Exactprep SSM Questions

In SAFe®, the Team Sync (Daily Stand-up) is a short, timeboxed event (typically 15 minutes) designed to synchronize activities, discuss progress toward iteration goals, and identify impediments. To maintain effectiveness and respect the timebox, teams must avoid deep dives during the sync.

When an issue requires more discussion than the timebox allows, the Scrum Master (or Team Coach) should encourage participants to move the detailed conversation to a “meet-after.” This ensures that the Team Sync remains focused on quick status alignment while allowing deeper problem-solving immediately afterward without disrupting the cadence.

From SAFe guidance:

“Team members discuss progress and impediments briefly during the Team Sync. If a topic requires further discussion, they schedule a meet-after to maintain the timebox.”

This practice preserves flow, promotes discipline, and ensures everyone’s time is used effectively. Therefore, the correct answer is A. When conversation about any one issue gets too detailed, move the issue to a meet-after that is held right after the Team Sync.

According to SAFe®, the Iteration Retrospective is a key event that enables relentless improvement, one of the pillars of the SAFe House of Lean. The purpose is to reflect on the previous iteration and identify what went well, what didn’t, and what can be improved.

An essential outcome of this meeting is a set of actionable improvement items that can be added to the team backlog. These items are often captured as improvement Stories, ensuring that process enhancements are visible, prioritized, and implemented in the next iteration.

From SAFe guidance:

“The retrospective concludes with actionable improvement items added to the backlog. These items should be implemented in subsequent iterations to improve performance.”

Therefore, the correct answer is D. Ensure the event ends with actionable improvement items for the backlog, as it ensures continuous learning and measurable improvement.

One of the high-performing team characteristics that Team A is demonstrating is using regular feedback loops built into the learning cycle. A high-performing Agile Team is a cross-functional group of people that have everything, and everyone, necessary to produce a working, tested increment of product1 They are empowered, collaborative, aligned, and committed to delivering value to the customers and the organization1 One of the factors that enable a high-performing Agile Team is using regular feedback loops to learn and improve. Feedback loops are mechanisms that provide the team with information about the outcomes and impacts of their actions, as well as the needs and expectations of their customers and stakeholders23 Feedback loops help the team to validate their assumptions, measure their progress, and adjust their plans accordingly23 Feedback loops also help the team to foster a culture of experimentation, innovation, and continuous improvement, as well as to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty23 Team A is using regular feedback loops by releasing the functionality with a method for collecting direct customer feedback. This allows them to learn from the actual users of their product, and to incorporate their feedback into the next iteration of development. This way, they can deliver value faster and more effectively, as well as to enhance the quality and usability of their product4 

SAFe® defines seven core competencies that enable business agility. One of these is Agile Product Delivery, which focuses on building a customer-centric approach to defining, developing, and releasing valuable solutions.

This competency emphasizes Design Thinking, DevOps, continuous delivery, and release on demand to ensure fast, high-quality value delivery aligned with customer needs. While Built-in Quality is a foundational SAFe principle, it is not categorized as a core competency.

From SAFe guidance:

“Agile Product Delivery is a customer-centric approach to defining, building, and releasing a continuous flow of valuable products and services to customers and users.”

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Agile Product Delivery, as it is one of SAFe’s official seven core competencies.