Pass the Scaled Agile SAFe Scrum Master SSM Questions and answers with CertsForce

Backlog Refinement is the Agile Team event where team members estimate relative story sizes. Backlog Refinement is an ongoing process where the team collaborates with the Product Owner and other stakeholders to review, split, prioritize, and estimate the stories in the Team Backlog1 One of the main objectives of Backlog Refinement is to ensure that the stories are ready for Iteration Planning, which means they are clear, feasible, testable, and small enough to be completed in a single iteration2 To achieve this, the team uses relative story sizing, which is a technique to compare the effort, complexity, and uncertainty of different stories based on a common reference point3 Relative story sizing helps the team to create a consistent and shared understanding of the scope and value of the work, as well as to optimize the flow and predictability of the delivery process4 The team can use various methods to estimate relative story sizes, such as story points, T-shirt sizes, or Fibonacci numbers35 

The Iteration Retrospective is a core event in SAFe® and Scrum where the team reflects on the past iteration to identify ways to improve processes, collaboration, and effectiveness. One of the most powerful ways to transform retrospective insights into action is by writing improvement Stories.

An improvement Story is treated like any other backlog item—it is estimated, prioritized, and included in the upcoming iteration backlog to ensure continuous, measurable progress toward higher performance. This approach aligns with SAFe’s focus on Relentless Improvement, a pillar of the SAFe House of Lean.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams record improvement items as stories and include them in the next iteration backlog. This ensures that improvement work receives visibility, commitment, and action.”

Thus, the correct answer is B. By writing improvement Stories, as it ensures improvement actions are tangible, trackable, and continuously implemented.

One purpose of iteration goals is to align team members to a common purpose and vision. Iteration goals are a high-level summary of the business and technical goals that an Agile Team agrees to accomplish in an iteration. They help the team and the product owner to reach agreement on the business value they intend to deliver, align their work to their team PI objectives, and ground everyone on their shared purpose. Iteration goals also provide transparency and management information, as well as support the coordination and dependency management of the Agile Release Train (ART).

One example of Scrum Masters/Team Coaches helping without diminishing the commitment of others is facilitating necessary meetings for the team. Facilitating means providing guidance and support to the team in conducting effective and productive meetings, such as Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, Iteration Review, and Iteration Retrospective1 Facilitating does not mean taking over the meeting or making decisions for the team. Rather, it means creating a safe and respectful environment, ensuring clear and shared objectives, encouraging participation and collaboration, managing time and agenda, resolving conflicts and issues, and summarizing outcomes and action items23 By facilitating necessary meetings for the team, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches help the team to achieve their goals, improve their processes, and deliver value to the customers and the organization14 At the same time, they respect and empower the team’s autonomy, self-organization, and self-management, and do not interfere with their commitment or accountability14 

According to SAFe, empathy is one of the key traits of effective Scrum Masters/Team Coaches. Empathy means displaying an authentic understanding and concern for a team member’s beliefs or feelings. By being empathetic, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches can build trust and rapport with the team, which are essential for people to accept and welcome coaching. Empathy also helps Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to tailor their coaching style and approach to the needs and preferences of each team member.

Hackathons are one of the activities that can be done during the IP Iteration to foster innovation and learning. They allow the team members to work on whatever they want, with whomever they want, as long as the work reflects the mission of the company. The teams then demo their work to others at the end of the hackathon. Hackathons can help the team explore new ideas, technologies, and solutions that can benefit the business and the customers. They can also increase the team’s engagement, creativity, and collaboration. References: Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework, Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

The primary goal of a team in an Iteration is to deliver working functionality that meets the acceptance criteria and the definition of done. This functionality is demonstrated to the stakeholders and customers in the Iteration Review and Demo event, where the team receives feedback and validation. By delivering working functionality at the end of the Iteration, the team contributes to the Incremental value delivery, one of the SAFe Lean-Agile Principles.

A constructive IP Iteration is one of the recommended practices for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to help teams avoid burnout, address technical debt, and foster innovation. An IP Iteration is a unique, dedicated iteration that occurs every PI and provides an estimating buffer for meeting PI Objectives and dedicated time for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and Inspect and Adapt events. During the IP Iteration, teams can work on activities such as hackathons, research and design, spikes, refactoring, automation, training, and other improvement initiatives that are difficult to fit into a continuous, incremental value delivery pattern. An IP Iteration also allows teams to prepare for and participate in the PI Planning and Inspect and Adapt events, which are essential for alignment, collaboration, and learning across the ART. A constructive IP Iteration can improve the predictability and flow of value delivery, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, enhance the agility and resilience of the teams, and create a competitive advantage for the enterprise.

During PI Planning, the Scrum Master/Team Coach (SM/TC) plays an important facilitative and support role. One key responsibility is to participate in the management review and problem-solving meeting that occurs midway through PI Planning.

This meeting allows leaders and Scrum Masters to review the teams’ progress, resolve cross-team risks, address scope challenges, and ensure alignment before finalizing PI objectives. The Scrum Master’s insights into team capacity, dependencies, and risks are crucial for ART-level decision-making.

From SAFe guidance:

“Scrum Masters participate in the management review and problem-solving session during PI Planning to help resolve issues that may prevent teams from meeting their objectives.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Participate in management review and problem-solving.

A servant leader empowers team members to grow by creating opportunities for learning and collaboration. One effective technique is to pair team members together to complete new or unique work. This practice promotes knowledge sharing, builds confidence, and helps develop T-shaped skills, which increase team flexibility and resilience.

Pairing fosters mentorship and shared ownership of outcomes, aligning with SAFe’s emphasis on continuous learning culture and relentless improvement. Instead of assigning rigid development paths or confining people to comfort zones, servant leaders enable self-directed learning and encourage experimentation.

From SAFe guidance:

“Servant leaders grow others by providing opportunities for learning, pairing, and collaboration. They help individuals reach their potential by empowering them to take on new challenges.”

Therefore, the correct answer is A. Pair team members together to complete new or unique work, as this directly supports team member growth and a culture of learning.