SSM Exam Dumps - Scaled Agile SAFe Scrum Master Questions and Answers

The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration in SAFe® serves a critical purpose—it provides time for innovation, learning, improvement, and preparation for the next Program Increment (PI).

When teams attempt to use the IP Iteration to continue their standard work, they lose the opportunity to rest, reflect, and prepare effectively for future planning. One of the key intended uses of the IP Iteration is to prepare for PI Planning, which includes reviewing objectives, refining backlogs, and ensuring readiness for upcoming work.

From SAFe guidance:

“The IP Iteration provides teams with the opportunity to innovate, improve, and prepare for the upcoming PI Planning event.”

Therefore, the correct answer is D. The team can prepare for PI planning, as this aligns with one of the primary goals of the IP Iteration.

The intended value of the Backlog Refinement event is that the team is able to prepare requirements for Iteration Planning. 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 By doing so, the team can improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of their work, as well as deliver value to the customers and the organization123

According to the SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework) guidelines, an effective Scrum Master or Team Coach (SM/TC) exhibits several key traits that enable them to support Agile Teams effectively. One of the most emphasized characteristics is the ability to navigate conflict constructively.

A "conflict navigator" refers to someone who helps the team identify and work through disagreements in a productive way. Rather than avoiding or suppressing conflict, a skilled Scrum Master uses it as an opportunity to surface issues, enhance team learning, and drive continuous improvement. This aligns with the servant-leadership stance encouraged both in SAFe and the Scrum Guide.

While traits like being charismatic or ambitious may be personally beneficial, they are not explicitly listed in SAFe or Scrum literature as core attributes for Scrum Masters. Similarly, competitiveness could actually contradict the collaborative, team-focused nature of Agile frameworks.

From the SAFe® Scrum Master role description:

“Effective Scrum Masters are servant leaders who display characteristics such as active listening, empathy, persuasion, and conflict facilitation.”

This highlights the importance of conflict facilitation, making “Conflict navigator” the correct answer.

For full reference, see:

???? SAFe Scrum Master Role – Scaled Agile Framework

In SAFe®, the team backlog is the source of work for the Agile Team and includes all the user stories, enablers, and defects that represent potential upcoming work. It is owned and managed by the team, often guided by the Product Owner, who ensures the backlog remains prioritized and ready for iteration planning.

A crucial ongoing activity related to the backlog is refinement (or backlog refinement)—the process of reviewing, clarifying, and breaking down backlog items into smaller, well-understood Stories that are ready for implementation. During this activity, the team collaborates to ensure backlog items have sufficient detail, appropriate acceptance criteria, and relative sizing estimates.

From SAFe guidance:

“The team backlog is the source for stories, enablers, and defects planned in iterations. Teams continuously refine the backlog to ensure upcoming work is well understood and ready for planning.”

Therefore, the correct answer is C. The team backlog is where the team refines possible Stories.

Norming is the stage of team development where team members stop focusing on their own goals and begin focusing on developing better ways of working together. Norming occurs after the team has gone through the Forming and Storming stages, where they have established their roles and responsibilities, and have resolved their initial conflicts and disagreements12 In the Norming stage, the team starts to build trust, respect, and cohesion among themselves. They also align on a common vision, mission, and goals, and agree on the norms and expectations for their collaboration and communication12 The team becomes more productive, efficient, and effective, as they leverage their collective strengths and skills, and support each other in overcoming challenges and delivering value12 The team also develops a sense of identity and pride, and celebrates their achievements and learnings12 

One of the main responsibilities of a Scrum Master/Team Coach is to facilitate team events, such as Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, Iteration Review, and Iteration Retrospective. These events help the team to plan, execute, inspect, and adapt their work throughout the Iteration. By facilitating these events, the Scrum Master/Team Coach ensures that the team follows the Agile principles and practices, collaborates effectively, and delivers value to the customers and stakeholders.

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).

In SAFe® and Scrum, acceptance criteria define the conditions that must be met for a User Story to be considered complete and accepted by the Product Owner. These criteria clarify how the Story will be validated and serve as the basis for confirming that functionality meets expectations and quality standards.

Acceptance criteria support transparency, alignment, and shared understanding between the team and stakeholders. They guide development, testing, and validation efforts and are essential for achieving the Definition of Done (DoD).

From SAFe guidance:

“Acceptance criteria define the boundaries and validation conditions of a Story. They ensure the implemented functionality meets the customer’s intent and can be accepted.”

Therefore, the correct answer is A. To identify how the Story can be validated, as this captures the core purpose of acceptance criteria.

One method a Scrum Master/Team Coach can use to help teams overcome a fear of conflict is to give every team member the opportunity to contribute. Fear of conflict is one of the common dysfunctions of a team, which can result in artificial harmony, lack of trust, and avoidance of issues1 To overcome this fear, the Scrum Master/Team Coach can facilitate a safe and respectful environment where team members can express their opinions, ideas, and concerns without being judged, ignored, or attacked23 Giving every team member the opportunity to contribute can help them feel valued, respected, and heard, as well as foster a culture of collaboration, feedback, and learning45 The Scrum Master/Team Coach can use various techniques to ensure equal participation, such as round-robin, fist of five, dot voting, silent brainstorming, and liberating structures45 By encouraging healthy and constructive conflict, the Scrum Master/Team Coach can help the team improve their performance, creativity, and innovation23

The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is a key element in SAFe®’s Program Increment (PI) cadence. It provides dedicated time for innovation, exploration, education, and infrastructure improvements, as well as PI planning and inspect-and-adapt activities.

When teams attempt to use the IP Iteration for their “usual work,” they miss opportunities for reflection, learning, and systemic improvement. Using it as intended promotes relentless improvement and allows teams to invest in long-term value creation.

From SAFe guidance:

“The IP Iteration provides teams with time to innovate, improve infrastructure, and plan for the next PI. It ensures a sustainable pace and supports continuous improvement.”

Therefore, the correct answer is A. There will be time for infrastructure improvements, as this is one of the primary intended uses of the IP Iteration.