SAFe 4 Advanced Scrum Master (4.5) PRACTICE TEAM (70% Passing)

What are two reasons why too much WIP is a problem? (Choose two.)

*Answer is '?'* A. It makes it hard to collect metrics B. *It hides bottlenecks in the workflow* C. It requires too much work effort D. *It shows the overall system is inefficient* E. It does not allow the Development Team time to improve their processes -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/visualize-and-limit-wip-reduce-batch-sizes-and-manage-queue-lengths/

Which technique is used to identify root causes during the Problem Solving workshop?

*Answer is 'A'* A. *Five Whys* B. Value Stream Identification C. Value Stream Mapping D. Weighted Shortest Job First -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

Which statement is true about the phase-gate milestone model and risk reduction?

*Answer is 'A'* A. *It does not mitigate risk as intended* B. It creates large batches of requirements C. It reduces product increment values D. It helps to visualize and limit WIP -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/base-milestones-on-objective-evaluation-of-working-systems/

Achieving the goals of Release on Demand requires an understanding of how to decouple what?

*Answer is 'A'* A. *The release from deployment* B. The Iterations Demos C. The System Demos D. The Project Increment -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/continuous-deployment/

What are two examples of team tasking anti-patterns? (Choose two.)

*Answer is 'A, B' What do you think?* A. *The team waits to close the story until after the related tasks are complete* B. *The team focuses on task completion over story completion and acceptance criteria* C. The team focuses on story completion and acceptance criteria over task completion D. The team provides updates only on tasks during the Daily Stand-up E. Team members are swarming on stories -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-kanban/

What are three Team Retrospective anti-patterns? (Choose three.)

*Answer is 'A, B, C'* A. *When the Scrum Master decides what the Retrospective topic(s) will be and directs the team on specific improvement items to work on* B. *When the team's people manager comes in to observe* C. *When only part of the team attends* D. When the team commits to working on 1-2 improvement items and adds them to the next Iteration Backlog E. When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and identifies 1-2 improvement items to work on as a team F. When the team reviews their interactions during the last Iteration and identifies 1-2 improvement items for the Product Owner to work on -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/

What are two Release Train Engineer responsibilities? (Choose two.)

*Answer is 'A, C'* A. *Facilitate PI Planning readiness and the event itself* B. Understand Customer needs; validate solutions C. *Drive relentless improvement through Inspect and Adapt* D. Build an effective Product Owner / Product Manager team E. Manage and prioritize the flow of work to the program -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/release-train-engineer-and-solution-train-engineer/

Which two actions enhance an Agile Release Train's performance? (Choose two.)

*Answer is 'A, C'* A. *Team alignment* B. Reporting C. *Collaboration* D. Customer success E. Reduction of total costs -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-release-train/ (Search for team and then search for collab)

During PI Planning, the Scrum of Scrums meetings helps accomplish which two actions? (Choose two.)

*Answer is 'A, E'* A. *Exposing risks, impediments, and dependencies* B. Comparing velocities across the teams C. Looking for ways to increase team velocity D. Rolling up the PI Business Value objectives E. *Keeping the planning milestones on track* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/pi-planning/

One state on the Kanban board has people waiting while the previous stage is overloaded. What should the Scrum Master consider doing?

*Answer is 'B' What do you think?* A. Ask the team to redesign the board B. *Encourage and coach the people in the under-utilized stage to help with the work of the of overloaded stage* C. Call for a team self-assessment so that the team agrees on improvement actions D. Request more people on the team to help with the overloaded stage in order to generate work faster for the waiting stage -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-kanban/

How do Kanban Teams implement the SAFe Lean-Agile mindset of relentless improvement?

*Answer is 'B'* A. By establishing a Kanban board to visualize the flow of work within Kanban team and aligning with the Program and the rest of the teams B. *By using Cumulative Flow Diagrams which objectively measure bottlenecks and variation in the flow which could be due to systemic factors* C. By estimating team velocity and comparing it across Iterations for continuous improvement D. By creating Classes of Services and Policies to execute the work in a way that is aligned with Program and Large Solution Levels -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-kanban/

When developing an Agile Team's skill set, what skill type is most typical?

*Answer is 'B'* A. E-shaped B. *T-shaped* C. M-shaped D. I-shaped -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/dev-team/

What is an anti-pattern to motivation?

*Answer is 'B'* A. Maximizing purpose B. *Individualized compensation* C. Market disruption D. Team goals -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/unlock-the-intrinsic-motivation-of-knowledge-workers/

One of the Scrum Master's main responsibilities is to communicate with management and outside stakeholders to help the team in what way?

*Answer is 'B'* A. Split bigger work items where necessary B. *Protect them from uncontrolled addition of work* C. Manage the Iteration Planning Backlog D. Accept stories -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/scrum-master/

An effective SAFe Agile team ensures process visibility to who?

*Answer is 'B'* A. The Release Train Engineer B. *Stakeholders* C. The Agile Release Train D. Business Owners

What is one characteristic of an effective Agile team?

*Answer is 'B'* A. To concentrate and deliver the product scope B. *To provide steady, high quality, an incremental value* C. To make the process visible to the Business Owners D. To collaborate and discuss components -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-teams/

According to Daniel Pink, which three factors drive motivation and lead to better performance and personal satisfaction? (Choose three.)

*Answer is 'B, C, F'* A. Reward B. *Mastery* C. *Purpose* D. Recognition E. Responsibility F. *Autonomy* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/unlock-the-intrinsic-motivation-of-knowledge-workers/

The Development Team may need to learn or acquire new skills. Where is this list of skills found?

*Answer is 'C'* A. As part of the outcome of the PI Planning pre-meeting B. In the Improvement Roadmap C. *As part of the outcome of the Team Retrospective* D. In the HR Training and Development Plan -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/dev-team/

What action should be taken on Relentless Improvement Backlog items from the Problem Solving Workshop?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Assign points or prioritization levels B. Calculate for cost before continuing C. *Use as direct input into the PI Planning session that follows* D. Assign to the team best suited to solve -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

How does a Scrum Master lead a team's efforts in relentless improvement?

*Answer is 'C'* A. By facilitating a team meeting B. By focusing on the Iteration goals C. *By facilitating the team retrospective* D. By eliminating impediments -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/scrum-master/

How does work flow from one state to the next in a Team Kanban board?

*Answer is 'C'* A. During the Daily Stand-up, team members make decisions and discuss how to move the work B. The Scrum Master moves the work from one state to the next to ensure ongoing progress within the team C. *Team members of a state pull work from the previous state when they can do so without impacting their current state WIP constraint* D. People working in the first state move the work to the next work state -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-kanban/

What is one way to improve the skills of a team member?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Get them to work only on their specialty B. Discuss their weaknesses C. *Pair-work with other team members* D. Ask them to work alone on something new -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/communities-of-practice/

What is the first step in the Problem-Solving Workshop?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Identify the root causes of possible problems B. Create a summary report for leadership and management C. *Agree on the problem to solve* D. Record all brainstorming ideas

Which SAFe House of Lean pillar supports not imposing wishful thinking on teams?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Innovation B. Lean-Agile Leadership C. *Respect for Culture and People* D. Flow -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/lean-agile-mindset/

Who reviews the top capabilities for the upcoming PI?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Project Manager B. Solution Architect/Engineer C. *Solution Management* D. Project Owner -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-and-solution-management/

What is the most effective way to establish built-in quality?

*Answer is 'C'* A. Run performance testing as well as the testing of other non-functional requirements every IP Iteration B. Test each release more thoroughly C. *Perform as many types of testing within the Iteration boundaries as possible* D. Create more unit tests -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/built-in-quality/

Who should vote on root causes?

*Answer is 'C'* A. The Product Owner B. The CIO, CTO, and any 'C-suite' member that is concerned C. *The Agile Release Train team* D. The Product Owner and Scrum Master -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

How can learning milestones be used?

*Answer is 'C'* A. To meet contractually binding dates for delivery of value B. To meet release dates set by external business partners C. *To test the concept of a new feature or capability* D. To mark events such as trade shows and product announcements -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/milestones/

Why should team members continuously and actively engage with other teams during PI Planning?

*Answer is 'C'* A.To manage dependencies and resolve impediments B. To understand how the other team is working C. *To foster an environment of capacity and velocity* D. To create a backlog of features the team can adopt -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/pi-planning/

What are two key areas a team should be organized around? (Choose two.)

*Answer is 'C, D'. What do you think?* A. Business logic B. Middleware C. *Features* D. *Enablers* E. Platform -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-owner/ (Search for feature) -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/features-and-components/ -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/features-and-capabilities/

What are the responsibilities of a Scrum Master on a train that go beyond basic team facilitation? (Choose three.)

*Answer is 'C, D, E'* A. Write an estimate features B. Manage Daily Stand-up meetings C. *Facilitate team preparation for PI Planning* D. *Participate in Scrum of Scrums* E. *Facilitate preparation for the System Demo* F. Prioritize Program Backlog -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/scrum-master/

What provides objective evidence that the system is iterating?

*Answer is 'D' What do you think?* A. PO Sync B. Scrum of Scrums C. Daily Stand-ups D. *System Demo* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-review/

When does the Inspect and Adapt event happen?

*Answer is 'D'* A. At the end of the System Demo B. At the end of every two weeks C. At the end of the second day of PI Planning D. *At the end of each PI* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

What is the value of periodic resynchronization?

*Answer is 'D'* A. Products that are delivered earlier provide more value B. WIP is maximized C. It causes multiple events to happen serially D. *It limits variance to a single time interval* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/apply-cadence-synchronize-with-cross-domain-planning/ -- https://quizlet.com/136035259/safe-40-foundation-flash-cards/

What anti-pattern can emerge during the Scrum of Scrums?

*Answer is 'D'* A. Scrum Masters bring in risks and impediments for escalation B. Scrum Masters work with the Release Train Engineer to resolve risks and impediments C. Scrum Masters have a daily 15 minute meet-after with the Release Train Engineer D. *Scrum Masters report on the teams' task status each day* -- https://www.agilest.org/scaled-agile/scrum-of-scrums/ -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/scrum-master/

Who is responsible for assisting to establish Continuous Integration in SAFe?

*Answer is 'D'* A. Shared Services B. Agile Teams C. The System Architect/Engineer D. *The System Team* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/continuous-integration/

Which two SAFe events explicitly implement SAFe's mindset of relentless improvement? (Choose two.)

*Confirmed answer is 'B, D'* A. Solution Demo B. *Iteration Retrospective* C. Iteration Demo D. *Inspect and Adapt* E. PI Planning

At the System Demo, each team demonstrates their own work but the system is not integrated. They say they underestimated the integration effort, but they cannot integrate every Iteration and meet the planned scope. What should the Scrum Master suggest?

*I believed the correct answer is 'C'* A. Integrate the system during the IP Iteration B. Stop the Train until integration can occur C. *Defer integration until the train is in the sustain and improve the section of the Implementation Roadmap* D. Discuss the importance of frequent integration with the teams and Product Management -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/system-demo/

An effective decision-making framework provides which two ultimate outcomes? (Choose two.)

*I think the correct answer is 'A, B' What do you think?* A. *Improves flow* B. *Reduces delays as a result of centralized decision-*making C. Unlocks the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers D. Reduces WIP limits E. Decreases time to market -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/economic-framework/

A team's Product Owner (PO) takes an unexpected leave of absence for the last week of the Iteration. Three of the team's stories have been completed and are waiting to be accepted. The Scrum Master asks the Product Manager (PM) to attend the Iteration Review and accept the stories. The PM responds that he is not familiar enough with the intent to feel comfortable accepting these responsibilities. He suggests keeping the Iteration open for an additional week and waiting for the PO to come back. What should the team's Scrum Master do?

*umarani: answer is 'A' What do you think?* A. *Work with the Release Train Engineer to find a solution* B. The Scrum Master should accept the stories after the team demonstrates the stories C. Ask another PO in the Agile Release Train to accept the stories D. Strongly urge the PM to attend the Demo and accept the stories -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-owner/ -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-planning/

Where does a team document new practices they want to incorporate into the their collective skill set?

*umarani: answer is 'A'* A. *Inspect and Adapt workshop notes* B. Improvement Roadmap C. PI Planning meeting post-meeting notes D. Team Iteration Backlog -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iterations/

What is the connection between feedback and optimum batch size?

*umarani: answer is 'A'* A. *Lack of feedback contributes to higher holding cost* B. Large batch sizes reduce transaction cost and provide a higher return on investment C. Feedback and batch size are generally not connected D. Small batch sizes lower transaction costs -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/visualize-and-limit-wip-reduce-batch-sizes-and-manage-queue-lengths/

In complex systems development, what do local integration points ensure?

*umarani: answer is 'A'* A. *That each capability of the system is meeting its responsibilities in contributing to the overall solution intent* B. That a common understanding of the system design is distributed to the entire team C. That all team members have access to the current product status D. That an application passes all QA tests before being released to production -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/build-incrementally-with-fast-integrated-learning-cycles/

The Scrum Master interacts with which level(s) of SAFe?

*umarani: answer is 'B'* A. Portfolio Level B. *Program Level* C. Team Level D. All Levels

Which SAFe configuration requires having a Vision?

*umarani: answer is 'B'* A. Portfolio SAFe B. *Large Solution SAFe* C. All SAFe configurations E. Full SAFe -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/#

Which statement describes how Kanban Teams handle velocity in SAFe during PI Planning?

*umarani: answer is 'B'* A. They need to estimate their velocity in story points B. *They use throughput as an indication of their velocity* C. They use cycle time because it is more objective and based on actual timestamps D. They participate in scoring Business Value; however, they have a different measure than velocity -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/team-kanban/

What are three benefits a Community of Practice offers? (Choose three.)

*umarani: answer is 'B, C, E'* A. To drive craftsmanship B. *To provide a series of incremental steps forward through a shared and common framework* C. *To facilitate the adoption of new methods and techniques* D. To improve the confidence of stakeholders through a shared and common purpose E. *To provide routine, periodic presentations of the short- and longer-term Vision to the teams* F. To provide a place to acquire knowledge -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/communities-of-practice/

How do Agile Teams ensure their own Retrospective Improvement actions are implemented?

*umarani: answer is 'C'* A. *Add improvement stories to the Team Backlog to implement in the next Iteration* B. Use the Release Train Engineer to hold the Agile Team accountable for their improvement actions C. *Discuss improvement actions during the Inspect and Adapt event and get confirmation from other Agile Teams on implementation* D. Have the Scrum Master implement the team improvement actions so the team can focus on the development -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-retrospective/

Who participates in the Inspect and Adapt event?

*umarani: answer is 'C'* A. Agile teams, Release Train Engineers, System and Solution Architect/Engineering B. Product Managers and Product Owners C. *Only stakeholders and Agile team members* D.Everyone involved in building the system -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/inspect-and-adapt/

How does the Scrum Master help teams address the challenges from modern enterprises?

*umarani: answer is 'C'* A. By promoting a continuous release B. By facilitating a team's progress towards goals C. *By building high performing teams* D.By actively addressing impediments -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/enterprise/

What is a recommended story-splitting technique for Agile teams?

*umarani: answer is 'C'* A. Validate design with stakeholders and build the functionality later B. *Start with the data structure and extend into the business logic and UI* C. Implement the 'happy path' first and the rest of the scenarios afterward D. Implement the story UI first and build the business logic later -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/story/ -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-teams/

Which SAFe organizational construct allows businesses to build large and complex systems in a Lean-Agile manner?

*umarani: answer is 'C'* A. Value Stream B. Portfolio C. *Agile Release Train* D. Solution Train

A team achieved less than 80% during the quantitative measurement of the Inspect and Adapt workshop. What would be an unacceptable action for this team's Scrum Master to take?

*umarani: answer is 'D' What do you think?* A. Retrain team members on Agile practices B. Decide improvement actions for the team to implement C. Hold the team self-assessment at any time and do not wait for the Iteration Retrospective D. *Coordinate with the System Team to coach this team on Continuous Integration and test automation* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/metrics/

How should decentralized decision-making be used with respect to system design?

*umarani: answer is 'D' What do you think?* A. When defining subsystems and interfaces B.When allocating functions to subsystems C. When identifying the selection of common platforms D. *When development teams are empowered, self-organized, and allow the design to emerge* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/system-team/ -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/decentralize-decision-making/

What is the SAFe recommended optimal duration of a PI?

*umarani: answer is 'D'* A. It can be any duration B. 2 - 4 weeks C. 4 - 8 weeks D. *8 - 12 weeks*

Collective ownership is one XP principle adopted in SAFe. What is another XP principle?

*umarani: answer is 'D'* A. Plan-Do-Check-Adjust B. Weighted Shortest Job First C. Deliver Value D. *Pair Programming* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/scrumxp/

What improves collaboration between Scrum Masters and System Architects, System Teams, and Operations?

*umarani: the correct answer is 'A'* A. *System Quality Measurements* B. Key Performance Indicators C. The Program Predictability Measure D. Program Kanban -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/program-and-solution-kanbans/

During Iteration Review, the team decides to carry forward three stories to the next Iteration. This is the second time during this PI that some of the team's stories are carried over. What are two actions the Scrum Master should take? (Choose two.)

*umarani: the correct answer is 'A, E'* A. *Coach the team to honor their commitments* B. Take a 'wait and see' approach because the team assures they are still on track for the PI C. Discuss the issue at the next Iteration Retrospective D. *See if the Product Owner is agreeable to moving the stories into the next Iteration* E. *Perform the 5 Whys to find the root cause of all delays* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-review/

What are two typical anti-patterns with Product Owners (POs)? (Choose two.)

*umarani: the correct answer is 'A, E'* A. *POs design the solution before bringing the intent to the team* B. POs facilitate story grooming sessions with the team during the Iteration C. POs bring the business problem to the team and ask the team to design the solution D. POs and Product Managers are not aligned with business intent E. *POs ask the team for help in writing user stories* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/product-owner/

During Iteration Planning, the Product Owner (PO) introduces a new story to the team. They cannot come to a consensus on the size of the new story and ask the PO for more details. After a lot of discussion, multiple dependencies with other teams emerge, so the team decides to leave the story in the Team Backlog and not commit. Is the team's response an anti-pattern?

*umarani: the correct answer is 'D' What do you think?* A. No; the PO provided details on the story B. No; the Development Team left the story in the Team Backlog for further refinement with the PO C. Yes; the Development Team identified multiple dependencies with other teams D. *Yes; the PO and the Development Team reached the planning session without preparation and the dependencies were not identified* -- https://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-planning/

ROUND #5: Practice test results (13-Jan-2019)

Tracking taking the test and % -- 1st round - 39% - Without any study -- 2nd round - 57% (7-Jan-2019) -- 3rd round - 62% (10-Jan-2019) -- 4th round - 65% (13-Jan-2019) -- 5th round - 70% (13-Jan-2019)

Compare my answer to "umarani" answer

http://umarani.com/how-pass-leading-safe-40-exam

SAFe Questions - Additional questions in cases you need it.

https://quizlet.com/177551883/safe-questions-flash-cards/