Scaled Agile SSM - SSM (6.0) - SAFe Scrum Master Practice 6.0

According to SAFe, one output of a successful Iteration Retrospective is the creation of a few improvement Stories that enter the Team Backlog for the next iteration. These stories reflect the team’s agreement on what they can do better in terms of their process, practices, and performance. The improvement stories are visible and prioritized along with the other stories in the backlog. They help the team implement the concept of relentless improvement, which is one of the core values of SAFe.

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the traits of a servant leader is to persuade rather than use authority. This means that the servant leader influences others by appealing to their values, beliefs, and interests, rather than by imposing their own will or position. By persuading rather than using authority, the servant leader fosters a culture of collaboration, empowerment, and trust, where team members are more likely to accept and welcome coaching, feedback, and change. Persuasion also helps the servant leader to align the team with the organization’s vision, mission, and goals, and to create a shared understanding of the purpose and value of the work.

The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is a vital element of SAFe® that occurs at the end of every Program Increment (PI). It provides intentional space for innovation, exploration, learning, and planning, ensuring a sustainable pace and continuous improvement across the Agile Release Train (ART).

This iteration gives teams the time to focus on innovation and continuing education, such as experimenting with new technologies, attending training, or conducting hackathons. It also includes activities like PI Planning preparation and Inspect and Adapt participation.

From SAFe guidance:

“The IP Iteration provides dedicated time for innovation, education, and planning activities. It supports relentless improvement and a sustainable pace for the ART.”

Therefore, the correct answer is A. It provides dedicated time for innovation and continuing education, as this captures the core benefit of the IP Iteration.

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.

One benefit of PI Planning is that it allows for faster decision-making by bringing together all the members of the Agile Release Train (ART) and the relevant stakeholders in a face-to-face (or virtual) event. PI Planning provides an opportunity for the ART to align on a common vision and mission, review the business context and priorities, identify and resolve dependencies and risks, and commit to a realistic and achievable plan for the next Program Increment (PI). By having everyone involved in the planning process, the ART can leverage the collective knowledge and expertise of the participants, reduce ambiguity and uncertainty, and make informed and timely decisions that support the delivery of value to the customers.

The Team Sync (or Daily Stand-up) in SAFe® is a short, focused, timeboxed event that allows the team to align on progress toward iteration goals, identify impediments, and plan the next 24 hours.

The meeting promotes transparency and collaboration, ensuring that all team members are aware of progress and issues that could affect delivery. It also reinforces self-management by allowing the team to adapt plans daily based on new information.

From SAFe guidance:

“The Team Sync allows team members to align on progress toward iteration goals, discuss impediments, and adjust their plans to stay on track.”

Thus, the correct answer is A. The team aligns on the progress of Iteration Goals, as it captures the event’s primary intent.

One Iteration Retrospective anti-pattern is when the team only brings up issues that are outside of their control to address, such as organizational policies, external dependencies, or stakeholder expectations. This can lead to frustration, helplessness, and cynicism among the team members, as well as a loss of focus on their own improvement opportunities12 

Among the five Scrum values — Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage — the value that most directly supports transparency is Openness.

In both Scrum and SAFe®, transparency is a foundational principle of empirical process control. Teams must be open about progress, impediments, challenges, and feedback to allow effective inspection and adaptation. When teams practice openness, trust grows, collaboration deepens, and issues are surfaced early rather than hidden.

The Scrum Guide (2020) states:

“The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Openness encourages transparency, inspection, and adaptation.”

Similarly, SAFe encourages openness as part of the Lean-Agile mindset and team culture, ensuring alignment, honesty, and clarity across teams and ARTs.

Thus, the correct answer is B. Openness, as it directly enables transparency and honest collaboration.

According to SAFe®, Agile Teams should maintain 2–3 iterations’ worth of refined Stories in their team backlog. This ensures a steady flow of ready work without excessive upfront planning, preserving adaptability while avoiding delays caused by unrefined items.

Maintaining this level of refinement allows the team to respond effectively to changing priorities, dependencies, or feedback from stakeholders while ensuring that upcoming iterations are well-prepared. Refinement sessions are typically ongoing and collaborative, focusing on breaking down larger items into ready Stories with clear acceptance criteria.

From SAFe guidance:

“Teams continuously refine their backlog to maintain 2–3 iterations of ready stories. This supports continuous flow and readiness for iteration planning.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. 2–3 Iterations of refined Stories.