SSM Sample Questions Answers

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the potential root causes of Team Sync anti-patterns is the lack of collective ownership. Collective ownership means that the team members share responsibility for the quality and delivery of the team’s work. They collaborate, communicate, and coordinate their efforts to achieve the team goals. They also support each other, provide feedback, and resolve issues together. When there is a lack of collective ownership, team members may exhibit some of the following Team Sync anti-patterns 1:

• Reporting to managers (status meetings): Team members use the Team Sync as a way to report their progress to the SM/TC or other managers, rather than to synchronize with their peers. This can create a hierarchical and command-and-control culture, where team members are not empowered to self-organize and self-manage.
• Monologues: Team members give long and detailed updates that are not relevant or useful to other team members. This can make the Team Sync boring, inefficient, and ineffective, as team members lose interest and attention.
• Cross-functional team standups (updates are not related to other people’s work): Team members work on different features or components that are not aligned with the team goals or the Iteration goals. This can result in silos, dependencies, and integration issues, as well as reduced collaboration and coordination.
• “Nothing to report” can be a good thing: Team members say they have nothing to report, either because they have not done any work, or because they do not want to share their work with the team. This can indicate a lack of transparency, trust, and accountability, as well as a missed opportunity to get feedback and support from the team.

To overcome these anti-patterns, the SM/TC should coach the team on the purpose and value of the Team Sync, and help them adopt the best practices for effective Team Syncs, such as 2:

• Having a clear agenda and timebox
• Focusing on the team goals and the Iteration goals
• Asking the three key questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Do I have any impediments?
• Using visual aids, such as task boards or Kanban boards, to track progress and identify issues
• Encouraging active participation, collaboration, and feedback
• Ending with clear action items and follow-ups

(Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• Team Sync
• Top 7 Anti Patterns of Scrum Master - Simpliaxis
• Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy | Scrum.org
• [11 Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns We Commonly Hear from Users In … - Geekbot

One benefit of PI Planning is that it allows for faster decision-making by bringing together all the members of the Agile Release Train (ART) and the relevant stakeholders in a face-to-face (or virtual) event. PI Planning provides an opportunity for the ART to align on a common vision and mission, review the business context and priorities, identify and resolve dependencies and risks, and commit to a realistic and achievable plan for the next Program Increment (PI). By having everyone involved in the planning process, the ART can leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of the participants, reduce ambiguity anduncertainty, and make informed and timely decisions that support the delivery of value to the customers. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework
• Planning Interval (PI) - Scaled Agile Framework
• Preparing for PI Planning | Checklist for Scrum Masters and Product …
• Scrum Master - Scaled Agile Framework
• Scrum Master role in PI Planning - ValueGlide

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 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Manifesto for Agile Software Development
• Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Mountain Goat Software
• Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Agile Alliance
• Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation - Scrum Inc

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

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the elements on the Scrum Master/Team Coach responsibility wheel is to facilitate PI Planning. PI Planning is a two-day event where all the teams and stakeholders of an Agile Release Train (ART) collaborate to align on a common vision, define and commit to the PI objectives, and identify and manage risks and dependencies. The Scrum Master/Team Coach facilitates PI Planning by 1:

• Helping the team prepare for the event, such as reviewing the business context, vision, and backlog, and creating draft plans
• Supporting the team during the event, such as facilitating breakout sessions, resolving issues, and ensuring alignment and collaboration with other teams
• Assisting the team after the event, such as finalizing the plans, updating the PI board, and conducting a retrospective

Facilitating PI Planning is one of the ways the Scrum Master/Team Coach helps the team and the ART achieve their goals and deliver value. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• PI Planning
• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• Say Hello to SAFe 6.0! - Scaled Agile Framework

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 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

The intended value of the Backlog Refinement event is that the team is able to prepare requirements for Iteration Planning. Backlog Refinement is an ongoing process where theteam 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 By doing so, the team can improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of their work, as well as deliver value to the customers and the organization123

References:

• Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework
• Backlog Refinement - Scaled Agile Framework
• What is backlog refinement? | Miro

PI Planning is one of the events that aligns teams on a train. PI Planning is a cadence-based event for the entire Agile Release Train (ART) that aligns teams and stakeholders to a shared mission and vision. PI Planning provides an opportunity for the ART to review the business context and priorities, identify and resolve dependencies and risks, and commit to a realistic and achievable plan for the next Program Increment (PI). PI Planning is essential to SAFe: If you are not doing it, you are not doing SAFe1 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework
• Planning Interval (PI) - Scaled Agile Framework
• Preparing for PI Planning | Checklist for Scrum Masters and Product …
• Scrum Master - Scaled Agile Framework
• SAFe® 6.0 Scrum Master Certification (SSM) Course - Vinsys

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

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• According to SAFe which of the following key traits of effective - Studocu