What are two timestamps required to measure lead time when using a Team Kanban board? (Choose
two.)
C, D
Explanation:
In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), lead time is an essential metric used to measure the efficiency and
effectiveness of a process. Lead time is defined as the total time it takes for a work item to move
through the entire process from the moment it is initiated until it is completed. To measure lead time
accurately using a Team Kanban board, two specific timestamps are crucial:
When the Agile Team pulls a Story onto the board (Timestamp C):
This is the starting point of the lead time. It marks the moment when the team commits to working
on a particular story by pulling it into the workflow. This action indicates that the story is now in
progress and the clock starts ticking from this point.
When the Story is accepted by the Product Owner (Timestamp D):
This is the endpoint of the lead time. It signifies that the story has been completed to the satisfaction
of the team and has met the acceptance criteria defined by the Product Owner. When the Product
Owner accepts the story, it indicates that the work is done and the lead time measurement stops.
These two timestamps effectively capture the duration a story takes to go through the development
process, providing valuable insights into process efficiency and identifying areas for improvement.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials
SAFe 5.0 Scrum Master Certification resources
The 2020 Scrum Guide:
Scrum Guide 2020
This information aligns with the principles and practices outlined in the SAFe framework and the
Scrum Guide, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of lead time measurement within a Team
Kanban board context.
Which two events provide opportunities for the team to collaborate? (Choose two.)
A, E
Explanation:
Iteration Planning:
Purpose: Iteration Planning is a crucial event where the team collaborates to determine what will be
delivered in the upcoming iteration and how the work will be accomplished. The entire team,
including the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Developers, come together to plan the iteration's
work.
Process:
The Product Owner presents the prioritized backlog items to the team.
The team discusses each item, clarifies any ambiguities, and breaks down the items into tasks.
The team estimates the effort required for each task and commits to what they believe can be
achieved in the iteration.
Outcome: A detailed iteration plan that includes the selected backlog items and a clear
understanding of the tasks and responsibilities for each team member.
Backlog Refinement:
Purpose: Backlog Refinement (also known as Grooming) is an ongoing process where the team and
the Product Owner collaborate to review and update the backlog. This ensures that the backlog is in
good shape for future iteration planning.
Process:
The team reviews the items in the backlog to ensure they are well understood and ready for future
iterations.
The Product Owner provides context and clarifications for each backlog item.
The team discusses the requirements, refines the acceptance criteria, and estimates the effort
required for each item.
The backlog items are prioritized based on their value and urgency.
Outcome: A well-maintained and prioritized backlog that facilitates effective and efficient iteration
planning.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference:
Iteration Planning:
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master training materials emphasize the importance of Iteration Planning as a
key event for team collaboration, ensuring everyone is aligned on the iteration goals and tasks.
2020 Scrum Guide
: The Iteration Planning section outlines the collaborative nature of this event and
its role in setting the stage for successful iterations.
Backlog Refinement:
In the SAFe framework, Backlog Refinement is highlighted as an essential activity to maintain a
healthy backlog, allowing the team to prepare for future iterations effectively.
Scrum Open
: This document discusses the significance of Backlog Refinement in fostering team
collaboration and ensuring the backlog is well-groomed and ready for planning.
Which statement is true about batch size, lead time, and utilization?
A
Explanation:
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 Reference
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.
How can a Scrum Master help the team remain focused on achieving their Iteration goals?
C
Explanation:
One of the key responsibilities of a Scrum Master is to help the team stay focused on their Iteration
goals. This involves removing any obstacles or impediments that may hinder their progress. By
eliminating impediments, the Scrum Master ensures that the team can work more efficiently and
effectively, thereby maintaining their focus on achieving the goals set for the iteration.
Steps to eliminate impediments include:
Regularly communicating with the team to identify any obstacles they are facing.
Collaborating with stakeholders and other teams to resolve issues quickly.
Ensuring that any identified impediments are documented and tracked until they are resolved.
Facilitating problem-solving sessions and using techniques such as root cause analysis to address
underlying issues.
By proactively removing these barriers, the Scrum Master supports the team in maintaining a steady
and uninterrupted workflow, which is crucial for meeting iteration goals.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference
SAFe Scrum Master Role and Responsibilities
The 2020 Scrum Guide:
Scrum Guide 2020
Principles of Lean-Agile Leadership in SAFe: focusing on continuous improvement and supporting the
team in overcoming obstacles.
Which of the SAFe Core Values enables trust across the ART?
A
Explanation:
SAFe Core Values are the fundamental beliefs that guide behaviors and decision-making in SAFe
(Scaled Agile Framework). They are critical for fostering a culture that supports Lean-Agile principles.
Transparency:
Definition: Transparency in SAFe means having an open and honest environment where everyone has
access to the information they need. It involves making work visible to all stakeholders, sharing risks,
and ensuring that everyone understands the status of the work.
Importance: Transparency enables trust across the Agile Release Train (ART) because it ensures that
everyone is aware of what is happening, leading to informed decision-making and reducing
misunderstandings. It builds a culture of openness and accountability.
SAFe Framework Reference: In SAFe, transparency is crucial for effective collaboration and alignment
across teams and stakeholders. It ensures that progress, challenges, and changes are communicated
openly, fostering trust and collective problem-solving.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference:
SAFe training materials emphasize the importance of transparency as a core value that underpins
trust and collaboration within and across teams.
The SAFe website and guides detail how transparency is implemented through various practices like
visual management, open communication, and regular feedback loops.
Which two Framework elements would a Scrum Master have the strongest connection and most
frequent interaction? (Choose two.)
B, D
Explanation:
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.
Scrum Open
: Discusses the collaborative relationship between Scrum Masters and RTEs in facilitating
ART events and managing dependencies.
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.
Product Owner Open
: Provides insights into how Scrum Masters and Product Owners work together
to align on priorities and ensure the team is focused on the right tasks.
What is the primary goal of decentralized decision-making?
D
Explanation:
Decentralized decision-making is a principle in SAFe aimed at distributing decision authority to the
people closest to the information and most affected by the decisions. The primary goal of
decentralized decision-making is to reduce delay in the decision-making process, which can often
occur when decisions need to pass through multiple layers of hierarchy. By empowering individuals
and teams to make decisions quickly, organizations can respond faster to changes, improve agility,
and maintain a steady flow of work.
What goes into the Portfolio Backlog?
D
Explanation:
The Portfolio Backlog in SAFe contains the larger initiatives, known as Epics. Epics are substantial
pieces of work that require analysis, investment, and development effort over multiple Program
Increments (PIs). They represent significant business or technical needs that drive the long-term
strategy of the organization. These Epics are prioritized and managed in the Portfolio Backlog, where
they can be decomposed into smaller, actionable items as they progress through the development
process.
Why is the program predictability measure the primary Metric used during the quantitative
measurement part of the Inspect and Adapt event?
A
Explanation:
The program predictability measure is the primary metric used during the quantitative measurement
part of the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event in SAFe. This measure assesses how reliably the Agile
Release Train (ART) can deliver business value within the Program Increment (PI) timebox. It helps to:
Evaluate the team's ability to meet their commitments.
Identify areas where predictability can be improved.
Ensure that the business value planned for the PI is actually delivered.
By focusing on the predictability of business value, organizations can better align their planning and
execution efforts, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and achieving strategic goals more
effectively.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference
SAFe Inspect and Adapt events
SAFe 5.0 framework: using program predictability as a key metric to assess and improve ART
performance.
If the distance between the arrival and departure curves on a team's cumulative flow diagram is
growing apart, what is likely happening?
A
Explanation:
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 Reference:
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.
The Agile Team includes the Scrum Master and which other key role?
A
Explanation:
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 Reference:
The SAFe framework emphasizes the critical role of the Product Owner within the Agile Team,
ensuring alignment and effective backlog management.
What is the purpose of the Large Solution level in SAFe?
C
Explanation:
Large Solution Level in SAFe: This level is designed for enterprises where multiple Agile Release
Trains (ARTs) and suppliers collaborate to build and deploy complex solutions that require
coordination beyond a single ART.
Purpose: The Large Solution level provides the practices, roles, and artifacts necessary to coordinate
the efforts of multiple ARTs:
Solution Train: A structure that manages the delivery of large solutions, aligning the efforts of
multiple ARTs.
Solution Management and Solution Architect/Engineer: Roles responsible for defining the solution’s
vision, roadmap, and architecture.
Solution Backlog and Solution Kanban: Tools to manage and prioritize work across multiple ARTs.
Coordination: The primary focus is on ensuring that all ARTs are aligned, integrated, and delivering
cohesive, high-quality solutions.
SAFe Scrum Master Reference:
The SAFe framework details the Large Solution level and its role in coordinating the efforts of
multiple ARTs to deliver complex, enterprise-level solutions.
What is one problem with phase-gate Milestones?
A
Explanation:
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.
What is one output from the problem-solving workshop?
D
Explanation:
One of the primary outputs from the problem-solving workshop in SAFe is identifying the top
improvement items for the next Program Increment (PI). These workshops focus on analyzing issues,
determining root causes, and formulating actionable improvements. By prioritizing and committing
to these improvement items, teams can systematically address problems and enhance their
performance and productivity in subsequent PIs.
How is average lead time measured in a Kanban system?
C
Explanation:
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 the points 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.