Free Practice Questions for Scrum SAFe-SASM Exam

Utilization refers to the percentage of a team's capacity that is being used. When team members are highly utilized (i.e., their capacity is nearly fully booked), it often leads to longer lead times. This is because:

High utilization reduces the team's flexibility to handle new or unexpected work.

It can cause bottlenecks as individuals or teams become overburdened with tasks.

There is less room for managing variability, leading to delays and increased cycle times.

In contrast, lower utilization rates typically allow for more flexibility and quicker response times, reducing lead times. Therefore, higher utilization generally results in longer lead times due to increased bottlenecks and reduced capacity to handle new tasks efficiently.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials

Principles of Lean-Agile development: optimizing flow by managing queue lengths and reducing batch sizes to improve lead times and throughput.

Completed by a Single Agile Release Train within one PI:

Definition:A Feature in SAFe is a service or functionality that meets the needs of a customer and can be delivered within a single Program Increment (PI) by an ART.

Explanation:Features are planned and delivered within the timeframe of a PI, ensuring that they provide tangible value and align with the ART's objectives.

Prioritized using Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF):

Definition:WSJF is a prioritization method used in SAFe to sequence work for maximum economic benefit.

Explanation:Features are prioritized based on their cost of delay and the effort required to implement them. This ensures that the most valuable and impactful features are delivered first.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe framework details the concept of Features, emphasizing their completion within a PI and their prioritization using WSJF to maximize value delivery.

Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD):A CFD is a visual tool used in Kanban and Scrum to show the progress of work items through different stages of the workflow over time.

Arrival and Departure Curves:These curves represent the work items entering (arrival) and leaving (departure) the system.

Growing Distance:If the distance between the arrival and departure curves on the CFD is growing apart, it indicates that work items are taking longer to move through the system.

Lead Time:This term refers to the total time from when a work item is created until it is completed. An increasing distance between the curves means that work items are spending more time in the system, thus increasing the lead time.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe materials on flow metrics and Kanban principles highlight the importance of monitoring lead time and using CFDs to identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the workflow.

Agile Team Composition:According to SAFe, an Agile Team is composed of cross-functional members who work together to deliver value. The team includes:

Scrum Master:Facilitates the team’s processes, helps remove impediments, and supports continuous improvement.

Product Owner:Represents the customer and stakeholders, prioritizes the backlog, and ensures the team is working on the most valuable items.

Developers:The team members who design, build, and test the product.

Key Role:The Product Owner is essential to the Agile Team as they provide the vision, set priorities, and ensure that the team is delivering value that aligns with the customer and business needs.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

The SAFe framework emphasizes the critical role of the Product Owner within the Agile Team, ensuring alignment and effective backlog management.

Communities of Practice (CoPs):CoPs are groups of people who share a common interest in a particular domain or practice and come together to share knowledge, solve problems, and improve their skills.

Improvement Roadmap:When creating an Improvement Roadmap, CoPs provide valuable insights and guidance on best practices, emerging trends, and effective techniques for improving technical practices.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe recognizes CoPs as a vital resource for fostering continuous learning and improvement within organizations. They provide a platform for practitioners to exchange ideas and elevate their practices.

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

In a Kanban system, average lead time is measured by observing the horizontal distance between the arrival and departure lines on a cumulative flow diagram (CFD). The CFD visualizes the flow of work items through various stages of the workflow. The horizontal distance between thepoints where work items enter and leave a particular stage represents the lead time. By calculating this distance over multiple items, teams can determine the average lead time, providing insights into process efficiency and areas for potential improvement.

The primary measurement during the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event in SAFe is the program predictability measure. This metric assesses the Agile Release Train's (ART) ability to deliver on its commitments within a Program Increment (PI). It helps teams understand how accurately they can plan and execute work, providing a basis for continuous improvement. By focusing on predictability, organizations can improve their planning processes, align better with business objectives, and ensure more reliable delivery of value.

To transform unpredictable events into predictable events (A): Cadence creates a regular, reliable schedule for events, which helps in managing and mitigating variability. This predictability allows teams to plan and execute their work more effectively, reducing the uncertainty of unforeseen events.

To synchronize planning for multiple teams and ARTs (C): Cadence helps align the planning cycles of multiple teams and Agile Release Trains (ARTs), ensuring that everyone works in a coordinated manner. This synchronization is critical for integrated, cross-team activities and for maintaining a cohesive workflow across the organization.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: the importance of cadence and synchronization

SAFe 5.0 framework: benefits of applying cadence in Agile teams