Free Scaled Agile SAFe-DevOps Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 2

The correct answer is B. Compile. The Build activity of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline is responsible for creating deployable binaries and merging development branches into the trunk. The Build activity includes the following practices:

• Compile – Compile is the process of transforming the source code into executable code that can run on a specific platform or environment. Compile involves checking the syntax, semantics, and dependencies of the code, and resolving any errors or conflicts. Compile also involves linking the code with other libraries or components that are required for the functionality of the solution.
• Package – Package is the process of bundling the compiled code and other resources into a format that can be easily deployed to the target environment. Package involves creating archives, containers, or installers that contain the necessary files and metadata for the deployment process. Package also involves applying versioning and configuration information to the packages, to ensure traceability and consistency.
• Verify – Verify is the process of ensuring that the code and packages meet the quality standards and security checks, and that they are ready for deployment and release. Verify involves applying automated tools and processes, such as static code analysis, code coverage, code review, and code quality metrics, to detect and resolve any issues or vulnerabilities in the code and packages. Verify also involves ensuring compliance with the coding standards and guidelines, and documenting the results and feedback of the verification process12

One practice that prevents configuration drift between production and non-production environments is immutable infrastructure. Immutable infrastructure is a management approach for infrastructure resources where changes are made by deploying new versions of resources instead of modifying existing ones. In this approach, the infrastructure is treated as an immutable asset that is built, deployed, and disposed of, rather than modified in place. For example, instead of modifying an existing virtual machine (VM), a new VM with updated configurations and software is deployed, and the old VM is disposed of. This approach eliminates the possibility of configuration drift and reduces the risk of introducing unintended changes to the infrastructure. Immutable infrastructure also simplifies the management of infrastructure resources, increases the reliability and security of the infrastructure, and facilitates rapid and consistent deployment

The statement that is true about DevOps is that it enables low-risk releases and fast recovery with fast fix-forward. DevOps is a mindset, culture, and set of technical practices that supports the integration, automation, and collaboration needed to effectively develop and operate a solution. DevOps aims to deliver value to customers whenever there is a business need, by applying the principles of continuous delivery, continuous integration, continuous deployment, and release on demand. DevOps also embraces a culture of learning and experimentation, where failures are opportunities for improvement and feedback. DevOps enables low-risk releases by breaking down large and complex changes into smaller and more frequent batches, which are easier to test, deploy, and rollback if needed. DevOps also enables fast recovery by implementing practices such as monitoring, alerting, incident response, and disaster recovery, which help to detect and resolve issues quickly, minimize the impact of failures, and restore normal operations as soon as possible. DevOps also supports the fast fix-forward approach, which means fixing errors in production by deploying new code, rather than rolling back to a previous state. This approach reduces the risk of introducing new errors, preserves the value of the new functionality, and accelerates the learning cycle

Lean flow is the DevOps principle that focuses on identifying and eliminating bottlenecks in the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. Lean flow is the application of Lean thinking and principles to optimize the flow of value from ideation to delivery. Lean flow aims to reduce waste, increase efficiency, and deliver value faster and more reliably. Lean flow involves the following practices:

• Reducing batch size – Breaking down large batches of work into smaller, more manageable pieces that can be delivered more frequently and with less risk.
• Limiting work in progress (WIP) – Restricting the amount of work that can be started or in flight at any given time, to avoid overloading the system and creating queues and delays.
• Implementing pull systems – Aligning the production and consumption of work by allowing downstream customers to pull work from upstream suppliers when they are ready, rather than pushing work based on forecasts or schedules.
• Managing queue lengths – Monitoring and controlling the amount of work waiting to be processed at each stage of the value stream, to reduce lead time and variability.
• Reducing handoffs – Minimizing the number of transitions and dependencies between different teams or individuals, to avoid communication gaps, context switching, and rework.
• Implementing Work in Process (WIP) visualization – Making the work and its status visible to all stakeholders, using tools such as Kanban boards, Cumulative Flow Diagrams (CFDs), and Value Stream Maps (VSMs), to enable collaboration, coordination, and improvement.
• Implementing Work in Process (WIP) feedback – Establishing fast and frequent feedback loops within and across the value stream, using tools such as automated testing, monitoring, and metrics, to detect and resolve issues, validate assumptions, and learn from outcomes3

The first two actions for visualizing the current state of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline are to identify the steps and the people. The Continuous Delivery Pipeline (CDP) represents the workflows, activities, and automation needed to guide new functionality from ideation to an on-demand release of value. The CDP consists of four aspects: Continuous Exploration (CE), Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), and Release on Demand. Visualizing the current state of the CDP helps the organization to understand the flow of value, measure the performance, and identify the improvement opportunities. To visualize the current state of the CDP, the first two actions are to identify the steps and the people involved in each aspect of the CDP. The steps are the activities and tasks that are performed to deliver value, such as ideation, development, testing, deployment, and release. The people are the roles and responsibilities that are involved in each step, such as product owners, developers, testers, operations, and security. Identifying the steps and the people helps to create a value stream map of the CDP, which is a visual representation of the end-to-end delivery process

According to the SAFe DevOps Practitioner 6.0 study guide and handbook, the metric that reflects the quality of output at each step in the Value Stream is Percent Complete and Accurate (%C&A). This metric measures the relative cost of delay divided by the relative job duration, which indicates how efficiently the value stream delivers value to customers. The handbook states that "Percent Complete and Accurate (%C&A) is a metric that measures the relative cost of delay divided by the relative job duration."1 Therefore, %C&A helps teams identify and eliminate any waste or inefficiencies in their value stream.

After conducting current-state mapping in the context of Value Stream Mapping, a team should be able to identify and describe the biggest bottlenecks in the delivery pipeline. Current-state mapping is a process of visualizing the entire flow of a product or service from start to finish, highlighting each step and identifying where delays or inefficiencies occur. By understanding where these bottlenecks are, teams can then work on strategies to improve the overall flow, reduce lead times, and enhance efficiency. This step is crucial for identifying areas for improvement and setting the stage for future actions to optimize the Value Stream.

According to the SAFe DevOps Practitioner 6.0 study guide1, one of the organizational anti-patterns that DevOps helps to address is teams that are isolated and working within functional areas (e.g., business, operations, and technology). This anti-pattern creates silos, conflicts, and inefficiencies that hinder the collaboration and integration needed for continuous delivery. For example, some teams may prioritize speed over quality, while others may prioritize security over innovation. Some teams may resist change and adopt outdated practices, while others may embrace new technologies and methodologies. These differences can lead to misalignment, duplication, and waste of resources that slow down the delivery pipeline and reduce the value to customers. Therefore, DevOps helps to break down the functional silos and enable cross-functional teams that work together to deliver value to customers faster and more reliably.

Trunk-based development is a version control management practice where all developers work on the same trunk of shared code. The trunk is always in a releasable state, which means that at least once a day, developers must integrate their changes to the trunk. This is accomplished through short-lived feature branches related to project tasks. Trunk-based development is a common practice among DevOps teams and part of the DevOps lifecycle since it streamlines merging and integration phases. It also enables continuous integration, which is the practice of merging all development versions of a code base several times a day. Trunk-based development has several benefits, such as:

• It reduces the complexity and conflicts of merging long-lived branches
• It improves the quality and consistency of the code by enforcing frequent testing and validation
• It accelerates the delivery and deployment of new functionality by minimizing the transaction cost and risk
• It fosters a culture of collaboration and transparency among developers 

Two benefits of DevOps are fewer defects and less time spent fixing security issues. DevOps is a mindset, culture, and set of technical practices that supports the integration, automation, and collaboration needed to effectively develop and operate a solution. DevOps helps break down organizational silos and develop a Continuous Delivery Pipeline — a high-performance innovation engine capable of delivering market-leading solutions at the speed of business. DevOps has many benefits for the enterprise, such as:

• Fewer defects – DevOps improves the quality and consistency of the solution by enforcing frequent testing and validation throughout the solution lifecycle. DevOps applies various testing techniques and tools, such as unit testing, integration testing, acceptance testing, performance testing, and security testing, to verify that the solution meets the functional and nonfunctional requirements and standards. DevOps also enables early detection and resolution of defects, by implementing fast and frequent feedback loops within and across the value stream. DevOps reduces the cost and risk of defects, by shifting quality left and building quality in, rather than inspecting quality out.
• Less time spent fixing security issues – DevOps enhances the security and compliance of the solution by integrating security practices into the value stream. DevOps applies the DevSecOps approach, which emphasizes the importance of proper information security practices in the pursuit of continuous delivery. DevSecOps involves applying automated tools and processes to detect and respond to security threats and vulnerabilities in the development and production environments, and ensuring compliance with security policies and standards. DevSecOps also involves collaborating with security teams and stakeholders, to foster a culture of shared responsibility and awareness for security. DevSecOps reduces the time and effort spent on fixing security issues, by shifting security left and building security in, rather than bolting security on8