SSM Exam Dumps - SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

Backlog Refinement is the Agile Team event where team members estimate relative story sizes. Backlog Refinement is an ongoing process where the team collaborates with the Product Owner and other stakeholders to review, split, prioritize, and estimate the stories in the Team Backlog1 One of the main objectives of Backlog Refinement is to ensure that the stories are ready for Iteration Planning, which means they are clear, feasible, testable,and small enough to be completed in a single iteration2 To achieve this, the team uses relative story sizing, which is a technique to compare the effort, complexity, and uncertainty of different stories based on a common reference point3 Relative story sizing helps the team to create a consistent and shared understanding of the scope and value of the work, as well as to optimize the flow and predictability of the delivery process4 The team can use various methods to estimate relative story sizes, such as story points, T-shirt sizes, or Fibonacci numbers35 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework
• Backlog Refinement - Scaled Agile Framework
• Story - Scaled Agile Framework
• How to Estimate Agile Stories: Introducing Relative Sizing - LeanDog
• Why Your Agile Team Should Use Relative Story Point Estimation

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, the type of work that should fit into one Iteration for one team is a Story. A Story is a short description of a small piece of functionality that provides value to the customer or stakeholder. Stories are derived from Features, which are larger units of value that typically span multiple Iterations. Stories are also decomposed into Tasks, which are the specific activities that the team members perform to implement the Story. Stories are the primary backlog items that the team plans, estimates, and delivers in an Iteration. They are also the basis for defining and committing to the Iteration goals. Stories should be small enough to be completed within one Iteration, and they should meet the definition of ready and the definition of done. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Stories
• Features
• Tasks
• Iteration Planning

One example of Scrum Masters/Team Coaches helping without diminishing the commitment of others is facilitating necessary meetings for the team. Facilitating means providing guidance and support to the team in conducting effective and productive meetings, such as Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, Iteration Review, and Iteration Retrospective1 Facilitating does not mean taking over the meeting or making decisions for the team. Rather, it means creating a safe and respectful environment, ensuring clear and shared objectives, encouraging participation and collaboration, managing time and agenda, resolving conflicts and issues, and summarizing outcomes and action items23 By facilitating necessary meetings for the team, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches help the team to achieve their goals, improve their processes, and deliver value to the customers and the organization14 At the same time, they respect and empower the team’s autonomy, self-organization, and self-management, and do not interfere with their commitment or accountability14 (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach - Scaled Agile Framework
• Facilitation - Scaled Agile Framework
• How to Facilitate Effective Meetings as a Scrum Master | Agile Velocity
• The Scrum Master Balancing Act | Scrum.org

The primary goal of a team in an Iteration is to deliver working functionality that meets the acceptance criteria and the definition of done. This functionality is demonstrated to the stakeholders and customers in the Iteration Review and Demo event, where the team receives feedback and validation. By delivering working functionality at the end of the Iteration, the team contributes to the Incremental value delivery, one of the SAFe Lean-Agile Principles. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Iteration Goals
• Iteration Planning
• Iteration Review and Demo

One example of an Agile Team development practice is to demo working functionality frequently to the product owner and other stakeholders. This practice helps the team to get fast feedback, validate their assumptions, and ensure that they are delivering value that meets the customer needs and expectations. Demoing frequently also helps the team to improve the quality of their work, as they have to ensure that the functionality is tested and meets the definition of done before showing it to others. Demoing frequently is part of the SAFe Scrum and SAFe Team Kanban practices, and is done at the end of each iteration in the Iteration Review event.

References:

• Iteration Review - Scaled Agile Framework
• SAFe Team Kanban - Scaled Agile Framework
• Agile Teams - Scaled Agile Framework

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the metrics that are reported at the Inspect and Adapt event is the ART predictability measure. This metric shows how well the ART delivers on its PI objectives, which are the SMART commitments made by the teams during PI planning. The ART predictability measure is calculated by dividing the total actual business value achieved by the total planned business value, as shown in the PI system demo. The ART predictability measure helps the ART to assess its performance, identify gaps, and improve its forecasting accuracy and reliability. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Inspect and Adapt
• Program Increment
• Exam Study Guide: SSM (6.0) - SAFe® Scrum Master

According to SAFe, empathy is one of the key traits of effective Scrum Masters/Team Coaches. Empathy means displaying an authentic understanding and concern for a team member’s beliefs or feelings. By being empathetic, Scrum Masters/Team Coaches canbuild trust and rapport with the team, which are essential for people to accept and welcome coaching. Empathy also helps Scrum Masters/Team Coaches to tailor their coaching style and approach to the needs and preferences of each team member. (Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• According to SAFe which of the following key traits of effective - Studocu

According to the SAFe 6 Scrum Master documentation, one of the potential root causes of Team Sync anti-patterns is the lack of collective ownership. Collective ownership means that the team members share responsibility for the quality and delivery of the team’s work. They collaborate, communicate, and coordinate their efforts to achieve the team goals. They also support each other, provide feedback, and resolve issues together. When there is a lack of collective ownership, team members may exhibit some of the following Team Sync anti-patterns 1:

• Reporting to managers (status meetings): Team members use the Team Sync as a way to report their progress to the SM/TC or other managers, rather than to synchronize with their peers. This can create a hierarchical and command-and-control culture, where team members are not empowered to self-organize and self-manage.
• Monologues: Team members give long and detailed updates that are not relevant or useful to other team members. This can make the Team Sync boring, inefficient, and ineffective, as team members lose interest and attention.
• Cross-functional team standups (updates are not related to other people’s work): Team members work on different features or components that are not aligned with the team goals or the Iteration goals. This can result in silos, dependencies, and integration issues, as well as reduced collaboration and coordination.
• “Nothing to report” can be a good thing: Team members say they have nothing to report, either because they have not done any work, or because they do not want to share their work with the team. This can indicate a lack of transparency, trust, and accountability, as well as a missed opportunity to get feedback and support from the team.

To overcome these anti-patterns, the SM/TC should coach the team on the purpose and value of the Team Sync, and help them adopt the best practices for effective Team Syncs, such as 2:

• Having a clear agenda and timebox
• Focusing on the team goals and the Iteration goals
• Asking the three key questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Do I have any impediments?
• Using visual aids, such as task boards or Kanban boards, to track progress and identify issues
• Encouraging active participation, collaboration, and feedback
• Ending with clear action items and follow-ups

(Must be taken from SAFe 6 Scrum Master resources)

References:

• Scrum Master/Team Coach
• Team Sync
• Top 7 Anti Patterns of Scrum Master - Simpliaxis
• Scrum Anti-Patterns Taxonomy | Scrum.org
• [11 Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns We Commonly Hear from Users In … - Geekbot

The “C” in the CALMR approach to DevOps stands for culture, which is the foundation of successful DevOps adoption. Culture refers to the values, beliefs, and behaviors that guide the collaboration and alignment of everyone in the value stream. By creating a culture of shared responsibility, teams can manage the tensions caused by differing needs, such as speed, quality, security, and stability. A culture of shared responsibility means that everyone is accountable for the outcomes of their work, and that they work together to deliver value to the customers. It also means that teams respect each other’s roles and expertise, and seek feedback and learning opportunities. A culture of shared responsibility fosters trust, transparency, and continuous improvement, which are essential for DevOps.

References:

• CALMR - Scaled Agile Framework
• The CALMR Approach to DevOps [Complete Guide] - KnowledgeHut

One recommended practice for Scrum Masters/Team Coaches when coaching teams on presenting a draft plan at PI Planning is to align on how the team will answer questions about their proposed objectives. This practice helps the team to prepare for the feedback and input they will receive from the business owners, product management, and other teams and stakeholders during the draft plan review. The team should agree on who will present the objectives, how they will explain the business value and technical feasibility, and how they will handle any objections or concerns. The team should also rehearse their presentation and anticipate potential questions and scenarios. By aligning on how to answer questions, the team can increase their confidence and clarity, and demonstrate their commitment and alignment to the vision and goals of the ART.

References:

• PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework
• Presenting PI Planning Draft and Final Plan Reviews Virtually
• SAFe Scrum Master/Team Coach - Scaled Agile Framework