SAFe-SASM SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) Questions and Answers

Organizing teams around Features can significantly reduce dependencies between teams. When teams are aligned to deliver specific features, they have more autonomy and can work more independently, without needing to wait for other teams to complete their parts. This alignment minimizes coordination and dependency management overhead, enabling faster and more efficient delivery. It also allows teams to focus on delivering end-to-end functionality, which enhances the quality and coherence of the product.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe 5.0 framework: principles of organizing teams around features to reduce dependencies

SAFe Agile Teams: benefits of feature-based team organization

Inspect and Adapt (I&A) Event:This event includes a retrospective aimed at reviewing the past Program Increment (PI) and identifying issues that need to be addressed.

Purpose of Retrospective:The retrospective helps the team reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and why. It is used to identify specific problems and root causes that will be addressed in the subsequent problem-solving workshop.

Outcome:The issues identified during the retrospective form the basis for the problem-solving workshop, where the team collaboratively develops action plans to improve processes and outcomes.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

The I&A event in SAFe is designed to foster continuous improvement by systematically identifying and addressing issues through structured retrospectives and problem-solving workshops.

Large stories, often referred to as "epics," pose a challenge to iterative development because they encompass too much work to be completed within a single iteration. This contradicts the principles of Agile, which emphasize small, incremental deliveries to ensure continuous progress and feedback. By breaking down large stories into smaller, more manageable pieces, teams can better align with iterative development practices, allowing for more frequent delivery of value, better risk management, and easier progress tracking.

The fishbone diagram, also known as an Ishikawa diagram or cause-and-effect diagram, is a tool used to systematically identify potential root causes of a problem. It helps teams brainstorm and categorize the possible causes of problems to identify root issues.

Problem Statement:Clearly defines the problem at the head of the fishbone diagram.

Categories:Major categories (e.g., methods, materials, equipment, people, environment, etc.) are identified and drawn as "bones" branching off from the main "spine."

Brainstorming:Each category is explored to list possible causes, which are added as smaller bones off the main categories.

Analysis:The team analyzes the diagram to identify which causes are most likely contributing to the problem.

This method helps teams to visually map out and drill down into all possible causes of a problem, leading to more thorough and effective problem-solving.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Problem-Solving Techniques​​.

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 References:

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 References:

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

Creating collaboration opportunities on a team is essential for fostering a cooperative and innovative environment. Three effective opportunities for collaboration include:

Pair work (A): Pair programming or pairing on tasks allows team members to work closely together, share knowledge, and improve the quality of their work through constant feedback and collaboration.

Communities of Practice (C): These are groups of people who share a common interest in a particular domain or practice. They provide a platform for sharing best practices, discussing challenges, and developing new skills collaboratively.

Hackathons (E): Hackathons are events where team members come together to work intensively on projects, often with a focus on innovation and creative problem-solving. These events foster collaboration, creativity, and rapid prototyping.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: fostering a collaborative culture

SAFe 5.0 framework: encouraging team collaboration through various practices and events

An effective Agile Team focuses on delivering value by reliably deploying features that meet customer needs.

Value Delivery:The primary measure of success for an Agile team is the continuous delivery of valuable, working software.

Customer Focus:Teams work collaboratively to understand and deliver what is most valuable to customers.

Incremental Progress:Regularly delivering increments of the product that are potentially shippable ensures continuous feedback and improvement.

This characteristic emphasizes the Agile principle of delivering working software frequently, with a focus on customer value.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Agile Teams​​.

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

Continuous Integration (CI) is a practice where code changes are automatically built, tested, and merged into a shared repository multiple times a day. The main purpose of CI is to ensure that the codebase is always in a state that could be potentially deployable. This means that any integration issues are identified and addressed as soon as possible, reducing the chances of bugs slipping into production.

Frequent Integration:Developers frequently integrate their code changes into the main repository, often several times a day.

Automated Builds:Each integration is verified by an automated build to detect integration errors as quickly as possible.

Automated Testing:Along with building, automated tests are run to ensure new changes do not break existing functionality.

Feedback Loop:Quick feedback is provided to the development team, allowing them to fix issues promptly.

By maintaining a potentially deployable codebase, teams can deliver high-quality software more rapidly and with greater confidence.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Continuous Integration​​.

The ROAM risk management framework categorizes risks to ensure they are managed appropriately. When a risk is mitigated, a plan is put in place to reduce or eliminate the threat posed by the risk.

ROAM Framework:

Resolved:The risk is no longer an issue.

Owned:Someone is assigned to manage the risk.

Accepted:The risk is acknowledged, and its impact is accepted without further action.

Mitigated:Actions are taken to reduce the likelihood or impact of the risk.

Mitigation involves proactive planning and actions to reduce the severity or likelihood of a risk.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Risk Management​​.

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 thebacklog. 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 References:

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​​.

Centralized decision-making is appropriate in scenarios where consolidating decisions can lead to significant economies of scale, which involves:

Economies of Scale:These are cost advantages reaped by companies when production becomes efficient. This can happen through increased production, lower costs per unit, bulk purchasing, and centralized processes.

Consistency and Control:Centralized decisions ensure consistency across large-scale operations and can help in maintaining standards and controls, reducing duplication of effort, and leveraging bulk purchasing power.

In contrast, decentralized decision-making is more suitable for decisions requiring specific local context or those that need to be made frequently and swiftly.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Decision-Making Frameworks​​.

Collaboration with System Architects and the Systems Team is likely to have the greatest impact on Solution development during PI Planning. This is the time when teams plan their work for the upcoming Program Increment, and involving System Architects and the Systems Team can ensure that architectural considerations, dependencies, and technical requirements are properly addressed. Their input helps align the technical direction with business goals, identify potential risks, and plan for the necessary enablers and infrastructure needed to support the development efforts.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe PI Planning guidelines

SAFe 5.0 framework: roles of System Architects and Systems Teams in PI Planning

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.