Free Scaled Agile SAFe-RTE Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 4

The problem-solving workshop during the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event in SAFe is a structured session where teams reflect and identify improvement backlog items. The tools typically used in this workshop are designed to facilitate root cause analysis and collaborative decision-making1.

Modified Fibonacci sequence is generally used for estimating effort or complexity in Agile practices like planning poker, but it is not a common tool for problem-solving workshops where the focus is on identifying root causes and solutions1.

Fishbone diagram is a visual tool used to systematically identify potential causes of a problem, making it suitable for use in problem-solving workshops1.

Dot voting is a simple and quick way to prioritize issues or solutions, often used in problem-solving workshops to converge on the most critical items1.

Pareto analysis is a statistical technique used to decide on the most important changes to make, applying the principle that 80% of problems are produced by 20% of causes, and is thus relevant to problem-solving workshops1.

Therefore, the Modified Fibonacci sequence (Option A) is typically not used during the problem-solving workshop as it is more aligned with estimation rather than problem-solving1.

 To support a Continuous Integration (CI) culture, it’s essential to focus on practices that promote frequent integration, visibility, and prompt resolution of integration issues. The three actions that align with these principles are:

Ensure fixing a failed integration attempt is always the top priority: When an integration fails, it should be addressed immediately. This practice helps maintain the health of the CI environment and ensures that new changes are always being integrated into a stable baseline.

Integrate often: Frequent integration of code changes helps in identifying conflicts and issues early, which reduces the complexity of resolving them. It also allows for quicker feedback and more rapid iteration on the development work.

Make integration results visible: Transparency is key in a CI culture. By making integration results visible to all team members, it encourages collective ownership of the codebase and the CI process. It also allows for faster detection and resolution of integration issues.

These actions are foundational to creating a robust CI culture, which is a critical aspect of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline in SAFe. They help ensure that the system is always in a potentially deployable state, even during development, which is a core principle of Agile methodologies1.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) collaborates closely with Product Management and the System Architect to guide the Agile Release Train (ART) toward successful delivery. This leadership trio is essential in maintaining a constant synergy between product strategy and implementation. The RTE, along with Product Management and the System Architect, forms a critical alignment that ensures the ART’s focus on delivering value and achieving operational excellence. They work together to steer the ART, align on solution and enterprise architecture, and lead Value Stream Management activities for the ART123.QUESTION NO: 86

Which value is used when calculating flow efficiency?

A.Flow time

B.Flow velocity

C.Flow load

D.Flow distribution

Answer: A

Flow efficiency is calculated as the ratio of the total time spent in value-added work activities divided by the total flow time. This metric is used to measure how efficient an organization is at delivering value. Flow time, therefore, is the value used when calculating flow efficiency, as it represents the time elapsed from when a backlog item enters the workflow to when it is released12.

The “R” in the SMART criteria for writing Program Increment (PI) Objectives stands for “Realistic.” This means that the objectives should be set in a way that can be realistically achieved within the given time and resources. It’s important that the objectives are challenging yet attainable, as setting unrealistic goals can lead to disappointment and a lack of motivation among team members. The SMART criteria help ensure that the objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound, which is essential for the successful execution of PI objectives within the SAFe framework.

The Program Board is a visual summary of the Program Increment (PI) planning outputs and is used to communicate key aspects of the plan to stakeholders. According to the SAFe framework, the three key items communicated on the Program Board are:

Feature delivery dates: These indicate when features are planned to be delivered within the PI.

Milestones: These are significant events or achievements that are critical to the program’s progress and are used to track alignment and progress toward the PI objectives.

Dependencies between teams: These show the relationships and interdependencies between different teams that need to be managed and coordinated to ensure smooth delivery of features.

These items are essential for creating transparency and alignment across teams and stakeholders, helping to manage risks, and facilitating the resolution of dependencies1. The Program Board helps in visualizing the work and aids in the coordination of the ART’s efforts during the PI2.

Comprehensive and Detailed 250 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of SAFe 6.0, including the SAFe Release domains:

In SAFe 6.0, the System Demo is a critical event in the Release domain that provides objective evidence of progress by demonstrating fully integrated, end-to-end working solutions at least every iteration. If, after the second iteration of a PI, there is nothing to demonstrate, this indicates a serious breakdown in continuous integration, built-in quality, and flow. SAFe guidance is explicit that this situation must be addressed immediately rather than deferred.

The correct response is to stop starting new work, focus on integration and testing, and adjust scope based on what is learned. This aligns with Lean principles and the SAFe Flow Accelerators, particularly “Stop starting, start finishing” and “Make value flow without interruptions.” Continuing to add new functionality without integration increases risk, delays feedback, and undermines predictability.

SAFe emphasizes that integration should happen continuously, not at the end of the PI or during the IP Iteration. Reserving integration for later violates SAFe guidance and often results in late discovery of defects and dependencies. Separate team demos or working in isolated branches fail to provide the integrated system view required for effective stakeholder feedback. Re-architecting solely to avoid integration is unrealistic and contradicts system-level thinking.

By halting new work and focusing on integration and testing, the ART restores alignment with SAFe’s Release practices, enables meaningful System Demos, and ensures transparency, learning, and adaptive planning based on real progress.

When planning for a distributed PI Planning event with significant time zone differences, it’s crucial to adjust the PI planning agenda to accommodate the time zones involved1. This may involve extending the agenda to 2.5-3 days to allow for overlapping hours where all participants can be actively involved1. The goal is to ensure that every team member, regardless of their location, can contribute to the planning process and that the necessary collaboration and communication occur effectively. This adjustment helps in overcoming the challenges posed by the time zone differences and supports a more inclusive and integrated planning experience for all members of the Agile Release Train (ART)1.

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) is a servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART), who facilitates ART events and processes, and supports teams in delivering value. The RTE’s responsibilities include facilitating Program Increment (PI) planning, where they play a vital role in the success of the event, helping the ART prepare for PI planning, and facilitating the PI planning event itself1.

The Scrum Master also plays a crucial role in facilitating ART syncs. As part of their responsibilities, Scrum Masters help their Agile teams work together effectively, and they also participate in ART events, including the ART sync2. This collaboration ensures that the teams on the ART are aligned and can address any impediments or issues that may arise.

In summary, the Release Train Engineer and the Scrum Master are the two roles that should facilitate an ART sync, as they both have responsibilities that directly involve the coordination and facilitation of ART activities.

ROAMing Risks during PI Planning promotes transparency and Business Owner engagement because it:

•Addresses Concerns: Highlighting potential risks (Resolved, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated) opens a dialogue with stakeholders, allowing them to express concerns or uncertainties early on.

•Shared Risk Management: ROAMing risks establishes a collaborative approach to risk management, involving Business Owners in the mitigation planning process.

•Informed Decision-Making: Understanding risks empowers Business Owners to make informed decisions about scope, prioritization, and potential trade-offs.

Comprehensive and Detailed 250 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of SAFe 6.0, including the SAFe Release domains:

In SAFe 6.0, Enablers are work items that support future business functionality by addressing architecture, infrastructure, compliance, or exploration needs. At the Program level, Enablers are essential for sustaining flow, reducing technical debt, and enabling the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. The Release Train Engineer (RTE) works closely with the System Architect to ensure Enablers are properly identified, prioritized, and planned within the Program Backlog and Program Increment.

The System Architect has primary responsibility for defining and evolving the architectural runway and identifying the technical and architectural Enablers required to support upcoming features. The RTE facilitates collaboration, alignment, and decision-making to ensure these Enablers are visible, sequenced appropriately, and balanced with business features during PI Planning and execution. This partnership is critical to maintaining system integrity and long-term agility.

Solution Management operates at the Large Solution level and focuses on solution vision and capabilities, not ART-level Enabler prioritization. Product Owners prioritize Team Backlogs, not Program-level Enablers. Development Manager is not a defined SAFe role.

By working with the System Architect, the RTE helps the ART maintain architectural integrity, improve flow, and reduce risk, which directly supports the SAFe Release domain’s goals of predictable, high-quality value delivery.