Scaled Agile SAFe-SASM Exam Questions

Waterfalling the Iteration: The term 'waterfalling' in an Agile context refers to the anti-pattern where teams delay integration, testing, and other critical activities until the end of the iteration, mimicking the Waterfall model of sequential phases.

Agile Practice: In Agile, the goal is to continuously integrate and test stories throughout the iteration. This practice ensures that issues are identified and addressed early, and the product increment is always in a potentially shippable state.

Anti-pattern Explanation: Integrating and testing stories only on the last day of the iteration means the team is not practicing continuous integration. This can lead to hidden defects, reduced quality, and last-minute rushes that jeopardize the team's ability to meet commitments effectively.

SAFe Scrum Master Reference:

SAFe emphasizes continuous integration and regular testing as key practices to maintain quality and agility. Delaying these activities to the end of the iteration undermines these principles and can lead to significant issues.

Creating a buffer state between two states in a Kanban board can help regulate the flow of work and address the varying completion times.

Buffer State Purpose: Acts as a holding area to balance the flow between different stages of work, smoothing out variances in completion times.

Flow Regulation: Ensures that work can continue smoothly without bottlenecks or idle times.

Work In Progress (WIP) Limits: Helps maintain a steady flow by preventing too much work from accumulating in any one state.

This approach aligns with Lean principles of managing flow and reducing variability in processes.

SAFe Scrum Master Reference:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Kanban Systems.

Trust: Trust is the foundation of any highly collaborative team. It enables open communication, risk-taking, and mutual respect, which are essential for effective collaboration.

Collaborative Team Dynamics: In a high-performing team, trust allows team members to rely on each other, share knowledge freely, and work together towards common goals without fear of blame or retribution.

SAFe Scrum Master Reference:

SAFe underscores the importance of trust in building and maintaining effective Agile teams. Trust fosters a safe environment where team members can collaborate openly and effectively.

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 Reference:

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.

Identify Impediments:

Purpose: The Scrum of Scrums meeting helps identify and address impediments that affect multiple teams. This ensures that these blockers are resolved quickly, allowing teams to continue their work without disruptions.

Process: Representatives from different teams come together to discuss challenges, share updates, and seek assistance in removing impediments.

Facilitate Cross-Team Collaboration:

Purpose: The meeting fosters collaboration among teams working on the same product or solution, ensuring that their efforts are aligned and integrated.

Process: Teams share their progress, dependencies, and upcoming work, enabling better coordination and synchronization across the Agile Release Train (ART).

SAFe Scrum Master Reference:

SAFe highlights the importance of the Scrum of Scrums meeting for coordinating efforts and solving cross-team issues, ensuring that the ART functions smoothly and efficiently.