Inspect and Adapt events occur at which two SAFe levels? (Choose two.)
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 Reference
SAFe 5.0 framework: levels of Inspect and Adapt events
SAFe Principles: continuous improvement at multiple levels of the organization
What is one problem with phase-gate Milestones?
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.
Systems builders and Customers have a high level of responsibility and should take great care to ensure that any investment in new Solutions will deliver what benefit?
In SAFe, systems builders and customers bear a significant responsibility to ensure that investments in new solutions deliver the necessary economic benefit. This means that any investment should provide value that justifies the costs and efforts involved. The focus on economic benefit helps ensure that resources are used effectively and that the solutions developed contribute positively to the organization's financial health.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference
SAFe Lean-Agile Principles: economic view and value delivery
SAFe 5.0 framework: ensuring investments align with economic benefits
Which two Framework elements would a Scrum Master have the strongest connection and most frequent interaction? (Choose two.)
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 Reference:
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.
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.
Three teams in the Agile Release Train are working on the same Feature. Team A is a complicated subsystem team, and Teams B and C are stream-aligned teams. During PI Planning, Teams B and C committed to delivering their part of the Feature by the end of Iteration five and plan to integrate with each other along with Team A's piece in the first week of the IP Iteration. Why is this an anti-pattern?
In SAFe, the Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is reserved for activities such as innovation, planning, and preparation for the next Program Increment (PI), as well as for holding the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event. It is not intended for completing work that should have been finished during regular iterations. Planning work for the IP Iteration can lead to a lack of focus on essential planning and innovation activities and may indicate poor planning and risk management practices. Therefore, relying on the IP Iteration to complete Feature work is considered an anti-pattern.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference
SAFe 5.0 framework: guidelines on the purpose and use of the IP Iteration
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials
