experiences, improve their processes, and innovate their products. References: Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework, Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

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 

One Agile development value is customer collaboration over contract negotiation. This value is one of the four core values of the Agile Manifesto, which states: “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.” 1 This value emphasizes the importance of building a trusting and collaborative relationship with the customers, rather than relying on rigid and formal contracts that may limit the ability to respond to changing needs and expectations2 Customer collaboration means involving the customers throughout the development process, seeking their feedback, input, and validation, and delivering solutions that meet their requirements and expectations3 Customer collaboration also means respecting the customers’ opinions and perspectives, and resolving any conflicts or issues in a constructive and respectful manner4 Customer collaboration helps the Agile teams to deliver value faster and more effectively, as well as to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty34 

One way a Scrum Master/Team Coach can support productive team Backlog Refinement sessions is to ensure subject matter experts are invited. Subject matter experts (SMEs) are people who have specialized knowledge or skills related to the domain or technical aspects of the product or solution. They can provide valuable input and feedback to the team during Backlog Refinement, such as clarifying requirements, validating assumptions, identifying dependencies, and suggesting solutions. SMEs can also help the team to split, estimate, and prioritize the backlog items more effectively and accurately. By inviting SMEs to the Backlog Refinement sessions, the Scrum Master/Team Coach can facilitate better collaboration, communication, and alignment among the team and the stakeholders.

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 

One of the responsibilities of a Scrum Master/Team Coach is to help the team achieve flow, which is a state of continuous and sustainable delivery of value. They do this by teaching and coaching the team on SAFe Scrum and SAFe Team Kanban practices, such as limiting work in progress, visualizing work, managing queues, and reducing batch sizes. They also help identify and eliminate impediments and bottlenecks that hinder the team’s progress and performance.

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 can build 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.

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.

The “C” in the CALMR approach to DevOps stands for culture, which is the foundation of successful DevOps adoption. Culture refers to the values, beliefs, and behaviors that guide the collaboration and alignment of everyone in the value stream. By creating a culture of shared responsibility, teams can manage the tensions caused by differing needs, such as speed, quality, security, and stability. A culture of shared responsibility means that everyone is accountable for the outcomes of their work, and that they work together to deliver value to the customers. It also means that teams respect each other’s roles and expertise, and seek feedback and learning opportunities. A culture of shared responsibility fosters trust, transparency, and continuous improvement, which are essential for DevOps.

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.