Scrum SAFe-Practitioner - SAFe Practitioner Exam (6.0)

Quality is the first and foremost function of the second core value of SAFe, which is Built-in Quality1. Built-in Quality is a set of practices to help ensure that the outputs of Agile teams in business and technology domains meet appropriate quality standards throughout the process of creating customer value2. Built-in Quality requires a culture of shared responsibility, where everyone on the team is accountable for the quality of the work products and the system as a whole2. This culture fosters collaboration, feedback, and continuous improvement, and enables faster delivery and better outcomes2. References: Built-In Quality - Scaled Agile Framework, Quality is the first and foremost a function of what in a Lean-Agile …, Quality is first and foremost a function of what in a lean-agile …

Lean-Agile leaders try to connect the silos of business, software, test, and quality assurance to create a culture of collaboration and shared responsibility across the value stream. By breaking down the barriers between different functions, Lean-Agile leaders enable faster feedback, shorter lead times, higher quality, and better customer satisfaction. Connecting the silos also helps to align the teams around a common vision, mission, and goals, and to foster a Lean-Agile mindset that embraces change and innovation. References: SAFe Core Values, Agile Practice Exam Flashcards, SAFe 4.6 exam prep - Improved - extended Flashcards, Stop Breaking Down Silos and Start Connecting Them

Systems thinking is a holistic approach to solution development, incorporating all aspects of a system and its environment into the design, development, deployment, and maintenance. It requires leaders and teams to understand the solution, the enterprise, and the value stream as a system. One of the principles of systems thinking is that optimizing a component of the system does not optimize the whole system. In fact, it may even harm the system performance, as it may create bottlenecks, conflicts, or waste in other parts of the system. Therefore, systems thinking encourages looking at the system as a whole and finding the best trade-offs and synergies among the components. References: Principle #2 - Apply systems thinking - Scaled Agile Framework, What ‘systems thinking’ actually means - and why it matters today | World Economic Forum, What is Systems Thinking? - Critical Thinking Secrets

Strategic Themes are portfolio-level business objectives that provide competitive differentiation and strategic advantage. They influence portfolio strategy and provide business context for portfolio decision-making1. Lean budget Guardrails are the spending policies and guidelines that enable decentralized decision-making and empowerment for value streams2. Strategic Themes affect the allocation of funds and resources to value streams, as well as the guidance for investments in existing and new solutions1. Therefore, Strategic Themes influence Lean budget Guardrails directly. References: Strategic Themes, Lean Budgets, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner

Lean Portfolio Management, Agile Product Delivery, and Lean-Agile Leadership are three of the seven SAFe Core Competencies. These competencies are essential to achieving Business Agility, which is the ability to compete and thrive in the digital age by quickly responding to market changes and emerging opportunities with innovative business solutions1. The SAFe Core Competencies are as follows2:

Lean-Agile Leadership: Inspires, empowers, and coaches the people who design, build, and support the world’s solutions

Team and Technical Agility: Drives high-quality, innovative solutions that delight customers and operate reliably

Agile Product Delivery: Builds solutions that customers love, delivered with high frequency and quality

Enterprise Solution Delivery: Builds and evolves the world’s largest and most sophisticated software, hardware, cyber-physical, and systems-of-systems solutions

Lean Portfolio Management: Aligns strategy and execution by applying Lean and systems thinking approaches to strategy and investment funding, Agile portfolio operations, and governance

Organizational Agility: Adapts quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs by reconfiguring strategy, structure, processes, people, and technology toward value-creating and value-preserving opportunities

Continuous Learning Culture: Improves the competency and skills of individuals and teams, fosters a culture of innovation, and creates organizational resiliency References: 1: Business Agility - Scaled Agile Framework2: Core Competencies - Scaled Agile Framework

= The recommended final agenda item of PI Planning is taking the PI confidence vote. This is a simple and quick way to assess the level of confidence and commitment of the teams and stakeholders to the PI objectives and plan. The PI confidence vote is done by asking each team member and stakeholder to hold up one to five fingers, indicating their confidence level from low to high. The average score across the ART is calculated and displayed. If the score is below 3, the teams and stakeholders are asked to identify the top issues or risks that lower their confidence and propose mitigation actions. The confidence vote is repeated until the score reaches 3 or above, or the timebox expires. The confidence vote helps to surface and address potential impediments, foster alignment and accountability, and create a sense of ownership and empowerment for the PI plan. References: = PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework, PI Confidence Vote - Scaled Agile Framework

A program event is an event that involves all the teams in an Agile Release Train (ART) and occurs at the program level. According to the SAFe for Teams SP (6.0) handbook, there are three program events: PI Planning, System Demo, and Inspect and Adapt1. Innovation and Planning (IP) is also a program event, as it is a special iteration that occurs at the end of each Program Increment (PI) and provides time for the ART to innovate, plan, and improve2. Therefore, Innovation and Planning is an example of a program event. The other options are not program events, but team events, as they occur at the team level and involve only one agile team. Scrum of scrums, Iteration review, and Daily stand-up are team events that are part of the iteration execution cycle3. References: SAFe for Teams SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner handbook, Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework, Iteration Execution - Scaled Agile Framework

The team is waterfalling the Iteration, which means they are following a sequential and rigid process of development, testing, and fixing, instead of an iterative and incremental approach. This is not aligned with the Agile principles and practices, which advocate for delivering working software frequently, with continuous feedback and improvement. Waterfalling the Iteration reduces the team’s ability to respond to change, deliver value, and collaborate effectively. It also increases the risk of accumulating technical debt, defects, and rework. References: Iteration Execution - Scaled Agile Framework, SCALING: SP - SAFe for Teams 4.6 Flashcards - Brainscape

 A quality of an Agile team is that it is cross-functional, meaning that it has all the skills and roles necessary to deliver value to the customer. A cross-functional team can work independently and collaboratively, without relying on external dependencies or handoffs. A cross-functional team can also adapt to changing requirements and feedback, and deliver work in small increments. References: Agile Teams - Scaled Agile Framework, Top 8 Characteristics of High-Performing Agile Team - Techtic Solutions, Agile Q&A: Team Qualities | Agile Alliance, Agile Team Roles and Responsibilities: A Brief Guide - Teamhood