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

Transparency:Ensuring that metrics like team velocity and work in process (WIP) accurately reflect the team's actual work provides visibility into the team's progress and capacity.

Action by Scrum Master:By monitoring and ensuring these metrics are accurate, the Scrum Master helps the team maintain transparency about their work, which is critical for making informed decisions and identifying areas for improvement.

Outcome:Accurate representation of velocity and WIP helps the team and stakeholders understand the team's performance, plan effectively, and address any issues promptly.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe stresses the importance of transparency in Agile teams, and accurate tracking of key metrics like velocity and WIP is a fundamental aspect of achieving this.

Achieving Continuous Deployment involves several practices, one of which is decoupling deployment from release. This means that code can be deployed to production continuously and automatically, but it is only released to end-users when it is appropriate. Decoupling these processes allows for more frequent and reliable deployments without affecting the user experience until the features are ready for release. This practice helps in maintaining system stability and enabling faster feedback loops.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Continuous Delivery Pipeline: practices for Continuous Deployment

SAFe 5.0 framework: decoupling deployment and release for continuous improvement

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 References:

The SAFe framework details the Large Solution level and its role in coordinating the efforts of multiple ARTs to deliver complex, enterprise-level solutions.

If a team consistently receives defect reports from production despite thorough testing of each story, the first step to address this issue is to ensure that development and testing environments are equivalent to production. Differences between environments can lead to undetected issues that only surface in the production environment. By aligning these environments, teams can ensure that tests accurately reflect real-world conditions, reducing the likelihood of defects slipping through.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: ensuring quality by maintaining equivalent environments

SAFe 5.0 framework: best practices for aligning development, testing, and production environments

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 References

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.

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 References:

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​​.

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 References

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.

The Scrum Master should coach Lee to discuss his progress in the context of the Iteration goals. By framing his updates around how his work contributes to the broader objectives of the iteration, Lee can provide the team with better visibility into his progress and the impact of his work. This approach encourages team members to think beyond individual tasks and understand how their efforts align with the team's goals, fostering greater collaboration and accountability.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: focusing on outcomes and aligning individual efforts with team goals

SAFe 5.0 framework: effective daily stand-up practices

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 References:

The SAFe framework emphasizes the critical role of the Product Owner within the Agile Team, ensuring alignment and effective backlog management.

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

One way a Scrum Master can gain the confidence of a stakeholder is by making the process visible. Transparency is a key principle in Agile and SAFe, as it builds trust and ensures that stakeholders are well-informed about the progress, challenges, and successes of the team. By making the process visible through tools like information radiators, progress charts, and regular updates, the Scrum Master can demonstrate accountability, foster open communication, and build stakeholder confidence in the team's ability to deliver value.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: transparency and visibility

SAFe 5.0 framework: building stakeholder confidence through visible processes

Teams that fear conflict exhibit certain characteristics that can hinder their success:

They ignore controversial topics that are critical to team success (B): When teams avoid addressing difficult or controversial issues, they miss out on resolving important problems that could impact their success. Ignoring such topics can lead to unresolved conflicts, misalignment, and suboptimal decision-making.

They fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of team members (C): Fear of conflict can prevent team members from voicing their opinions and sharing diverse perspectives. This lack of open communication can result in missed opportunities for innovation and improvement, as well as decisions that do not reflect the collective wisdom of the team.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: fostering a culture of open communication and collaboration

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​​.

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.

Inspect and Adapt (I&A) events occur at both the Team Level and the Value Stream Level in SAFe. At the Team Level, these events allow individual Agile teams to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement, and plan actions for the next iteration. At the Value Stream Level, I&A events involve multiple teams working within a Value Stream to review progress, identify systemic issues, and make improvements that benefit the entire Value Stream. These levels ensure that continuous improvement practices are applied both locally within teams and more broadly across the organization.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe 5.0 framework: levels of Inspect and Adapt events

SAFe Principles: continuous improvement at multiple levels of the organization