sasm Sample Questions & Answers
Tracking iteration progress through to PI completion ties with improving flow for the heaviest weight, covering flow accelerators and DevOps practices alongside removing impediments, while the remainder covers building self-organized, high-performing teams.
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- Question 1AdvancedSelect 2
Improving Flow · Applying DevOps Principles
An ART is experiencing significant delays due to the high number of handoffs required to get a feature through the continuous delivery pipeline. The current process is visualized below:
[Dev Team] → [QA Team] → [SecOps Team] → [Ops Team] | | | | Code Manual Test Security Scan Manual DeployWhich TWO SAFe DevOps principles would most directly address this flow impediment? (Select TWO)
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Correct answers: A, B
- Question 2Advanced
Improving Flow · Organizing Around Value
Case Study:
A healthcare technology company, HealthFirst, has been using SAFe for over a year. One of their Agile Release Trains, 'PatientPortals', consistently struggles to meet its PI Objectives. During the latest Inspect & Adapt workshop, a root cause analysis revealed that the ART is comprised of component teams (UI, Backend, Database) rather than feature teams. This structure creates a high number of dependencies for every new feature, with work having to be coordinated and passed between three separate backlogs and teams. The flow of value is slow and riddled with delays and rework.
The ART leadership is hesitant to restructure the teams due to perceived risks of losing specialized expertise and the disruption it would cause. They believe the current process just needs better coordination. The RTE and Product Management have asked the Advanced Scrum Masters on the ART to propose a strategy to address this systemic issue.
Which proposal represents the most effective, long-term solution for the Advanced Scrum Masters to champion?
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Correct answer: B
This approach addresses the root cause (team structure) while mitigating the risks perceived by leadership. A gradual, pilot-based transition allows the organization to learn and adapt. Using value stream mapping provides objective data to build a compelling case for change by visualizing the waste in the current system and quantifying the benefits of organizing around value with feature teams. This is a strategic, coaching-based approach that respects leadership's concerns while guiding them toward a more effective solution.
- Question 3Beginner
Supporting ART Events and Finishing the PI · Managing Risks with ROAM
During PI Planning, a team identifies a significant risk that they cannot mitigate on their own, as it involves a dependency on an external vendor's deliverables. According to SAFe, how should this risk be categorized and handled on the ROAM board?
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Correct answer: A
- Question 4Intermediate
Build High-Performing Teams · Fostering Relentless Improvement
A mature Agile team has mastered Scrum practices and is consistently delivering value. However, their Iteration Retrospectives have become stale, often repeating the same discussions with little impact. What is the best way for an Advanced Scrum Master to re-energize the team's relentless improvement efforts?
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Correct answer: B
Stale retrospectives are a common problem. An Advanced Scrum Master should act as a coach and facilitator by introducing variety. Changing the format (e.g., Speedboat, Starfish, 4Ls) and focusing the discussion on a specific, higher-level concept like a SAFe Core Value can help the team look at their process from a new perspective, generating fresh insights and more meaningful improvement actions.
- Question 5Intermediate
Improving Flow · Managing Queue Lengths
An ART is trying to improve its flow by managing queue lengths. Which of the following is the most direct negative consequence of having long queues of work waiting in the backlog?
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Correct answer: B
Long queues mean that there is a significant delay between when an item is identified and when work on it begins. In a dynamic business environment, this delay increases the risk that customer needs, market conditions, or priorities will change, rendering the queued item obsolete or less valuable by the time the team is ready to work on it. This directly impacts the delivery of value.
- Question 6Beginner
Build High-Performing Teams · Anti-Pattern Recognition
A Scrum Master on an ART is acting as a 'scribe' during team meetings, taking notes and assigning tasks, but rarely challenges the team or facilitates difficult conversations. This behavior is an example of which Scrum Master anti-pattern?
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Correct answer: B
The 'Administrator' anti-pattern describes a Scrum Master who focuses solely on the administrative aspects of the role—scheduling meetings, updating tools, taking notes—while neglecting the crucial responsibilities of coaching, mentoring, and facilitating the team's growth and improvement. This limits the Scrum Master's effectiveness and the team's potential.
- Question 7IntermediateSelect 2
Supporting ART Events and Finishing the PI · Facilitating ART Events
The ART Sync meeting in SAFe serves as a critical event for managing progress and impediments. This event replaces which TWO separate events from previous versions of the framework? (Select TWO)
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Correct answers: A, C
- Question 8Advanced
Improving Flow · Measuring Team and ART Flow
An Advanced Scrum Master is analyzing their team's flow metrics. They notice that the 'Flow Load' metric is consistently high. What does this indicate about the team's process?
Flow Metrics - Team Hydra -------------------------- Flow Velocity: 8 stories/iteration (avg) Flow Time: 12 days (avg) Flow Load: 24 stories (avg)Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Flow Load is a measure of the total number of items currently in the system (Work in Process). A high Flow Load, especially in relation to Flow Velocity, indicates that the team has too much WIP. According to Little's Law (Average Flow Time = Average Flow Load / Average Flow Velocity), the high WIP (24 stories) is a direct cause of the long Flow Time (12 days). This indicates an overloaded system, not an efficient one.
- Question 9Advanced
Improving Flow · Addressing Bottlenecks
A team on an ART is responsible for a critical shared service. Other teams frequently complain that this team is a bottleneck. The service team argues they are working at 100% capacity and cannot go faster. What is the most likely underlying cause of the bottleneck, according to flow principles?
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Correct answer: C
This is a classic example of queuing theory in practice. As utilization of a resource approaches 100%, queue lengths and wait times increase exponentially. The service team's focus on being '100% busy' is counterproductive to the overall flow of value for the ART. The solution is not necessarily more people, but managing the demand, limiting WIP, and potentially creating some capacity slack to absorb variability and reduce wait times.
- Question 10Beginner
Improving Flow · Applying Built-in Quality
The five dimensions of a Built-in Quality culture are Flow, Architecture & Design Quality, Code Quality, System Quality, and _________.
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Correct answer: B
The five dimensions of Built-in Quality are Flow, Architecture & Design Quality, Code Quality, System Quality, and Release Quality. Release Quality ensures that the system is delivered to the end-user in a way that is valuable, usable, and meets all functional and non-functional requirements.
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