AI-Empowered SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) Exam Questions

Domain 1: Adapt and Thrive with SAFe (2-4%)

---

*What is one issue when organizing around hierarchical functions?

⬜ It makes communication difficult
⬜ It creates Agile business teams
⬜ It moves the decisions to where the information is
⬜ It creates leaders at all levels

The primary need for SAFe is to scale the idea of what?

⬜ Technical Solution Delivery
⬜ Organizational and Functional Alignment
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Business Agility

What is Business Agility?

⬜ Applying Lean-Agile principles and practices to the specification, development, deployment, operation, and evolution of the world’s largest and most sophisticated systems.
⬜ How Lean-thinking people and Agile Teams optimize their business processes, evolve strategy with clear and decisive new commitments, and quickly adapt the organization as needed to capitalize on new opportunities.
⬜ A customer-centric approach to defining, building, and releasing a continuous flow of valuable products and services to customers and users.
⬜ The ability to compete and thrive in the digital age by quickly responding to market changes and emerging opportunities with innovative business Solutions.

Restoring the speed and innovation of the entrepreneurial network while leveraging the stability of the hierarchical system is a benefit of what?

⬜ Dual operating system
⬜ Customer centricity
⬜ Continuous learning culture
⬜ Functional silos

We are currently in which age of technological revolution?

⬜ Industrial Revolution
⬜ Age of Oil and Mass Production
⬜ Age of Software and Digital
⬜ Age of Steel and Heavy Engineering

To compete in the age of software we need to?

⬜ Think only about the newer technologies
⬜ Balance the stability of hierarchy and Speed of innovation via Network
⬜ Discard hierarchy completely
⬜ Think only about speed of innovation

*SAFe is a dual-operating system for Business Agility. What is one element of the dual-operating system?

⬜ A Lean portfolio
⬜ Agile Teams
⬜ Value Stream Network
⬜ Solution Context

Where we are in the age of software and digital?

⬜ Installation Period
⬜ Turning Point
⬜ Deployment Period
⬜ Exploration Period

How does SAFe provide a second operating system that enables Business Agility?

⬜ By achieving economies of scale
⬜ By focusing on customers, products, innovation, and growth
⬜ By building up large departments and matrixed organizations to support rapid growth
⬜ By creating stability and hierarchy

What is the second operating system organized around?

⬜ Systems
⬜ Value Streams
⬜ Initiatives
⬜ Departments

How does SAFe recommend using a second operating system to deliver value?

⬜ Organize development around the flow of value while maintaining the hierarchies
⬜ Build a small entrepreneurial network focused on the Customer in place of the existing hierarchies
⬜ Decide whether to apply a hierarchical or Value Stream organizational model across the Enterprise
⬜ Reorganize the hierarchies around the flow of value

Who is at the center of the seven SAFe core competencies?

⬜ The Business
⬜ The Customer
⬜ The Agile Team
⬜ The Economic Benefit

What are the three dimensions of Lean-Agile Leadership?

⬜ Mindset and principles, Lead by example, Lead the change
⬜ Emotional intelligence, Lead by example, Lead the change
⬜ Mindset and principles, SAFe Core Values, Lead the change
⬜ Mindset and principles, Lead by example, Support organizational change

What is one issue when organizing around functional silos?

⬜ They impede how value flows
⬜ Operational activities are not included
⬜ They do not provide development opportunities for employees
⬜ Corporate responsibilities are not a focus

Which SAFe Configuration provides the benefit of all seven core competencies?

⬜ Essential
⬜ Large Solution
⬜ Portfolio
⬜ Full

Why do organizations often start with Essential SAFe?

⬜ A smaller number of teams is better when getting started
⬜ It provides the minimum set of roles and artifacts for an ART to be successful
⬜ It is adequate for the needs of most organizations
⬜ It prevents launching multiple ARTs in parallel

Which is NOT an element of SAFe Foundation?

⬜ Lean-Agile Mindset
⬜ Core Values
⬜ SAFe Principles
⬜ Core Competencies

What are Lean Portfolio Management, Agile Product Delivery, and Lean-Agile Leadership?

⬜ Agile values
⬜ SAFe Lean-Agile Principles
⬜ SAFe Core Competencies
⬜ Steps in the Business Agility Value Stream

What is the foundation of SAFe core competencies?

⬜ Lean-Agile Leadership
⬜ Organizational Agility
⬜ Continuous Learning Culture
⬜ Team and Technical Agility

Which core competency of the Lean Enterprise helps drive Built-In Quality practices?

⬜ Team and Technical Agility
⬜ DevOps and Release on Demand
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Business Solutions and Lean Systems Engineering

Which of the core competencies of the Lean Enterprise helps align strategy and execution?

⬜ Business Solutions and Lean Systems Engineering
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ DevOps and Release on Demand
⬜ Team and Technical Agility

What is the dimension of Customer Centricity?

⬜ To interpret market rhythms
⬜ To understand the Customer’s needs
⬜ To build small, partial systems just in time
⬜ To design custom-built Customer Solutions

How does SAFe describe customer centricity?

⬜ As a set of practices employed to make products focused on the Customer
⬜ As a strategy to meet the needs of an ever-changing Customer market
⬜ As a mindset focused on Customer behaviors that produce the best innovations
⬜ As a way of working to include the Customer in daily work processes and planning

Which SAFe core competency supports coordination across multiple ARTs?

⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Agile Product Delivery
⬜ Lean-Agile Leadership
⬜ Enterprise Solution Delivery

Domain 2: Build a Foundation with Mindset, Value, and Principles (9-11%)

---

How does SAFe define AI-Empowered Agility?

⬜ The practice of replacing manual Agile ceremonies with AI-facilitated equivalents
⬜ The capability to rapidly develop and responsibly deploy AI-driven products while using AI to enhance the speed, quality, and adaptability of existing Lean-Agile methods
⬜ A governance framework for approving which AI vendors an enterprise may use
⬜ A fixed set of AI tools bundled into the SAFe Continuous Delivery Pipeline

An AI tool used during backlog refinement suggests a prioritization that inadvertently disadvantages a specific user group. What is the appropriate human-in-the-loop response?

⬜ Accept the recommendation, since algorithmic output is inherently objective and does not require oversight
⬜ Intervene to adjust the prioritization criteria, correct or re-prompt the tool with better parameters, and document the intervention
⬜ Permanently decommission every AI tool across the enterprise
⬜ Leave the prioritization unchanged and let customer feedback after release determine whether it was a problem

*How can trust be gained between the business and technology?

⬜ Maintain Iterations as a safe zone for the team
⬜ Release new value to production every day
⬜ Deliver predictably
⬜ Automate the delivery pipeline

*Which SAFe Lean-Agile Principle includes an emphasis on “deliver early and often”?

⬜ Take an economic view
⬜ Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles
⬜ Organize around value
⬜ Make value flow without interruptions

What statement is NOT part of the Agile Manifesto?

⬜ Working software over comprehensive documentation.
⬜ Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
⬜ Working software is the primary measure of progress.
⬜ Good architectures are built up front so that teams can focus on development.
⬜ Continuous attention to technical excellence and design enhances agility.
⬜ Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

What is the focus of Lean Thinking?

⬜ Ensuring respect for people and culture
⬜ Moving to an iterative development process
⬜ Implementing objective measures of progress
⬜ Reducing delays

What best characterizes a Human-Centric AI Culture as described in SAFe’s AI-Empowered Agility guidance?

⬜ AI agents operate independently of human review once deployed to production
⬜ AI is treated as a replacement for roles that perform repetitive analytical work
⬜ AI augments human capability, freeing people to focus on strategy, creativity, and ethical judgment, with human oversight remaining the final loop for value, safety, and purpose
⬜ Humans review AI output only when a defect is reported by a customer

How can AI-supported analytics help an SPC identify where Development and Operational Value Streams are losing time?

⬜ By counting the total number of physical office locations used by Agile Teams
⬜ By surfacing wait times and flow bottlenecks that occur at handoffs between specialized functional silos
⬜ By reducing how often teams hold daily stand-ups
⬜ By measuring the exact number of lines of code each engineer writes per day

*When basing decisions on economics, how are lead time, product cost, value and development expense used?

⬜ To take into account sunk costs
⬜ To recover money already spent
⬜ To limit work in process (WIP)
⬜ To understand solution tradeoffs

*Which statement is true about batch size?

⬜ When Stories are broken into tasks it means there are small batch sizes
⬜ The handoff batch should be made as large as possible
⬜ Large batch sizes ensure time for built-in quality
⬜ Large batch sizes increase variability

Which statement is a principle of the Agile Manifesto?

⬜ Measure everything
⬜ Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential
⬜ Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths
⬜ Respect for people and culture

What is “precisely specify value by specific product” central to?

⬜ Lean Thinking
⬜ SAFe Principles
⬜ Agile Manifesto
⬜ SAFe Core Values

According to SAFe’s guidance on AI maturity, what distinguishes a ‘Future-Built’ organization from the majority of companies adopting AI?

⬜ Future-Built organizations have purchased more AI licenses per employee
⬜ Future-Built organizations have architected their operating model around agentic and generative AI tools, rather than remaining stuck in isolated pilots
⬜ Future-Built organizations have eliminated all manual code review
⬜ Future-Built organizations outsource all AI development to third parties

*‘Visualize work’ aligns with which SAFe Core Value?

⬜ Respect for People
⬜ Relentless Improvement
⬜ Transparency
⬜ Alignment

*What else does the SAFe principle, unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers, require besides purpose and minimum possible constraints?

⬜ Transparency
⬜ Innovation
⬜ Incentive-based compensation
⬜ Autonomy

*Which type of decision should remain centralized even in a decentralized decision-making environment?

⬜ Decisions that come with a high cost of delay
⬜ Decisions that require local information
⬜ Decisions that are made frequently
⬜ Decisions that deliver large and broad economic benefits

Which of the following is a principle of Lean Thinking?

⬜ Identify the Value Stream for each product
⬜ Foster relentless improvement
⬜ Build in quality for each product
⬜ Respond to changing requirements

What type of thinking allows the Customer to pull value from the producer?

⬜ Design
⬜ Customer-centric
⬜ Systems
⬜ Lean

According to SAFe guidance on Achieving AI-Empowered Agility, what are the four critical shifts that amplify existing Lean-Agile tenets?

⬜ Optimized for Outcome-Driven Flow; Cross-Functional, AI-Augmented Teams; Iterative Learning and Rapid Experimentation Cycles; Development and Innovation at Scale
⬜ Take an Economic View; Apply Systems Thinking; Assume Variability; Organize Around Value
⬜ Visualize and Limit WIP; Address Bottlenecks; Reduce Queue Length; Optimize Time in the Zone
⬜ Alignment; Transparency; Respect for People; Relentless Improvement

Why is a human-in-the-loop (HITL) approach essential when acting on AI-generated recommendations in a SAFe enterprise?

⬜ It ensures no system ever has access to real-time enterprise operational data
⬜ It intentionally slows Agile Release Trains so delivery never outpaces portfolio budgets
⬜ It removes the need for the Inspect and Adapt event by automating retrospectives
⬜ It helps guard against algorithmic bias, validates context, and supports compliance with organizational ethics and safety policy

*Which SAFe Principle advocates flexible designs to support changing requirements?

⬜ Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles
⬜ Assume variability; preserve options
⬜ Decentralize decision-making
⬜ Apply systems thinking

*What is one of the SAFe Core Values?

⬜ Flow
⬜ Transparency
⬜ Culture
⬜ Built-in quality

Which statement is a value from the Agile Manifesto?

⬜ Customer collaboration over a constant indefinite pace
⬜ Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
⬜ Customer collaboration over Feature negotiation
⬜ Customer collaboration over ongoing internal conversation

What is the goal of Lean Thinking?

⬜ Lean-Agile Leadership as an organizational culture
⬜ Deliver maximum Value with the shortest sustainable lead time
⬜ Aligning principles and values to a fixed cause
⬜ Building a Lean Mindset as opposed to a Fixed Mindset

What are the SAFe Core Values that typically resonate with executives when talking about SAFe?

⬜ Empowerment, self-managing teams, decentralization of control, value
⬜ Relentless improvement, cadence, synchronization, trust
⬜ Relentless improvement, Respect for people, alignment, transparency
⬜ Lean Leadership, Relentless improvement, Agile Architecture, product flow

What concept is NOT one of the Core Values of SAFe?

⬜ Relentless improvement
⬜ Predictability
⬜ Respect for people
⬜ Alignment
⬜ Transparency

Which statement fits with the SAFe Core Value of Relentless Improvement?

⬜ Create a trust-based environment
⬜ Provide ready access to needed information
⬜ Build long-term partnerships through mutual benefits
⬜ Build a problem-solving culture

Which SAFe Core Value includes use “common language” and “understand your customer”?

⬜ Alignment
⬜ Respect for People
⬜ Relentless Improvement
⬜ Transparency

What contributes to establishing trust in SAFe?

⬜ Decentralization of control
⬜ Transparency
⬜ Reporting
⬜ U-curve optimization
⬜ Servant leadership

Which SAFe Core Value focuses on the Customer being the consumer of the work?

⬜ Alignment
⬜ Respect for People
⬜ Relentless Improvement
⬜ Transparency

What is the correct statement about Work in Process (WIP)?

⬜ The bigger the WIP, the richer the feedback.
⬜ The amount of WIP is unrelated to utilization.
⬜ Lower WIP limits foster collaboration.

Which SAFe Core Value includes “build problem-solving culture” and “reflect and adapt” ?

⬜ Alignment
⬜ Respect for People
⬜ Relentless Improvement
⬜ Transparency

Developing a framework for decision-making is a tool for taking an economic view.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Your organization decided to thoroughly implement the SAFe Principle “Assume variability; preserve options.” What is the optimum path for success?

⬜ Assume variability of scope and preserve options for the release date.
⬜ Preserve flexibility in system functionality and design, but have fixed Solution intent.
⬜ Assume variability of scope, but have fixed Solution Context.
⬜ Preserve flexibility in both system functionality and design.

Phase-gate Milestones are not a good predictor of project performance.

⬜ True
⬜ False

According to SAFe Principle #10, what should the Enterprise do when markets and customers demand change?

⬜ Create a reliable, decision-making framework to empower employees and ensure a fast flow of value
⬜ Reorganize the network around the new value flow
⬜ Apply development cadence and synchronization to operate effectively and manage uncertainty
⬜ Create an initiative to focus on accelerating the flow of value

In SAFe Principle #1, how are lead time, product cost, value, and development expense used?

⬜ To recover money already spent
⬜ To identify and evaluate economic trade-offs when making daily decisions
⬜ To take into account sunk costs
⬜ To limit work in process (WIP) through the system

A Scrum Master asked you to help her use systems thinking to identify the backlog items that would improve the system as a whole. Select one item that uses systems thinking most effectively.

⬜ Involve representatives of department teams in Iteration Planning and Demos.
⬜ Make daily stand-ups more engaging and strictly timeboxed.
⬜ Review the burn-down chart at each retrospective to improve team estimating.
⬜ Increase unit test coverage.

Which SAFe Principle has the benefit of reducing the cost of risk-taking by truncating unsuccessful paths quickly?

⬜ Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
⬜ Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems
⬜ Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning
⬜ Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles

Velocity is a good measure of team performance.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What does relentless improvement, as defined in SAFe, include?

⬜ Build long-term partnerships based on mutual benefit, Provide time and space for innovation, Reflect and adapt frequently
⬜ Build a problem-solving culture, Provide time and space for innovation, Reflect and adapt frequently
⬜ Create a trust-based environment, Build a problem-solving culture, Reflect and adapt frequently
⬜ Build long-term partnerships based on mutual benefit, Build a problem-solving culture, Provide time and space for innovation

Based on the work of Don Reinertsen, SAFe denotes five primary economic factors that can be used to consider the economic perspective of a particular investment. From the list below, choose three of those primary economic factors.

⬜ Development expense, Lead time, Risk
⬜ Lead time, Risk, Return on Investment (ROI)
⬜ Development expense, Risk, Value stream budget
⬜ Development expense, Lead time, Return on Investment (ROI)

The SAFe Economic Framework guides Value Stream investment decisions by: __________.

⬜ Prioritizing work by ROI, Empowering the Product Owners to sequence the Value Stream Backlog
⬜ Requiring lightweight business cases for Epics, Empowering the Product Owners to sequence the Value Stream Backlog
⬜ Requiring lightweight business cases for Epics, Finding Value Streams
⬜ Prioritizing work by ROI, Finding Value Streams

What are the 2 biggest reasons to reduce batch size?

⬜ Increase throughput, Increase delivery reliability
⬜ Increase delivery reliability, Make it easier to assess the state of smaller batches
⬜ Increase throughput, Decrease stress on the system
⬜ Make it easier to assess the state of smaller batches, Decrease stress on the system

According to Lean thinking, how is fast and sustainable flow achieved?

⬜ By constant reduction of delays, By reducing batch sizes, By applying subjective governance
⬜ By understanding the full Value Stream, By constant reduction of delays, By reducing batch sizes
⬜ By understanding the full Value Stream, By reducing batch sizes, By applying subjective governance
⬜ By understanding the full Value Stream, By constant reduction of delays, By applying subjective governance

Which of the following is one of the primary reasons why long queues are bad?

⬜ Decreased motivation
⬜ Higher variability
⬜ Less cross-training
⬜ Improved flow efficiency

What factors favor centralized decision-making?

⬜ Economies of scale, Need for fast decision-making
⬜ Infrequent decisions, Appropriate authority level of the decision maker
⬜ Need for fast decision-making, Appropriate authority level of the decision maker
⬜ Infrequent decisions, Economies of scale

You are invited to help an ART where, even though not mandated by the external environment, management requires teams to make big, up-front, and detailed scope commitments for every release. What would you do to best coach the decision-makers?

⬜ Explain that too much up-front detail demotivates Product Owners as they have almost nothing to do thereafter.
⬜ Explain why development doesn’t need to commit to anything in Agile.
⬜ Emphasize the value of ‘Responding to change’ from the Agile Manifesto.
⬜ Escalate to executive leadership so the commitment policy can be mandated away.

In SAFe, what is the primary intent of “Empower Agility with AI”?

⬜ To replace Agile ceremonies with AI-generated decisions
⬜ To automate hiring decisions for Agile Teams
⬜ To use AI to augment Lean-Agile ways of working and accelerate flow and decision-making
⬜ To eliminate the need for a Lean-Agile Mindset

According to Scaled Agile’s Responsible AI guidance, what are the three pillars of Responsible AI?

⬜ Fast, Cheap, and Automated AI
⬜ Trustworthy AI, Explainable AI, and Human-Centric AI
⬜ Predictive AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI
⬜ Scalable AI, Secure AI, and Proprietary AI

Domain 3: Establish Team and Technical Agility (6-8%)

---

*Which basic Agile quality practice ensures consistent quality measures for each work product?

⬜ Workflow automation
⬜ Pairing and peer-review
⬜ Collective ownership
⬜ Standards and Definition of Done

What is the basic building block when organizing around value in SAFe?

⬜ Hierarchies
⬜ Individuals
⬜ Agile Release Trains
⬜ Agile Teams

Enabler Features can contribute to the Architectural Runway and realize system Nonfunctional Requirements at the same time.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What are two ways to describe a cross-functional Agile Team?

⬜ They deliver value every six weeks, They can define, build, and test an increment of value
⬜ They are optimized for communication and delivery of value, They are made up of members, each of whom can define, develop, test, and deploy the system
⬜ They deliver value every six weeks, They are made up of members, each of whom can define, develop, test, and deploy the system
⬜ They are optimized for communication and delivery of value, They can define, build, and test an increment of value

*Which activity is associated with the release-on-demand step of the continuous delivery pipeline?

⬜ Deploy
⬜ Learn
⬜ Test end-to-end
⬜ Hypothesize

What is the primary role of a Scrum Master?

⬜ To write all the user stories so that the team can focus on coding and testing.
⬜ To task team members in the efficient manner possible based on their skills.
⬜ To provide management with status reports on the team’s progress.
⬜ To use servant leadership to help the team perform at its best.

Which team type is organized to assist other teams with specialized capabilities and help them become more proficient in new technologies?

⬜ Stream-aligned team
⬜ Platform team
⬜ Complicated subsystem team
⬜ Enabling team

Enablers can be used for any activities that are necessary to support upcoming business features, but generally they fall in one of 3 categories:

⬜ Architecture, Exploration, Infrastructure
⬜ Team tasks, Exploration, Infrastructure
⬜ Architecture, Vertical slice of a feature, Infrastructure
⬜ Architecture, Team tasks, Exploration

Enablers can build or enhance development infrastructure.

⬜ True
⬜ False

ARTs that consist only of Feature teams do not require an Architectural Runway.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What role would a traditional program manager most likely take on in SAFe?

⬜ Release Train Engineer or Value Stream Engineer
⬜ Scrum Master
⬜ Business Owner
⬜ Product Manager

Who typically facilitates the ART Sync meeting?

⬜ Agile coach
⬜ Senior Scrum Master
⬜ Development manager or QA manager
⬜ Release Train Engineer
⬜ Value Stream Engineer

The design of an Agile Release Train (ART) should remove what?

⬜ Dependencies between teams
⬜ Geographic boundaries
⬜ Silos that inhibit flow
⬜ Budgetary restrictions

What are appropriate aspects of the System Architect’s role in SAFe?

⬜ Collaborate with Scrum Masters to establish the emergent design.
⬜ Collaborate with PMs, POs, and Agile Teams to establish the Architectural Runway.
⬜ Approve teams’ increments into the mainline branch.
⬜ Approve all the design work of teams before they can implement their user stories.
⬜ Provide the designs behind each user story.

What is one benefit of organizing an ART using the “platform” ART topology?

⬜ It helps identify dependencies and bottlenecks
⬜ It reduces cognitive load on other teams
⬜ It is effective for parts of the system that depend on specialist knowledge
⬜ It aligns with the existing organizational structure

Which of the following is a critical ART event?

⬜ Retrospective
⬜ Backlog refinement
⬜ Pre-plan
⬜ System Demo

When is the best time to release a product or Solution to the marketplace?

⬜ At the end of the IP Iteration
⬜ At each PI boundary, provided there are no PI defects
⬜ Whenever it meets relevant governance and market criteria
⬜ At quarterly boundaries

What is NOT a SAFe-recommended practice for DevOps?

⬜ Maintain development and test environments to better match production.
⬜ Deploy to staging every sprint.
⬜ Put everything under version control.
⬜ Start automating the actual deployment process.
⬜ Build and maintain a production-equivalent staging environment.
⬜ Continuously synchronize all Feature and team branches.

What is the key reason for deploying each team increment to the production-equivalent staging environment?

⬜ Teams can verify whether new functionality or Nonfunctional Requirements are compatible with the current production configuration.
⬜ It allows the System Team to test the deployability of the Solution.
⬜ It enables SAFe teams to Develop on Cadence and Release Any Time.
⬜ If something goes wrong with the production environment, teams can switch their staging to perform the role of production.

Which of the following operates as a closed loop that supports frequent value delivery and continuous learning about customers’ needs?

⬜ Continuous Delivery Pipeline
⬜ Customer Centricity
⬜ Lean Thinking
⬜ Rapid Prototyping

Who facilitates team-level events?

⬜ The Release Train Engineer (RTE)
⬜ The Scrum Master/Team Coach
⬜ The Product Owner
⬜ The Agile Team

What are the four types of team topologies?

⬜ Stream-aligned, platform, enabling, and complicated subsystem
⬜ Functional requirements, platform, enabling, and technical
⬜ Functional requirements, product domain, technical, and complicated subsystem
⬜ Stream-aligned, functional requirements, product domain, and technical

The Spanning Palette can apply to the Team Level.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What are typical Kanban classes of service for Agile Teams?

⬜ Funnel, Expedite, Standard
⬜ Fixed date, Expedite, Standard
⬜ Fixed date, Standard, Accepted
⬜ Fixed date, Expedite, Review

*Who is the content authority for an Agile Team?

⬜ The Scrum Master/Team Coach
⬜ The Product Owner
⬜ The System Architect
⬜ The Product Manager

What does flow velocity measure?

⬜ The number of backlog items completed in a given timeframe
⬜ How many items are currently in the system
⬜ How well teams, ARTs, and Solution Trains deliver on their PI Objectives
⬜ The amount of each type of work in the system over time

What statement applies to Iteration Planning in SAFe?

⬜ Iteration Planning is required in every Iteration to enable fast learning cycles.
⬜ Teams that have no dependencies may choose not to do Iteration Planning once they have planned the PI.
⬜ Component teams require Iteration Planning in every Iteration, while Feature teams may or may not, based on dependencies.
⬜ Iteration Planning is required for all Iterations except for the first one, since there’s nothing to cause a change in the PI plan yet.
⬜ When the teams define acceptance criteria during PI Planning, Iteration Planning is not strictly required during the PI.

SAFe uses Kanban to manage flow at the Portfolio Level for the following reasons EXCEPT __________.

⬜ To capture all ideas in the funnel.
⬜ To limit the number of initiatives under consideration.
⬜ To ensure that there is visibility and transparency.
⬜ To ensure that the analysis and discovery work needed for the items are not time bound.
⬜ To ensure that portfolio items are delivered to the ART or Solution Train Backlog every 2 weeks.

Which of the following have acceptance criteria?

⬜ Business Capabilities, Spikes, ART Epics
⬜ Portfolio Enabler Epics, Enabler Features, ART Epics
⬜ Strategic Themes, Enabler Features, Spikes
⬜ Enabler Features, Spikes, ART Epics

Which of the following is an appropriate way to demo a spike?

⬜ Spikes are strictly for internal learning of the team and do not need to be demoed.
⬜ Showing the functioning code in the production environment.
⬜ Showing the knowledge gained by the spike.
⬜ Showing the reduction in team velocity caused by the research effort.

What are the primary reasons to limit WIP?

⬜ Reduce multiplexing, Decrease wait times, Expand context switching
⬜ Increase throughput, Decrease wait times, Make it easier to visualize the important work
⬜ Increase throughput, Reduce multiplexing, Decrease wait times
⬜ Increase throughput, Reduce multiplexing, Expand context switching

SAFe teams using Kanban are required to participate in which events?

⬜ System Demo, Iteration Retrospective
⬜ PI Planning, Iteration Planning
⬜ Iteration Retrospective, Iteration Planning
⬜ PI Planning, System Demo

What are the characteristics of queues and backlogs?

⬜ Queues are processed in the order in which items are entered, Backlogs are continuously refined and can be re-prioritized
⬜ Backlogs are continuously refined and can be re-prioritized, Queues are continuously refined and cannot be re-prioritized
⬜ Queues are processed in the order in which items are entered, Backlog items are estimated; queues are not
⬜ Queues are continuously refined and cannot be re-prioritized, Backlog items are estimated; queues are not

Which two quality practices apply to Agile teams?

⬜ Pairing and peer review, Collective ownership and T-shaped skills
⬜ Providing architectural runway, Decentralized decision-making
⬜ Pairing and peer review, Decentralized decision-making
⬜ Providing architectural runway, Collective ownership and T-shaped skills

Who is typically involved in the ART Sync?

⬜ Business Owners, Product Owners, Release Train Engineer
⬜ Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Release Train Engineer
⬜ Scrum Masters, Release Management, Release Train Engineer
⬜ Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Solution Management

What are the responsibilities of a Business Owner?

⬜ Participate in Post-PI Planning and assist trains in adjusting ART PI plans as needed, Assign business value to Epics and Features
⬜ Assign business value to Team Objectives during PI Planning, Ensure that the Solution Demo occurs
⬜ Assign business value to Team Objectives during PI Planning, Participate in Post-PI Planning and assist trains in adjusting ART PI plans as needed
⬜ Assign business value to Epics and Features, Ensure that the Solution Demo occurs

Why is Architectural Runway important?

⬜ It iteratively evolves the architecture to meet changing needs, It provides the documentation on which Features and Capabilities are built
⬜ It supports a stable velocity, It allows for nontechnical changes
⬜ It supports a stable velocity, It iteratively evolves the architecture to meet changing needs
⬜ It provides the documentation on which Features and Capabilities are built, It allows for nontechnical changes

The portfolio Vision is an aggregation of every Agile Release Train’s Vision?

⬜ True
⬜ False

Backlogs in SAFe behave just like queues.

⬜ True
⬜ False

You are at a retrospective meeting where an ART is trying to address a long-existing problem: unreliable PI commitments. One of the participants suggests that they are working on too many things at a time. What aspect of the ART causes uncontrollable amounts of work in process?

⬜ Backlog items in the ART Backlog are not truly end-to-end Features; they look more like large chunks of work at different layers of the system
⬜ Teams don’t do a good job of task-switching.
⬜ All ART teams are cross-functional, and therefore every team spawns work in multiple areas at the same time.

Which basic Agile quality practice reduces bottlenecks and increases flow?

⬜ Shift learning left
⬜ Pairing and peer review
⬜ Collective ownership and T-shaped skills
⬜ Artifact standards and definition of done

What is NOT a good Definition of Done (DoD)?

⬜ The Customer is satisfied with the User Experience.
⬜ Code is checked in and merged into main branch.
⬜ Coding standards have been followed.
⬜ Nonfunctional Requirements are met.
⬜ No must-fix defects exist.
⬜ All unit tests are passing.

Test automation is typically included in the Definition of Done (DoD).

⬜ True
⬜ False

What is a benefit of building quality in?

⬜ Improved velocity and delivery predictability
⬜ Reduced number of items on the Architectural Runway
⬜ Reduced need for standards and documentation
⬜ Decreased need for telemetry and monitoring capabilities

What is one organizing attribute that teams share with the other teams on their ART?

⬜ Prioritization across all backlogs
⬜ Simultaneous release in one pipeline
⬜ Facilitation techniques amongst all meetings
⬜ Synchronization to a common cadence

What responsibilities are associated with the System Team?

⬜ Defining Solution architecture
⬜ Creating new automated test scenarios
⬜ End-to-end system testing
⬜ Building and maintaining a production-equivalent staging environment
⬜ Deploying to staging

What is the most effective way to train the System Team members to operate effectively as part of the train?

⬜ Have them attend Leading SAFe training and Scrum Master orientation.
⬜ Have them attend Leading SAFe training.
⬜ Have them attend SAFe for Teams training with all other teams on the train.
⬜ Have them attend Implementing SAFe training with SPC certification.
⬜ Have them review the SAFe Foundations presentation and provide on-the-job training.

An Iteration is a specific type of Plan-Do-Check-Adjust learning cycle.

⬜ True
⬜ False

*Which statement describes the balance between emergent design and intentional architecture when talking about building in quality?

⬜ It is required for implementation speed and maturity
⬜ It is required for speed of value delivery and Solution Intent
⬜ It is required for speed of development and maintainability
⬜ It is required for backlog speed and designed refinement

Domain 4: Product Development Flow (12-14%)

---

*Which activity occurs during the management review and problem-solving meeting at the end of the first day of PI Planning?

⬜ Negotiating scope changes
⬜ ROAMing risks
⬜ Review the team’s plans and make appropriate changes
⬜ Assigning business value to the teams’ draft PI Objectives

*The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration allows time for which of the following activities?

⬜ Architectural Runway implementation
⬜ Creating Strategic Themes
⬜ Fixing deferred defects
⬜ Continuing education

What are the 4 D’s associated with the Core Design Thinking process that appears as a ‘Double Diamond’?

⬜ Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver
⬜ Define, Direct, Design, Deliver
⬜ Discover, Direct, Design, Deliver
⬜ Define, Direct, Develop, Deliver

What type of map captures user workflows?

⬜ Story Map
⬜ Value Stream Map
⬜ Kanban Board
⬜ Customer Journey Map

Capabilities are similar to Features and can be managed in the ART Backlog.

⬜ True
⬜ False

You are working with an ART that is preparing for their first PI Planning event. All Features are formulated and ready for WSJF prioritization. However, when you look over the list of Features, it turns out that they are big tasks rather than Features. What technique would be useful to fix the list of backlog items to be able to apply WSJF?

⬜ Split the backlog items into smaller, more manageable pieces of work and rearrange them into real Features.
⬜ Formulate business benefits for each backlog item. If not meaningful business benefits can be identified, it’s not a Feature and should be redefined.
⬜ Build explicit dependencies between backlog items. If B depends on A for completion, make sure that the opportunity enablement WSJF is a parameter of A.
⬜ Identify the associated Epics when formulating Features.

How does a team calculate its initial velocity during its first PI Planning meeting when teams don’t have historic data?

⬜ Assign 8 points per team member (not counting the Scrum Master and Product Owner) and subtract 1 point for each holiday or vacation day.
⬜ It is not recommended to calculate velocity until the team has completed its first PI.
⬜ Allow teams to establish their own velocity and then roll them up to calculate the velocity of the train.
⬜ Assign 10 points per team member (not counting the Scrum Master and Product Owner) and subtract 1 point for each holiday or vacation day.

What is the SAFe calculation for Weighted Shortest Job First?

⬜ (User/Business Value + Time Criticality + Opportunity Enablement/Risk Reduction) / Job Size
⬜ (Risk Reduction/Opportunity Enablement + Time Criticality + Size) / Business Value
⬜ (User/Business Value + Size + Risk Reduction/Opportunity Enablement) / Job Size
⬜ (User/Business Value + Size + Risk Reduction/Opportunity Enablement) / Time

*Which of the following is used to manage the flow of Features?

⬜ The ART Backlog
⬜ The ART Kanban
⬜ The Epic to Feature Funnel
⬜ The SAFe Lean startup cycle

*During PI Planning, which statement is true about the activities of team breakouts?

⬜ In team breakout #2, teams work to create their final plans
⬜ In team breakout #2, teams establish a draft of their business objectives
⬜ In team breakout #1, teams finalize ART PI Risks, impediments, and dependencies
⬜ In team breakout #1, teams meet with Business Owners to assign business value

Which is a design thinking tool that promotes customer identification by helping teams develop a deep, shared understanding of others?

⬜ Personas
⬜ Customer Journey Map
⬜ Story Map
⬜ Empathy Maps

Why is capacity allocation important in SAFe?

⬜ So that team members collaborate better.
⬜ So that the team is able to meet its Iteration Goals.
⬜ So that teams continuously invest in the Architectural Runway.
⬜ It helps resolve conflicts between Feature teams and component teams.
⬜ So that the work can be better estimated.

Who has the content authority for an Agile Release Train (ART)?

⬜ Product Management
⬜ Business Owners
⬜ The Product Owner
⬜ Solution Management

A ART Epic that originates from a Portfolio Epic takes precedence over all local priorities on that train.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What is the primary purpose of the management meeting at the end of Day 1 of PI Planning?

⬜ To assign business value to the teams’ draft PI Objectives.
⬜ To make adjustments to the PI scope and address program challenges.
⬜ To design the next generation of the product.
⬜ To evaluate the performance of teams.

WSJF is recommended for prioritizing the Team Backlog.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Every Enabler Capability has an Enabler Epic as its parent.

⬜ True
⬜ False

The benefit hypothesis justifies the Feature implementation cost, and what else?

⬜ It provides business perspective when making scope decisions
⬜ It provides a high-level estimate of complexity
⬜ It provides acceptance criteria
⬜ It provides architectural guidance

What is a risk that can be understood from the ART Planning board?

⬜ Teams’ work in process (WIP) limits are being ignored
⬜ No work is planned for the Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration
⬜ Teams do not understand their Features and Epics
⬜ A Feature has an excess of dependencies associated with it

What are uncommitted PI objectives?

⬜ Objectives that are beyond the capacity of the team and so are uncommitted for the PI
⬜ Objectives that are part of the team’s capacity but not necessarily achievable during the PI
⬜ Objectives that are identified during the PI
⬜ Objectives that the business has promised to their Customers.

What activity calls for using ROAM technique?

⬜ Refining the ART Backlog.
⬜ Managing the ART sync.
⬜ Categorizing ART risks during PI Planning.
⬜ Managing teams by the Release Train Engineer.

Who does the final plan review in PI Planning?

⬜ Product Owners, and Scrum Masters/Team Coaches
⬜ Teams and Business Owners
⬜ Product Management
⬜ Teams only

Design Thinking identifies at least four new ways to measure success. What are two of those ways?

⬜ Reliability, Desirability
⬜ Sustainability, Desirability
⬜ Scalability, Sustainability
⬜ Reliability, Scalability

You are prioritizing Epics and the group cannot reach a consensus on WSJF parameters. What would be the best course of action to reduce inconsistencies?

⬜ Collect additional input from other stakeholders, Use strategic themes to help the group understand how an Epic contributes to the realization of the enterprise business strategy
⬜ Use strategic themes to help the group understand how an Epic contributes to the realization of the enterprise business strategy, Take time to provide more detailed specifications for each Epic
⬜ Collect additional input from other stakeholders, Change the scale for WSJF parameters
⬜ Take time to provide more detailed specifications for each Epic, Change the scale for WSJF parameters

When might Feature size not be a good substitute for the duration of WSJF?

⬜ The Feature involves a remote third-party vendor that has a formal scope-approval process, The Feature did not originate from an ART Epic
⬜ The Feature involves a team or team members who represent a bottleneck, The Feature involves a remote third-party vendor that has a formal scope-approval process
⬜ The Feature involves a team or team members who represent a bottleneck, The Feature did not originate from a Value Stream Capability
⬜ The Feature did not originate from an ART Epic, The Feature did not originate from a Value Stream Capability

Which activity happens on Day 2 of PI Planning rather than Day 1?

⬜ Team breakouts
⬜ Assignment of business value to PI Objectives
⬜ Hourly checkpoints
⬜ The business context and product vision briefings

What are the 3 primary outputs of PI Planning?

⬜ Team PI Objectives, Vote of confidence/commitment, Top 10 Features
⬜ ART planning board, Vote of confidence/commitment, Portfolio Vision
⬜ ART planning board, Team PI Objectives, Vote of confidence/commitment
⬜ ART planning board, Team PI Objectives, Iteration Goals

Which of the following is an input to PI Planning?

⬜ Non-functional requirements (NFRs)
⬜ SWOT/TOWS analysis
⬜ The Portfolio canvas
⬜ Prioritized Epics

What is the final activity on day one of PI Planning?

⬜ ROAMing risks
⬜ Business value assignment
⬜ Draft plan review
⬜ Management review and problem-solving

What does Little’s Law tells us?

⬜ The easiest way achieve flow is to reduce queue lengths.
⬜ Long queues help increase process efficiency.
⬜ The easiest way to reduce waits is to increase the processing rate.
⬜ The average wait time is dependent on the varying arrival rate of items coming into the queue.
⬜ Single-piece flow is always best.

*During PI Planning, which of the following exposes dependencies between teams that may require coordination?

⬜ ART Top 10 Features
⬜ ART PI retrospective
⬜ ART PI Context
⬜ ART Planning Board

What is Customer Centricity?

⬜ A solution that delights customers
⬜ A set of tools for building empathy with customers
⬜ A process for better understanding customer needs
⬜ A mindset that focuses on the customer

Which tool is used to design the end-to-end customer experience in Design Thinking?

⬜ Benefit-feature Matrix
⬜ Empathy Maps
⬜ Customer Journey Map
⬜ Story Map

What description best represents Capabilities as defined in SAFe?

⬜ Capabilities are simply a level of abstraction above Epics, exhibiting largely the same characteristics and practices.
⬜ Capability is a different name for Features, one that is preferred by some organizations.
⬜ Capabilities are simply a different kind of Epic, exhibiting largely the same characteristics and practices.
⬜ Capabilities are simply a level of abstraction above Features, exhibiting largely the same characteristics and practices.

Typically, SAFe prioritizes Capabilities based on which of the following?

⬜ Business value
⬜ CoD (Cost of Delay)
⬜ WSJF (Weighted Shortest Job First)
⬜ Capacity allocation according to budget

SAFe uses Story points for estimating the size of Stories, Features, Capabilities, and Epics.

⬜ True
⬜ False

In SAFe, who owns the Vision for a PI?

⬜ Product Owner
⬜ Business Owners
⬜ Scrum Master
⬜ COE
⬜ Product Management

An Agile Release Train prepares for PI Planning. They have both Features and ART Epics among the desirable items for this PI. However, Product Management is stuck because some Epics are too big and won’t fit in this PI.

⬜ Pick only those Epics that have clearly defined success criteria and might fit into the PI.
⬜ Split Epics into Features and prioritize the Features to determine what should go into the PI.
⬜ Split Epics into Features and use capacity allocation to determine what should go into the PI.
⬜ Instead of planning just the upcoming PI, plan for a longer period to cover the full duration of the ART Epics.

*Which of the following is often a cause of too much work in process (WIP)?

⬜ All teams on the ART are cross-functional
⬜ Teams do not task-switch well
⬜ Features in the ART Backlog are defined for each layer of the system
⬜ The Stories are too small

*What is a customer-centric development process that creates desirable, profitable, and sustainable products?

⬜ Continuous exploration
⬜ Design Thinking
⬜ Empathy mapping
⬜ Persona development

What method provides a continuous understanding of the target market?

⬜ Lean Systems Engineering
⬜ Design Thinking
⬜ Participatory budgeting
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management

Which of the following design-thinking techniques helps breakdown Features while considering the end-to-end user workflow?

⬜ Story Map
⬜ Market research
⬜ Gemba walks
⬜ Personas

Where are Capabilities managed?

⬜ In the Portfolio Kanban.
⬜ In the Value Stream planning board.
⬜ In the ART Kanban.
⬜ In the Value Stream Kanban.

A Feature inherits its WSJF rank from its parent.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Iteration Goals have business value assigned by the Product Owner.

⬜ True
⬜ False

SAFe assumes that ARTs commit to the key priorities within the current PI and provide a forecast for a few subsequent PIs.

⬜ True
⬜ False

*Time to market is too long and the team is unsure which part of the process is problematic. What should be done first?

⬜ Ask leadership for direction
⬜ Organize a Value Stream Mapping workshop and confirm all the key participants
⬜ Redo the metrics and start reporting daily on progress and impediments
⬜ Redo the WSJF calculations and adjust as necessary

Domain 5: Explore Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) (11-13%)

---

*Which of the following is one way that Lean budget guardrails guide Value Stream investment decisions?

⬜ Empowering the Product Owners to sequence the Solution Train Backlog
⬜ Prioritizing work by return on investment
⬜ Planning work based on time criticality
⬜ Establishing capacity allocation

*Which process is used for Epics to accelerate learning and development and reduce risk?

⬜ Creating a Lean business case
⬜ Applying weighted shortest job first (WSJF)
⬜ Defining non-functional requirements (NFRs)
⬜ Using the SAFe Lean Startup cycle

*What is one example of differentiating business objectives?

⬜ Solution Intent
⬜ Enterprise Goals
⬜ Strategic Themes
⬜ Portfolio Vision

What is Cost of Delay?

⬜ Cost incurred when system integration appears too late in the PI.
⬜ Opportunity cost and deferred revenue.
⬜ Penalty for nonperformance.
⬜ Cost of not addressing risk early on.

When should a Lean portfolio be established?

⬜ When there is a minimum of six Agile Release Trains (ARTs) that require coordination
⬜ When it is part of training the executives
⬜ When it is necessary to operate in a completely centralized environment
⬜ When the lack of alignment between strategy and execution impacts value delivery

Which of the following includes business outcomes, leading indicators, and non-functional requirements?

⬜ Minimum viable product (MVP) definition
⬜ Weighted shortest job first (WSJF)
⬜ Epic hypothesis statement
⬜ Epic t-shirt size estimates

Which of the following is a benefit of a minimum viable product (MVP)?

⬜ It enables independent decision-making by stakeholders
⬜ It removes the need to analyze Epics
⬜ It creates a container for all work to be visible
⬜ It helps prove or disprove the Epic hypothesis

*Well-written Objectives and key results (OKRs) can effectively align individuals and teams to measurable outcomes. What is one quality of a well-written Objective?

⬜ Gradable
⬜ Specific
⬜ Understandable
⬜ Inspirational

*The analyzing step of the Portfolio Kanban system has a new Epic with a completed Lean business case. What best describes the next step for the Epic?

⬜ It will remain in the analyzing step until one or more Agile Release Trains have the capacity to implement it
⬜ It will be implemented once the Epic Owner approves the Lean business case
⬜ It will be moved to the portfolio backlog in the Portfolio Kanban if it receives a ‘go’ decision from Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ It will be implemented if it has the highest weighted shortest job first (WSJF) ranking

*Which Lean budget Guardrail helps ensure the appropriate allocation of budgets to balance near-term opportunities with long-term strategy and growth?

⬜ Applying capacity allocation
⬜ Continuous Business Owner engagement
⬜ Guiding investments by horizon
⬜ Approving significant initiatives

What is true about Epic implementation?

⬜ Once pulled into implementation, the Epic needs to be finished.
⬜ A budget reserve is established that can be used to fund Epics.
⬜ Agile Release Trains are empowered to decide whether or not they proceed with a Portfolio Epic.
⬜ Re-prioritization happens at every PI boundary, and the rest of the Epic can be postponed or canceled if there are more important new initiatives.

Once an Epic is approved, an Epic Owner tracks the Epic through implementation.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What is the recommended frequency for updating Lean budget distribution?

⬜ Every iteration
⬜ Annually
⬜ On demand
⬜ Twice annually

What applies to the Portfolio Backlog?

⬜ The Portfolio Kanban holds Capabilities that are ready for implementation, WSJF is used to prioritize Epics in the Portfolio Backlog
⬜ It provides a low-cost holding area for approved Business and Enabler Epics, WSJF is used to prioritize Epics in the Portfolio Backlog
⬜ ARTs plan PIs so that they exhaust the Portfolio Backlog and only then work on their local priorities, It provides a low-cost holding area for approved Business and Enabler Epics
⬜ The Portfolio Kanban holds Capabilities that are ready for implementation, ARTs plan PIs so that they exhaust the Portfolio Backlog and only then work on their local priorities

What is true about budgets in SAFe?

⬜ Budgets are allocated to projects, Budgets are allocated to value streams
⬜ Budgets are allocated to portfolios, Budgets are allocated to value streams
⬜ Budgets are allocated to strategic themes, Budgets are allocated to portfolios
⬜ Budgets are allocated to projects, Budgets are allocated to strategic themes

*Which of the following tools helps identify strategic options to create a better future state for the Portfolio?

⬜ TOWS
⬜ SWOT
⬜ Portfolio Canvas
⬜ Portfolio Kanban

*What is used to brainstorm potential Portfolio future states?

⬜ KPIs and Lean budget Guardrails
⬜ Epics and Enablers
⬜ SWOT and TOWS
⬜ Enterprise business drivers

What is the next step for the portfolio after the future state portfolio canvas?

⬜ Communicate decisions to Business Owners
⬜ Reorganize Agile teams
⬜ Develop the LPM adoption plan
⬜ Identify Epics and Enablers

Backlog items in an Expedite class of service can break WIP limits.

⬜ True
⬜ False

The User Experience (UX) team does not believe in Agile development. They say, “We have to understand the full behavior of the eventual system in order to be able to define an effective user experience. We don’t work in timeboxes.” How would you respond?

⬜ User experience is indeed a different concept and the team should be exempt from working in Iterations
⬜ Just like system architecture, the entire user experience should be fully designed before an implementation
⬜ Since the team is working in timeboxes, this has been proven to be the most effective way to implement the user experience
⬜ It’s important to have an overall user experience vision before implementation, but the vision can be implemented iteratively for early feedback

What does innovation accounting mean?

⬜ Capitalizing the cost of software development using Story points
⬜ Defining, empirically measuring, and communicating the true progress of innovation
⬜ Demoing Stories that come out of the IP Iteration
⬜ Being sure to account for the investment in new product initiatives on a P&L

What steps in the Portfolio Kanban are most appropriate for running research spikes?

⬜ Funnel – understand whether the Epic makes sense, Implementing – teams perform spikes as usual
⬜ Analysis – spikes help clarify feasibility, Portfolio Backlog – run a spike before pulling into development
⬜ Analysis – spikes help clarify feasibility, Funnel – understand whether the Epic makes sense
⬜ Implementing – teams perform spikes as usual, Portfolio Backlog – run a spike before pulling into development

*Which dimension of Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) supports ART execution?

⬜ Agile portfolio operations
⬜ Strategy and investment funding
⬜ Value Stream coordination
⬜ Lean governance

*In a SAFe Portfolio, what defines the development Value Streams, the Solutions they deliver, and the customers they serve?

⬜ Portfolio Kanban
⬜ Portfolio Canvas
⬜ Portfolio Vision
⬜ Portfolio Roadmap

*A SAFe Portfolio is a collection of what?

⬜ Development Value Streams
⬜ Solutions
⬜ Functional teams
⬜ Business units

A ART Epic requires budgetary approval and a lightweight business case only if it spans multiple PIs.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Which of the following is one aspect of the Strategy and Investment Funding dimension of Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)?

⬜ Forecast and budget dynamically
⬜ Measure Portfolio performance
⬜ Coordinate Value Streams
⬜ Establish portfolio flow

What does the SAFe budgeting model suggest?

⬜ Each Strategic Theme receives a budget allocation when Strategic Themes span portfolios.
⬜ Epics, Features, and Stories are funded based on their size in normalized Story points, while teams are allocated to high-priority work as needed.
⬜ Each Value Stream receives budget allocation as a whole; individual work is not specifically budgeted.
⬜ Each team gets budget allocation and Features are funded according to their size in normalized Story points.

What would imply a change to the ART Budget?

⬜ Extending the duration of a PI.
⬜ Changing total ART resources
⬜ Switching to a different PI cadence.
⬜ Reducing the scope of an ART Epic.
⬜ Prioritizing Features based on Cost of Delay.

Domain 6: Lead the Change (6-8%)

---

As Shared Services and specialty teams adapt to AI-Empowered Agility, how should their mandate evolve according to SAFe guidance?

⬜ From providing basic services to creating self-service AI capabilities that Agile Teams can access directly
⬜ From supporting multiple ARTs to supporting a single ART exclusively
⬜ From an advisory role to sole ownership of all AI-related Epics
⬜ From a shared cost center to a fully outsourced vendor relationship

How can an SPC most appropriately use the SAFe CoPilot AI assistant during the enterprise transformation roadmapping phase?

⬜ To draft initial value stream maps and propose candidate roadmap milestones for the SPC to review and refine with stakeholders
⬜ To bypass leadership consensus workshops by locking in portfolio priorities automatically
⬜ To finalize Value Stream budgets without involving Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ To run PI Planning sessions without active participation from team members

*What is this statement defining: “A series of activities that have proven to be effective in successfully implementing SAFe”?

⬜ Train everyone, launch ARTs
⬜ The SAFe Quickstart Approach
⬜ The SAFe Implementation Roadmap
⬜ Essential SAFe

Which aspect of leading by example includes modeling desired professional behaviors?

⬜ Authenticity
⬜ Emotional competence
⬜ Courage
⬜ Growing others

Under SAFe’s Human-Centric AI Culture principle, what remains true even when leaders use AI extensively to prepare for and analyze major decisions?

⬜ Human oversight remains the critical final loop for value, safety, and purpose
⬜ AI becomes the final approver once a confidence threshold is reached
⬜ Decision accountability transfers to the AI system administrator
⬜ Leaders are no longer required to review AI-generated recommendations

An SPC uses SAFe CoPilot to generate draft milestones for a transformation backlog. What is the best practice for validating that output before it is shared with stakeholders?

⬜ Publish the roadmap immediately, since generative AI output requires no independent review
⬜ Delegate final milestone approval entirely to the AI vendor
⬜ Cross-reference the AI-generated suggestions against real team capacity, actual dependencies, and stakeholder input during refinement
⬜ Store the suggestions in a location the Release Train Engineers cannot access

*What is one key to leading a successful change?

⬜ Forming a strategic vision
⬜ Generate long-term wins
⬜ Sustaining Deceleration
⬜ Institute Tradition

Lifelong learning is a requirement for Lean-Agile Leaders, and it helps them do what?

⬜ Provide the personnel, resources, direction, and support to the Enterprise
⬜ Act as an effective enabler for teams
⬜ Demonstrate the values they want the teams to embody
⬜ Commit to quality and productivity

Which is NOT a responsibility of LACE?

⬜ Supporting Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Managing the Transformation Backlog
⬜ Managing the Portfolio Backlog
⬜ Coaching Leadership

Leader as expert and leader as conductor can be appropriate leadership models.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What is one reason the SAFe Implementation Roadmap includes a step to train Lean-Agile change agents?

⬜ They approve funding for the implementation
⬜ They provide the knowledge needed to implement change
⬜ They are the focal point for change management activities
⬜ They are responsible for the success of the SAFe Implementation

Implementing SAFe requires buy-in from all levels of the organization. What level of leadership is most important for effecting cultural change?

⬜ Release Train Engineers
⬜ Solution Management
⬜ Product Owners
⬜ Executive Management

Which of the following describes a responsibility of Lean-Agile Leaders?

⬜ Run successful Agile Release Trains.
⬜ Manage the most critical day-to-day activities of team members.
⬜ Proactively eliminate impediments.
⬜ Assign backlog items to team members based on their individual skills.

Which of the following is a legitimate example of management as an enabling function, rather than as top-down control?

⬜ Assigning backlog items to team members.
⬜ Creating work breakdown structures.
⬜ Developing skills and career paths for team members.
⬜ Assigning team members to handle external dependencies.

Which behaviors are typically associated with Lean-Agile Leaders?

⬜ Establish clear objectives for managing, Support decentralized decision-making, Emphasize lifelong learning
⬜ Develop Solutions, Protect subordinates from interference by outside stakeholders, Emphasize lifelong learning
⬜ Protect subordinates from interference by outside stakeholders, Support decentralized decision-making, Emphasize lifelong learning
⬜ Establish clear objectives for managing, Protect subordinates from interference by outside stakeholders, Support decentralized decision-making

What factors help unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers?

⬜ Making a contribution, Autonomy
⬜ Individual and team performance incentives, Autonomy
⬜ Making a contribution, Ranking individuals for transparency in their contributions to the organization
⬜ Individual and team performance incentives, Ranking individuals for transparency in their contributions to the organization

A Portfolio Leader wants to use AI to strengthen Lean Portfolio Management decision-making. Which use is most consistent with SAFe’s AI-Empowered Agility guidance?

⬜ Using AI to detect flow bottlenecks and budget drift across multiple Value Streams so leaders can make smaller, continuous funding adjustments
⬜ Using AI to permanently fix Value Stream budgets for the next three years without review
⬜ Using AI to remove Business Owners from the PI Objectives business-value conversation
⬜ Using AI to bypass Lean governance checks for compliance-sensitive Epics

As an SPC drives AI adoption across multiple Agile Release Trains, which strategy is most consistent with SAFe’s guidance for mitigating resistance to the change?

⬜ Establishing Communities of Practice for AI experimentation and directly addressing concerns about job displacement through upskilling
⬜ Mandating immediate compliance with a proprietary AI workflow, with no training or feedback loop
⬜ Restricting AI tools to executive leadership so team-level friction never surfaces
⬜ Suspending all Agile ceremonies until every team member is fluent in prompt engineering

Which of the following is an aspect of the leading-by-example dimension of Lean-Agile Leadership?

⬜ Psychological safety
⬜ Customer centricity
⬜ Lifelong learning
⬜ Alignment

Cultural change must come before you start a SAFe implementation.

⬜ True
⬜ False

How does SAFe’s AI-Empowered Agility guidance suggest Business Owners and Portfolio Leaders should use AI?

⬜ To automatically approve Epics without a Lean business case
⬜ To run advanced simulations that test business strategies, resource plans, and roadmaps before committing to further investment
⬜ To replace the Portfolio Kanban with an AI-generated backlog
⬜ To eliminate the need for Strategic Themes

What is the primary role of an SPC when introducing AI tools into an enterprise SAFe transformation?

⬜ To replace Scrum Master/Team Coaches with autonomous AI agents across every Agile Release Train
⬜ To guide the enterprise in safely scaling AI adoption, optimizing flow, and aligning AI capability with strategic business objectives
⬜ To restrict all AI use to administrative documentation and meeting transcription
⬜ To personally write and maintain the code that development teams generate with AI pair programmers

*What is one way Lean-Agile leaders lead by example?

⬜ By applying empathic design and focusing on Customer Centricity
⬜ By implementing Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ By shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset
⬜ By acting with honesty, authenticity, and transparency

What must management do for a successful Agile transformation?

⬜ Send someone to represent management, and then delegate tasks to these individuals
⬜ Change Scrum Masters in the team every two weeks
⬜ Strive to think of adoption as an area they can control
⬜ Commit to quality and be the change agent in the system

As an SPC coaching an organization on “Empower Leaders with AI,” what should you emphasize to leaders?

⬜ AI should fully replace their decision-making authority
⬜ AI can inform and support their judgment, but leaders remain accountable for the outcome
⬜ AI eliminates the need for a Guiding Coalition
⬜ AI should be used only by the Portfolio, never by leaders themselves

During an ART launch, a coach pastes confidential team data into a public, third-party AI tool to get a quick analysis. Which Responsible AI risk does this illustrate?

⬜ Hallucination
⬜ Bias
⬜ A data leak
⬜ Explainability

Domain 7: Reach the SAFe Tipping Point (4-6%)

---

Why does the ‘Motivation’ benefit of a vision for change matter, even though change is inherently difficult for people?

⬜ Because it guarantees no one’s job responsibilities will change during the transformation
⬜ Because it gives people a compelling reason to make the change and makes clear there is no real security in remaining with the status quo
⬜ Because it removes the need for any further communication about the change
⬜ Because it replaces the need for a guiding coalition

*According to John Kotter, why is it important to build a guiding coalition?

⬜ It enables better, exploration of customer needs
⬜ It can build connections between Business and IT
⬜ It creates a cross-functional team
⬜ It can help lead the transformation

What is one common reason an organization starts a SAFe transformation?

⬜ There is a ‘burning platform,’ and the company is failing to compete
⬜ There are SAFe-certified employees on staff
⬜ To partner with other Agile leaders in their industry
⬜ Because SAFe is becoming a standard in the industry

What does SAFe’s guidance, drawing on Kotter, say is required for a guiding coalition to function effectively as a team?

⬜ The right composition and a sufficient level of trust among its members
⬜ A single executive sponsor acting without any supporting team
⬜ Complete anonymity between coalition members to avoid political pressure
⬜ A rotating membership that changes every two weeks

*What is one of the primary enablers for Implementing SAFe?

⬜ Prepare for ART Launch
⬜ Coach ART execution
⬜ Enhance the Portfolio
⬜ Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE)

Which of the following is one of the three elements necessary to create a powerful guiding coalition?

⬜ Trained Lean-Agile leaders
⬜ Product Managers
⬜ Enterprise Architects
⬜ Release Train Engineers (RTEs)

An organization has a compelling, well-understood reason to change. Is this sufficient on its own for the organization to reach the SAFe tipping point?

⬜ Yes, a compelling reason to change is sufficient by itself; nothing else is required
⬜ No, a compelling reason to change is necessary but not sufficient; a clear vision for the future is also critical
⬜ No, because reaching the tipping point requires launching an ART before any reason for change is identified
⬜ Yes, provided the reason for change was proposed by a single senior executive

*Which of the following is a responsibility of a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE)?

⬜ To help foster relentless improvement
⬜ To implement a new organizational structure
⬜ To select the Agile Team Product Owners
⬜ To coordinate Portfolio events

What is the last step in Kotter’s approach to change management?

⬜ Institute Change
⬜ Sustain Acceleration
⬜ Create A Sense of Urgency
⬜ Generate short-term wins

According to SAFe’s guidance on establishing a vision for change, what are the three key benefits a clear vision provides?

⬜ Purpose, Motivation, and Alignment
⬜ Speed, Cost Reduction, and Compliance
⬜ Governance, Predictability, and Control
⬜ Automation, Scalability, and Standardization

*What primary reason for change makes it easiest to drive a transformation across the Enterprise?

⬜ The existing way of working is inadequate to achieve a new solution in time
⬜ The competition has made this change
⬜ Leadership has mandated this change with a specific completion date
⬜ Customers are asking for changes to delivery processes

*When should new approaches be anchored in an organization’s culture?

⬜ Culture change needs to happen before the SAFe implementation can begin
⬜ Culture change comes right after a sense of urgency is created in the organization
⬜ Culture should not be changed because SAFe respects the current culture
⬜ Culture change comes last as a result of changing work habits

Domain 8: Design the Implementation (6-8%)

---

*There are two types of Value Streams in SAFe. One is the Operational Value Stream. What is the other?

⬜ Solution Value Stream
⬜ Network Value Stream
⬜ Continuous Delivery Value Stream
⬜ Development Value Stream

*What is one tool used to identify bottlenecks?

⬜ Kanban Board
⬜ Ishikawa Diagram
⬜ Value Stream Mapping
⬜ Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

Which of the following is a benefit of organizing around Value Streams?

⬜ It reduces handoffs and allows for faster delivery
⬜ It is an efficient use of shared services
⬜ It ensures clearly defined roles and responsibilities
⬜ It improves resource utilization

A company is about to launch Agile Release Trains within a Value Stream that consists of 200 people, 90 of whom are in the U.S. working on the system’s business logic and databases, and 110 of whom are in India working on the UI front end. What would be the most effective way to launch?

⬜ Launch it as two or more ARTs based on how the cost centers are defined.
⬜ Launch it as two distributed ARTs organized around end-to-end functionality.
⬜ Launch it as two geography-based ARTs, with one working on the UI and the other on business logic and databases.
⬜ Launch it as a single ART and then conduct Inspect & Adapt at the end of the PI to determine whether it needs to be split.

*What is one benefit of creating the implementation plan as a three PI rolling roadmap?

⬜ It ensures all implementation plan decisions are centralized
⬜ It enables incremental implementation
⬜ It provides leaders with certainty around the implementation plan
⬜ It ensures all capacity is used for implementation activities

What triggers the need for a Value Stream?

⬜ Feature Request
⬜ Spike Request
⬜ User Story Request
⬜ Epic Request

In SAFe, Dunbar’s number provides guidance for:

⬜ The maximum number of tasks in a Planning Interval for optimal predictability.
⬜ The number of members on a self-managing, self-organizing ART.
⬜ The percent utilization that enables a sustainable pace.
⬜ The number of Stories created during PI Planning to enable commitment.

What is NOT a SAFe-recommended Metric?

⬜ Number of lines of code produced.
⬜ Number of new test cases automated.
⬜ Number of test cases produced.
⬜ Percent of unit test coverage.
⬜ Percent of user stories accepted by the Product Owner.
⬜ Number of defects outstanding.

What is the first step of the SAFe Implementation Roadmap?

⬜ Reach the tipping point
⬜ Create the Implementation Plan
⬜ Prepare for ART Launch
⬜ Coach ART Execution

If all Agile Release Trains in a Value Stream are organized around Capabilities, they don’t require cross-train coordination.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Understanding the full Value Stream allows you to focus on the delays.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What can be used as a template for putting SAFe into practice within an organization?

⬜ SAFe Principles
⬜ SAFe Core Values
⬜ SAFe Implementation Roadmap
⬜ SAFe Competencies

What would you examine when identifying Value Streams in an enterprise moving to SAFe?

⬜ The project cost accounting procedures in place, The solutions the company delivers to its customers
⬜ The current products which the company sells, The solutions the company delivers to its customers
⬜ The internal departments which are supported, The current products which the company sells
⬜ The project cost accounting procedures in place, The internal departments which are supported

What primary roles are most responsible for ensuring successful execution at the Value Stream Level?

⬜ Value Stream Engineer, Solution Architect/Engineer, Customer
⬜ Solution Management, Value Stream Engineer, Solution Architect/Engineer
⬜ Solution Management, Solution Architect/Engineer, Release Management
⬜ Solution Management, Value Stream Engineer, Customer

What are three ways to coordinate across Value Streams?

⬜ Move teams across Value Streams to respond to changing business demands, Apply cadence and synchronization, Create a Portfolio Vision and Roadmap
⬜ Establish Enterprise architecture, Empower the Value Stream Engineer to coordinate all teams in the Value Stream, Create a Portfolio Vision and Roadmap
⬜ Establish Enterprise architecture, Apply cadence and synchronization, Create a Portfolio Vision and Roadmap
⬜ Establish Enterprise architecture, Apply cadence and synchronization, Fund the Portfolio, not the Value Streams

What are the benefits of cadence and synchronization?

⬜ Synchronization enables multiple perspectives to be understood, resolved, and integrated at the same time, Cadence enables variability and makes wait times predictable
⬜ Cadence enables variability and makes wait times predictable, They enable systems builders to operate reliably and with certainty within a safety buffer
⬜ Synchronization enables multiple perspectives to be understood, resolved, and integrated at the same time, Synchronization enables reduction in WIP
⬜ They enable systems builders to operate reliably and with certainty within a safety buffer, Synchronization enables reduction in WIP

*What is one way to use the results from Value Stream mapping?

⬜ Identify methods for developers to code faster
⬜ Calculate the metrics and share them with the ART
⬜ Move from bottleneck to bottleneck, eliminating as many as possible
⬜ Focus on one component to optimize

What do Value Streams deliver?

⬜ Strategic Themes
⬜ Solutions
⬜ Agile Release Trains
⬜ Cyber-physical systems

Multiple ARTs in a Value Stream typically require coordination at the Value Stream Level.

⬜ True
⬜ False

Which of the following aligns strategy to execution via a collection of the development Value Streams?

⬜ An Enterprise strategy
⬜ A SAFe Portfolio
⬜ A Portfolio Vision
⬜ A Value Stream canvas

*Who is part of the development Value Stream?

⬜ Everyone that uses systems to do their work
⬜ Everyone who is part of the operational Value Stream
⬜ Everyone in the organization
⬜ Everyone who builds Solutions

*Which action describes the behavior of applying Systems Thinking for a Release Train Engineer (RTE)?

⬜ Demonstrates appreciation to team members in many ways
⬜ Facilitates individual decision-making over team-level decision-making
⬜ Examines what may be missing to make the environment better for the team
⬜ Encourages the team to express opinions in all circumstances

If a Value Stream is bigger than the recommended ART size, SAFe recommends splitting it by development process steps and organizing the trains around those steps respectively.

⬜ True
⬜ False

What is the ideal size of an ART?

⬜ 25 practitioners.
⬜ 25–50 practitioners.
⬜ 50–125 practitioners.
⬜ 126–200 practitioners.
⬜ Whatever the Value Stream requires.

Domain 9: Launch an Agile Release Train (ART) (6-8%)

---

An ART spans two locations. In Scenario A, each team is fully collocated but different teams sit in different cities. In Scenario B, individual team members are scattered across multiple locations and some work from home. Which scenario does SAFe’s guidance say adds the greater coordination complexity, and what should organizations do about it?

⬜ Scenario A adds more complexity; organizations should split every team across as many locations as possible
⬜ Scenario B adds more complexity; organizations should seek to avoid this pattern and bring each team’s members to a single location wherever possible
⬜ Both scenarios are equally complex, and no mitigation is recommended for either
⬜ Neither scenario adds meaningful complexity, since Distributed PI Planning tooling makes location irrelevant

*Why launch an ART using the Quickstart approach?

⬜ It reduces the number of Scrum Masters/Team Coaches required to support the teams
⬜ It allows the teams to reinforce their knowledge by attending SAFe for Teams the day after PI Planning
⬜ It makes it much clearer to stakeholders that waterfall is not a good investment
⬜ It increases engagement and focuses everyone all at once with purpose and intent

*While facilitating Planning Interval (PI) Planning readiness activities, the Release Train Engineer (RTE) notices a Feature that is risky to the teams because the technology is new. Which of the following could reduce the risk?

⬜ Ensure engineering managers are directing the development process
⬜ Coach the teams to create exploration Enablers
⬜ Ask for a presentation of a detailed design before the PI Planning meeting
⬜ Make sure all the technical specifications are written before PI execution

What is one key responsibility of the Release Train Engineer (RTE) during PI Planning preparation?

⬜ Prioritize the Features in the ART Backlog
⬜ Ensure that the PI Planning agenda is distributed to all Agile Teams
⬜ Assign user stories to individual team members
⬜ Finalize the architectural runway

What role does the System Team play in preparing an ART for launch?

⬜ It defines the ART’s business strategy and Portfolio Vision
⬜ It assists in building and maintaining the development and deployment infrastructure the ART will need from its first PI onward
⬜ It writes the Team Backlog for every Agile Team on the train
⬜ It approves the business value assigned to each team’s PI Objectives

*Why is it important to train Product Owners and Product Management before launching the Agile Release Train (ART)?

⬜ To help facilitate, the first PI Planning event
⬜ It will help them determine how to organize the ART
⬜ To have a better-prepared ART Backlog for the first PI Planning
⬜ Because training the leaders for the first time should not occur with the teams.

Which of the following is a benefit of training all the teams on the ART together?

⬜ Accelerated learning
⬜ Alignment to business objectives
⬜ Quicker to schedule
⬜ Easier to plan

What is one activity the Release Train Engineer (RTE) performs before an upcoming PI?

⬜ Provides approval and sign-off for draft Team Backlogs
⬜ Allocates time in the Coach Sync for Product Management to socialize with the teams on the Features
⬜ Facilitate ART Backlog prioritization with Product Management and other stakeholders
⬜ Ensures at least 30% of the ART Backlog is allocated to Enabler Features

An ART cannot get all its members physically together for its first PI Planning event. According to SAFe, is this a barrier to a successful launch?

⬜ Yes, PI Planning can only be conducted successfully with full physical collocation of every ART member
⬜ No, real-time, virtual, and face-to-face planning have all proven effective, provided every member of the ART participates
⬜ No, because PI Planning is optional for an ART’s first Planning Interval
⬜ Yes, and the only solution is to delay the ART’s launch until collocation becomes possible

*Which of the following must be in place to launch an ART?

⬜ The System Team
⬜ An Iteration and PI cadence
⬜ Shared Services
⬜ A strategy for unit testing and test automation

What is a key responsibility of the Release Train Engineer (RTE) in ensuring ART readiness for PI Planning?

⬜ Confirming that the ART Backlog is prioritized and ready
⬜ Assigning user stories to individual team members
⬜ Finalizing the architectural design for the solution
⬜ Approving the budget for the upcoming PI

Why is it important for the RTE to confirm the readiness of the ART Backlog before PI Planning?

⬜ To ensure that all Features are assigned to specific teams
⬜ To finalize the budget for the upcoming PI
⬜ To provide teams with a well-defined set of prioritized Features for planning
⬜ To complete the architectural design for the solution

When facilitating Distributed PI Planning, what are the four key areas of concern an RTE must address?

⬜ Facilities, Working Agreements, Tooling, and Facilitation
⬜ Vision, Roadmap, Backlog, and Architecture
⬜ Business Value, Team PI Objectives, Confidence Vote, and ROAM
⬜ Strategy and Investment Funding, Agile Portfolio Operations, Lean Governance, and Measure and Grow

*Selecting the first ART for launch is an important step when creating an implementation plan. Which factors should be considered when deciding which ART to launch first?

⬜ Significant challenge or opportunity
⬜ Size of the ART
⬜ Organizational change impact
⬜ Geographic distribution

*Which option should be the next Agile Release Train (ART) to launch to leverage the full flow of value?

⬜ A train in a different portfolio
⬜ A train in the same value stream
⬜ The next train to volunteer
⬜ A train in a different value stream

What action does a Release Train Engineer take prior to an upcoming Planning Interval (PI) Planning meeting?

⬜ Provide approval and sign-off for draft Team Backlogs
⬜ Allocate time in the Scrum of Scrums meeting for Product Management to socialize with the teams the Features for the upcoming PI
⬜ Coach Product Management and the System Architect to include ART Backlog refinement into their cadence-based approach
⬜ Ensure that at least 30% of the ART Backlog is allocated to Enabler Features

Domain 10: Coach ART Execution (6-8%)

---

*Which of the following is one key performance indicator to check the health of an ART?

⬜ Number of commitments per Iteration
⬜ Number of retrospectives held
⬜ Solution velocity
⬜ Predictability measure

*Which of the following activities does SAFe recommend as the first activity of the Inspect and Adapt event?

⬜ PI System Demo
⬜ Quantitative measurement
⬜ Agreement on the problems to solve
⬜ Retrospective and problem-solving workshop

*What is one benefit of having a well-executed Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration?

⬜ Higher flow of ART-level business value
⬜ Improved dependency management between teams
⬜ Occasional buffer time to deliver more predictably
⬜ Shorter lead times before Feature delivery

What is the target percentage for the ART Predictability Measure?

⬜ <50%
⬜ 50–75%
⬜ 80–100%
⬜ 100%
⬜ None of the above

*What can a Release Train Engineer (RTE) use to support Relentless Improvement for the PI?

⬜ Release management meeting
⬜ PO Sync
⬜ Iteration Retrospective
⬜ Inspect & Adapt (I&A) event

*Which statement is true about the retrospective and problem-solving part of the Inspect & Adapt (I&A) workshop?

⬜ The improvement backlog items resulting from the problem-solving workshop should be items that only leadership can address
⬜ Encourage teams to sit together during the retrospective portion to ensure an effective outcome
⬜ Key ART stakeholders, including Business Owners, Customers, and management can participate along with the teams
⬜ The Release Train Engineer (RTE) gathers the list of problems to be solved during the final Coach Sync of the PI

When calculating and assessing team PI performance for the ART predictability measure, which statement is true about the actual business value delivered?

⬜ Actual business value can never exceed planned business value
⬜ It includes uncommitted objectives
⬜ It includes miscellaneous work
⬜ Actual business value is scored using a modified Fibonacci scale

What activity occurs during the ART Inspect and Adapt workshop?

⬜ ART Predictability Measure update
⬜ Roadmap update
⬜ Team Iteration Demo
⬜ Biweekly System Demo
⬜ Iteration Metrics update

A problem-solving workshop focuses the Agile Release Train (ART) to take what action?

⬜ To define the work needed for the Architectural Runway
⬜ To identify risks for the upcoming PI
⬜ To prepare for PI Planning
⬜ To create improvement backlog items

*What is the next step after identifying the root cause during the problem-solving workshop?

⬜ Restate the problem
⬜ Brainstorm solutions
⬜ Identify improvement backlog items
⬜ Trace the chain of causality

*What is the best way for the Release Train Engineer (RTE) to show progress of work in the current PI to management?

⬜ Conduct a System Demo
⬜ Generate a velocity trend report
⬜ Conduct a retrospective
⬜ Arrange for a separate meeting with Business Owners

When does the System Demo happen?

⬜ After the Solution Demo, but before PI Planning
⬜ After every Iteration
⬜ On demand
⬜ After continuous integration
⬜ After Pre-PI Planning

Why is it important for the SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) to support the ART in its first problem-solving workshop?

⬜ To address ART-level issues
⬜ To prioritize senior management voices
⬜ To provide the tools needed to improve ART performance
⬜ To maximize the ART improvement items for the next PI

*A change agent is invited to help an ART where management requires the teams to make big, up-front, and detailed scope commitments for every release. These commitments are not mandated by the external environment. What can the change agent do to best coach the decision makers?

⬜ Explain the value of assuming variability; preserving options
⬜ Explain the need to satisfy the committments immediately and improve later
⬜ Explain the benefits of releasing at the end of the PI
⬜ Explain that too much up-front detail demotivates Product Owners

*The teams on the ART just finished the second Iteration in the PI and have nothing to demonstrate at the System Demo. What steps should be taken next?

⬜ Re-architect the system so that there are no dependencies between the teams, and integration is not needed
⬜ Stop working on any new functionality and fully integrate and test the system; adjust scope based on learnings
⬜ Require every team demonstrate their team increment to the stakeholders separately in the team branch
⬜ Continue to work on new functionality and reserve time to fully integrate the system during the IP Iteration

*Which of the following activities occurs during the Inspect and Adapt workshop?

⬜ Planning the next PI
⬜ Refining the ART backlog
⬜ A retrospective of the Iteration
⬜ A demo of the integrated system

You are invited to help an Agile Release Train that has struggled through multiple PIs. They just finished the second Iteration in the current PI and have nothing to demonstrate at the System Demo. ART stakeholders are really concerned. What would you do?

⬜ Have every team demonstrate their team increment to the stakeholders separately in the team branch.
⬜ Find a vendor that specializes in integrating system increments from multiple teams.
⬜ Stop working on any new functionality and fully integrate and test the system; adjust scope based on learnings.
⬜ Re-plan the current PI: De-scope to leave enough time to integrate what you’ve built during the IP Iteration.
⬜ Re-architect the system so that there are no dependencies between the teams and integration is not needed.

Domain 11: Large Solution Integration and Delivery (7-9%)

---

What is the primary purpose of the Coordinate and Deliver practices used by a Solution Train?

⬜ To eliminate the need for a common Planning Interval cadence across ARTs
⬜ To maintain the alignment and collaboration Solution Trains need to continuously deliver value to large solution customers
⬜ To centralize all technical decisions with the Enterprise Architect
⬜ To replace the Solution Demo with a quarterly written status report

What role do Suppliers play in Large Solution SAFe, and how does SAFe recommend engaging them?

⬜ Suppliers should be excluded from planning events to protect proprietary information
⬜ Suppliers provide expert knowledge and ready-made components that accelerate delivery, and SAFe values long-term partnerships that involve them in planning and collaborative delivery
⬜ Suppliers should only be engaged after a Solution has already been fully built, to perform final testing
⬜ Suppliers replace the need for a Solution Train Engineer

*Which implementation step follows Coach ART Execution on the SAFe Implementation Roadmap?

⬜ Launch more ARTs and Value Streams
⬜ Train Executives, Leaders, and Managers
⬜ Accelerate
⬜ Organize around value

What is the purpose of Solution Intent?

⬜ Record and communicate the necessary requirements and design decisions.
⬜ Create a comprehensive design document for approval before development begins.
⬜ Provide an up-front and static definition of the system’s design.

Who is responsible for the Solution Train Backlog?

⬜ Product Owners
⬜ Solution Train Engineer
⬜ Product Management
⬜ Solution Management

What do Pre-Plan activities accomplish for a Solution Train?

⬜ They finalize the Portfolio Vision for the next fiscal year
⬜ They align Solution Train leaders and ARTs on upcoming Solution Train Capabilities and cross-ART dependencies before PI Planning begins
⬜ They replace the need for ARTs to hold their own PI Planning events
⬜ They are used only when a Solution Train is being launched for the first time

The Large Solution Integration and Delivery discipline applies to solutions requiring the coordinated work of many Value Streams and ARTs. Which best describes the scale this discipline is designed to address?

⬜ Only solutions built by exactly two Agile Release Trains
⬜ Systems ranging from an enterprise software application built by a handful of ARTs to cyber-physical solutions such as defense systems or satellites built by dozens of ARTs
⬜ Only solutions with no regulatory or compliance requirements
⬜ Only solutions that a single Agile Team can complete within one PI

Which statement is true about multiple Agile Release Train (ART) rollouts?

⬜ ARTS should only be rolled out if their system team has been identified
⬜ ART rollouts should be incremental; one ART should start when another reaches the accelerate step in the Roadmap
⬜ ART rollouts can be done sequentially or in parallel
⬜ Only one ART should be rolled out at a time to limit work in process (WIP)

Which role accepts capabilities as complete?

⬜ Solution Management
⬜ Product Management
⬜ Solution Architect
⬜ Solution Train Engineer

Which statement describes the connection between Features and Capabilities in a large Solution?

⬜ Some Features may not have parent Capabilities
⬜ There cannot be more than 5 Features for each
⬜ Some Capabilities may not have child Features
⬜ Every Feature has a parent Capability

What does the Solution Demo present, and why does it matter to Portfolio-level investment decisions?

⬜ It presents a single ART’s Iteration output and has no bearing on investment decisions
⬜ It presents the combined development efforts of multiple ARTs and Suppliers, demonstrating new Capabilities and NFR compliance, giving objective evidence that informs near-term investment decisions
⬜ It presents a financial forecast prepared entirely by Lean Portfolio Management without technical input
⬜ It presents marketing materials for the Solution rather than working functionality

What is the primary purpose of Post-PI Planning on a Solution Train?

⬜ To consolidate and align the plans, dependencies, and commitments across the ARTs after their individual PI Planning events, reducing delivery risk
⬜ To replace the Solution Demo for that Planning Interval
⬜ To conduct the first PI Planning event for a newly launched ART
⬜ To finalize the annual enterprise budget independently of Lean Portfolio Management

When is the right time to create the Solution Train Engineer (STE) role?

⬜ When a large Value Stream has enough Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to launch a Solution Train
⬜ When problems coordinating Agile Release Trains (ARTs) are identified in the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event
⬜ When the second Value Stream is launched in a portfolio
⬜ When the first Agile Release Train is launched in a large Value Stream

What kind of items is describing behaviors in the Large Solution view?

⬜ Capabilities
⬜ User Stories
⬜ Features
⬜ Benefits

What are the ways to evolve the Solution Intent from variable to fixed scope?

⬜ Modeling, Building prototypes
⬜ Creating work breakdown structures, Building prototypes
⬜ Modeling, Adapting WIP limits
⬜ Creating work breakdown structures, Adapting WIP limits

What is the primary purpose of a Solution Train?

⬜ To replace the need for individual Agile Release Trains within a large enterprise
⬜ To coordinate the efforts of multiple ARTs and Suppliers, aligning people and work toward a shared solution vision, intent, and backlog
⬜ To serve as the governing body that approves all Portfolio Epics before implementation
⬜ To function as a single large Agile Team responsible for all coding work on a large solution

What is the primary responsibility of Solution Management in Large Solution SAFe?

⬜ Writing the code for every Capability delivered by the Solution Train
⬜ Defining and supporting the building of desirable, feasible, viable, and sustainable large-scale business solutions that meet customer needs over the solution’s significant lifespan
⬜ Approving each individual Story before a team may begin work on it
⬜ Facilitating the Coach Sync for every ART on the Solution Train

*Which SAFe role helps to coordinate between multiple ARTs within a Value Stream?

⬜ Solution Management
⬜ Lean-Agile Center of Excellence
⬜ Enterprise Architect
⬜ Solution Train Engineer

Vikas is a new Solution Architect and is trying to understand the Solution Context. What is the most important factor for him to consider?

⬜ The acceptance Criteria for the Capabilities.
⬜ Job sequencing for the Epics in the Value Stream Backlog.
⬜ The Economic Framework for the Value Stream.
⬜ The environment in which the Solution is deployed.

When is the Solution Demo conducted?

⬜ On demand
⬜ At the end of each Sprint
⬜ At the end of each PI
⬜ Mid-PI

Domain 12: Enhance the Portfolio (7-9%)

---

What are the three dimensions of the Organizational Agility core competency?

⬜ Lean-Thinking People and Agile Teams; Lean Business Operations; Strategy Agility
⬜ Strategy and Investment Funding; Agile Portfolio Operations; Lean Governance
⬜ Leading by Example; Mindset and Principles; Leading the Change
⬜ Outcomes; Flow; Competency

Which statement best describes how Strategy Agility helps a portfolio respond to a significant, unexpected shift in the market?

⬜ It allows the enterprise to sense the shift early and reorganize strategy and investment decisively, treating the change as an opportunity
⬜ It requires the portfolio to complete all currently funded Epics before considering any new direction
⬜ It delegates the decision entirely to individual Agile Teams without portfolio-level involvement
⬜ It mandates a full annual budgeting cycle before any strategic response can begin

Which of the following best distinguishes Lean Governance from traditional, centralized portfolio governance?

⬜ Lean Governance requires every spending decision to be approved by a single executive before any work begins
⬜ Lean Governance measures performance and coordinates compliance through lightweight, objective mechanisms rather than heavyweight upfront approval gates
⬜ Lean Governance eliminates the need for any compliance activity
⬜ Lean Governance applies only to Solution Trains and has no role at the enterprise portfolio level

What is NOT the responsibility of the Enterprise Architect?

⬜ Synchronize the technology stack and infrastructure across Value Streams.
⬜ Drive the strategy for maintaining the Enterprise’s architecture.
⬜ Define the Solution design for Agile Release Trains.
⬜ Facilitate reuse of ideas and proven design patterns.

You need someone on your team who will work across value streams and ARTs to help provide the strategic technical direction that can optimize portfolio outcomes. What portfolio level must you fill?

⬜ Scrum Master
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Epic Owners
⬜ Enterprise Architect

What does the Lean Business Operations dimension of Organizational Agility require teams to do?

⬜ Apply Lean principles to understand, map, and continuously improve the processes that deliver and support business solutions
⬜ Write more detailed upfront specifications before any development begins
⬜ Centralize every business process decision with a single portfolio-level committee
⬜ Eliminate all business processes that were not created by an Agile Team

What does the Agile Portfolio Operations dimension of Lean Portfolio Management primarily support?

⬜ Coordinating Value Streams and supporting the execution of the portfolio’s strategy across the enterprise
⬜ Writing the enterprise’s five-year financial forecast independent of any Value Stream input
⬜ Replacing Solution Trains with a single centralized delivery team
⬜ Approving individual team-level Stories before Iteration Planning

*Which legacy practice slows the move to Lean Portfolio Management?

⬜ Objective milestones
⬜ Bringing the work to the people
⬜ Centralized work intake
⬜ Demand management

Which of the following is one responsibility of the Value Management Office (VMO)?

⬜ Creates the Portfolio Vision
⬜ Coordinates Portfolio governance
⬜ Manages the ART Backlog
⬜ Translates the strategy into a plan

What portfolio-level role takes responsibility for coordinating portfolio Epics through the Portfolio Kanban system?

⬜ Epic Owners
⬜ Enabler Epic
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management
⬜ Enterprise Architect

According to Lean Portfolio Management’s Lean Governance dimension, what is one of its core responsibilities?

⬜ Writing Team Backlogs on behalf of every Product Owner in the portfolio
⬜ Measuring portfolio performance and coordinating continuous compliance
⬜ Facilitating the Daily Stand-up for every Agile Team
⬜ Approving individual Stories before a team may begin work on them

A portfolio is preparing for its annual compliance audit. Which SAFe Lean Portfolio Management dimension is primarily responsible for coordinating this activity?

⬜ Strategy and Investment Funding
⬜ Agile Portfolio Operations
⬜ Lean Governance
⬜ Enterprise Solution Delivery

*What can assist with planning for a Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) implementation?

⬜ Facilitating the Getting Started with LPM workshop
⬜ Running the Portfolio Sync every two weeks
⬜ Leveraging the LPM practice content in Studio
⬜ Measuring the results of Portfolio Strategic Themes

Which of the following are three of the steps in the LPM Adoption Roadmap?

⬜ Organize, Operate, and Govern
⬜ Align, Strategize, and Execute
⬜ Operate, Review, and Measure & Grow
⬜ Implement, Organize, and Measure

You are trying to coordinate the architectural runway through different layers, You want to increase velocity in your portfolio. What could you do to accomplish this?

⬜ Follow built-in quality practices
⬜ Implement enablers
⬜ Implement epics
⬜ Follow QMS guidelines

What is Strategy Agility, as defined within the Organizational Agility core competency?

⬜ The ability to write Portfolio Epics faster than competitors
⬜ The enterprise’s ability to sense changes in the market and quickly, decisively change strategy when necessary
⬜ The practice of fixing a five-year strategic plan and not deviating from it
⬜ A measure of how many Agile Release Trains a portfolio operates

A portfolio has historically measured success only by whether individual projects finished on time and on budget. Which shift best reflects SAFe’s guidance for measuring portfolio performance?

⬜ Continue measuring exclusively against fixed project schedules and budgets, since this is the most objective standard
⬜ Shift toward assessing outcomes, flow, and competency across the portfolio’s Value Streams, rather than individual project completion alone
⬜ Stop measuring portfolio performance altogether, since Agile portfolios are self-correcting
⬜ Measure performance solely by the number of Features shipped, regardless of customer or business outcome

Why does SAFe emphasize the Lean-Thinking People and Agile Teams dimension as foundational to Organizational Agility?

⬜ Because without people across the enterprise trained in and embracing Lean-Agile values and practices, the organization cannot respond quickly regardless of its structure
⬜ Because it eliminates the need for any functional hierarchy whatsoever
⬜ Because it applies only to the technical teams building software, not to business functions
⬜ Because it replaces the need for a Portfolio Vision

*Who is responsible for managing the Portfolio Kanban?

⬜ Release Train Engineer
⬜ Solution Management
⬜ Product Management
⬜ Lean Portfolio Management

How is the flow of Portfolio Epics managed?

⬜ In the ART Kanban
⬜ In the Portfolio Backlog
⬜ In the ART Backlog
⬜ In the Portfolio Kanban

Domain 13: Accelerate Business Agility (6-8%)

---

*Which of the following is an activity for coaching flow?

⬜ Facilitate a SAFe, Advanced Scrum Master training
⬜ Facilitate Value Stream mapping
⬜ Facilitate Value Stream & ART Identification
⬜ Facilitate Strategic Themes creation

*Which flow accelerator focuses on the effective throughput of value?

⬜ Get faster feedback
⬜ Address bottlenecks
⬜ Minimize handoffs and dependencies
⬜ Remediate legacy practices and policies

*Which SAFe tool might the Release Train Engineer (RTE) use to identify areas for an ART to improve how its Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) functions?

⬜ Conduct empathy interviews with system architects/engineers
⬜ Facilitate a CDP sync every Iteration
⬜ Agile Product Delivery core competency assessment
⬜ Architectural Runway ART Backlog Enablers

*What is one way to understand current WIP in a system?

⬜ Make current work visible
⬜ Pair to complete the work faster
⬜ Split Stories
⬜ Size Stories smaller

*Which of the following is a benefit of a community of practice?

⬜ They reduce work in process (WIP)
⬜ They provide an opportunity for managers to be kept up to date on progress
⬜ It reduces the need to have an ART Sync as often
⬜ They provide a forum for knowledge sharing

*What is one technique for building a one-team culture across the ART?

⬜ Rotate team members to new teams to facilitate relationship building
⬜ Foster an environment in which the whole ART succeeds and fails together
⬜ Review each teams’ predictability measure with the ART
⬜ Ensure the team leader does not show vulnerability

*Product Management wants to prioritize a list of Features likely to be planned in the upcoming PI meeting. What metric is used as the denominator (the number under the line) of weighted shortest job first (WSJF) calculations?

⬜ Feature size expressed in a T-shirt size
⬜ Job size based on relative estimation
⬜ The actual business value of a Feature
⬜ Feature size expressed in Story points

*Why is it important to spend time “in the zone”?

⬜ To refine productive collaboration
⬜ To maximize ideal productivity time
⬜ To make work in process visible
⬜ To reduce queue lengths

*Some teams need help to identify where they might make process improvements. How might a Release Train Engineer (RTE) support them?

⬜ Encourage the team to perform regular self-assessments and discuss findings
⬜ Conduct a survey to identify the worst problems the team is having
⬜ Run longer Inspect & Adapt (I&A) events to brainstorm improvement items
⬜ Observe the team’s events and share observations

*An ART frequently discovers compatibility issues between the developed Solution and the Enterprise information architecture. What can the Release Train Engineer (RTE) do to prevent this from occurring?

⬜ Add data architects to the ART
⬜ Develop more detailed Feature definitions
⬜ Conduct the entire data architecture design upfront
⬜ Confirm attendance of architectural representatives at PI Planning

*A group of developers, Scrum Master/Team Coaches (SM/TCs), and Product Owners (POs) are interested in sharing knowledge and learning more about DevOps concepts. How can the Release Train Engineer (RTE) help them collaborate to gain knowledge about DevOps?

⬜ Schedule a DevOps bi-weekly synchronization
⬜ Provide DevOps training
⬜ Help them launch a DevOps Community of Practice (CoP)
⬜ Align them with the System Team

*Which of the following measures tracks progress toward achieving desired outcomes?

⬜ ART actual business value
⬜ Burn-down charts
⬜ Cumulative flow diagrams
⬜ Objectives and key results

*What is one method for reducing queue length?

⬜ Commit to deliver value by a specific date
⬜ Leave capacity for newly emerging priorities
⬜ Lengthen Iteration timeboxes
⬜ Increase the size of work

*What is the formula to calculate flow efficiency?

⬜ Total wait time + Flow time
⬜ Total wait time / Flow time
⬜ Total active time + Flow time
⬜ Total active time / Flow time

What approach enables Organizational Agility?

⬜ Engaging in market sensing activities
⬜ Adopting a customer-centric mindset
⬜ Implementing a continuous delivery pipeline
⬜ Applying design thinking

Which discipline is necessary for a learning organization?

⬜ Lean budgets
⬜ Continuous Exploration
⬜ Mental models
⬜ Design Thinking

A quantified way to measure progress in Business Agility is?

⬜ ROAMING
⬜ Measure and Grow
⬜ WSJF
⬜ Planning Poker

Why is it important that a SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) provide ongoing coaching?

⬜ To build the organization’s Lean-Agile competencies
⬜ To help the teams work independently of the Architectural Runway
⬜ To build the ART’s ability to decrease work in process (WIP)
⬜ To enable the business owners to release on demand

Which of the following is an area of responsibility for a SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC)?

⬜ Coordinating an, Epic’s development
⬜ Building High-Performing Teams
⬜ Supporting PI execution
⬜ Coaching flow

Applying which of the following flow accelerators minimizes interruptions and increases productivity?

⬜ Minimize handoffs and dependencies
⬜ Reduce queue lengths
⬜ Optimize time in the zone
⬜ Remediate legacy policies and practices

*What metric measures the organization’s proficiency in the practices that enable Business Agility?

⬜ Performance
⬜ Competency
⬜ Flow
⬜ Outcome

*How can a Release Train Engineer (RTE) stay informed about employee satisfaction?

⬜ Survey full-time employees
⬜ Address and resolve any problems areas
⬜ Conduct an employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey
⬜ Gather employee metrics immediately after the ART launches

*The Release Train Engineer (RTE) learns the teams feel the business value needs to reflect the effort and progress. What is one technique the RTE can use to provide the Business Owners a better understanding of the value the teams have created?

⬜ Work with the teams to ensure they are actively involved when the Business Owners view the business value achieved
⬜ Illustrate the link between business values and the market communication/measures tied to the value
⬜ Publish the team business values and coach teams that these values are for tracking such ART deliverables
⬜ Educate teams that business value provides the Enterprise with a metric of how fast the team executed work during the PI

*What is one reason why the ART predictability measure is important?

⬜ It allows the business and other stakeholders to plan effectively
⬜ It indicates where the Solution is ready to be released
⬜ It demonstrates the need to fix the scope at the beginning of the PI
⬜ It identifies under-performing teams

*Which of the following is a dimension of the Organizational Agility competency?

⬜ Customer Centricity and Design Thinking
⬜ Strategy and Investment Funding
⬜ Innovation Culture
⬜ Strategy Agility

*How can an organization gain trust between the business and the development teams?

⬜ Decentralize decision-making to the teams
⬜ Reduce the number of Features
⬜ Ensure development leadership and Epic Owners meet regularly
⬜ Deliver predictably

*Why is it important for the Release Train Engineer (RTE) to understand Tuckman’s group dynamic stages?

⬜ Tuckman helps RTEs to better understand Team and ART topologies
⬜ An ART is a team of teams and will likely progress through the Tuckman stages
⬜ The Tuckman dynamic nature of the stages requires that we assume variability and preserve options
⬜ The Tuckman four stages should be reflected in the design of the ART Kanban

*Several Scrum Masters/Team Coaches (SM/TCs) disagree on what to do about a shared issue. What is an appropriate coaching technique for the Release Train Engineer (RTE)?

⬜ Being the final decision maker once all feedback has been heard
⬜ Performing an empirical assessment of the problem using metrics
⬜ Bringing new emphasis to Lean-Agile’s Respect for People
⬜ Asking powerful questions to invite creativity and new possibilities