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

SAFe provides a second operating system that enables Business Agility by creating a network of Agile teams and trains that are aligned to a common vision and strategy, and empowered to deliver value to customers and users. SAFe leverages the Lean-Agile mindset, the core competencies, and the principles and practices to foster a culture of innovation, learning, and collaboration. SAFe also supports the continuous delivery pipeline, which enables fast feedback and frequent value delivery. References: SAFe® for Teams - Know Your Role on an Agile Team | Scaled Agile, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner - scaledagile.com, SAFe 6.0 for Teams with SP Certification - ICON Agility Serviceswq

Culture is the first element of the CALMR approach to DevOps in SAFe. It refers to the shared mindset and values that support successful DevOps adoption. Culture in SAFe is influenced by the Lean-Agile principles and practices that guide the entire framework. Culture in DevOps requires customer-centricity, collaboration, trust, empowerment, learning, and feedback among all the stakeholders involved in the value stream. Culture also fosters a shift-left mentality, where operational and quality concerns are addressed early and often in the development process. Culture is the foundation for the other elements of CALMR: automation, lean flow, measurement, and recovery1. One of the aspects of culture is to establish a work environment of shared responsibility, where everyone in the value stream is accountable for the quality and security of the solution, and for the outcomes delivered to the customer2. This means breaking down the silos and barriers between development, operations, security, and other teams, and creating a culture of mutual trust and respect3. Shared responsibility also means that everyone in the value stream has the authority and autonomy to make decisions and take actions that support the delivery of value, while following the guardrails and policies established by the enterprise4. References: CALMR - Scaled Agile Framework, Culture - Scaled Agile Framework, What Is DevOps? - Scaled Agile Framework, Decentralize Decision Making - Scaled Agile Framework

 = Making quality everyone’s responsibility is critical to successfully implementing quality in a Lean-Agile environment. This means that all the people involved in creating and delivering value to the customer, from business functions to software applications, share the same quality standards and practices. Quality is not something that can be delegated or outsourced to a separate team or department. It is embedded in the culture, mindset, and behavior of every individual and team. Making quality everyone’s responsibility enables faster feedback, continuous improvement, and higher customer satisfaction12. References: = 1: Built-In Quality - Scaled Agile Framework2; 2: How to Implement Quality in a Lean-Agile Environment Successfully1

SAFe recommends running a Retrospective on a cadence during the PI for SAFe Team Kanban Teams. A Retrospective is a team-level event that occurs at the end of each iteration, where the team reflects on how they are working and identifies improvement actions for the next iteration. A Retrospective helps the team pursue perfection by applying the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle1. SAFe Team Kanban Teams also participate in other ART events, such as PI Planning, System Demo, and Inspect and Adapt2. References: 1: Retrospective - Scaled Agile Framework2: SAFe Team Kanban - Scaled Agile Framework

n: A backlog refinement session is a periodic activity teams use to define, discuss, estimate, and establish acceptance criteria for upcoming backlog items1. One key benefit of a backlog refinement session is that it provides time to identify dependencies and issues that could impact the next iteration. By doing so, teams can reduce uncertainty, avoid surprises, and plan more effectively. Backlog refinement also helps surface problems with the current plan, which may require discussion at the team, PO, or coach syncs2. Additionally, backlog refinement helps teams align their backlog with the ART backlog, the PI objectives, and the customer needs2. References: Backlog Refinement - Scaled Agile Framework, Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework

Organize around value is one of the 10 SAFe Lean-Agile Principles that guide the implementation of SAFe in any context. It states that enterprises must align their people, processes, and technology to the full and continuous flow of value that delivers customer and business outcomes. This principle helps enterprises to eliminate silos, reduce handoffs, improve collaboration, and optimize value streams. It also enables faster feedback, shorter lead times, higher quality, and better economics. References: SAFe Lean-Agile Principles, Organize Around Value, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner

= As a Product Owner, James is responsible for managing the Iteration backlog and ensuring that the most valuable and feasible work items are delivered by the team1. If the team tells him that they may miss their Iteration commitment, James should collaborate with them to review and reprioritize the backlog, and identify the minimum viable increment that can be completed within the Iteration timebox2. James should not support adding an Innovation and Planning Iteration, as this would disrupt the cadence and synchronization of the Agile Release Train3. James should not agree to add a person from the System Team, as this would violate the team autonomy and self-organization principles4. James should not support splitting a Story into a coding story and a testing story, as this would create technical debt and compromise the quality and value of the deliverable5. References: = 1: Product Owner - Scaled Agile Framework6; 2: Iteration Planning - Scaled Agile Framework7; 3: Innovation and Planning Iteration - Scaled Agile Framework8; 4: Agile Teams - Scaled Agile Framework9; 5: Story - Scaled Agile Framework10

The Product Owner (PO) in the team is responsible for sequencing backlog items to program priorities, events, and dependencies. The PO works with the Product Manager, who owns the Vision and the Roadmap, to define and sequence the features in the Program Backlog1. The PO also collaborates with other POs in the Agile Release Train (ART) to manage dependencies and ensure alignment across teams2. The PO maintains and prioritizes the Team Backlog, which is the single source of truth for the upcoming features of the system3. The PO also participates in the Program Increment (PI) Planning, where the team’s PI objectives are aligned with the program priorities and dependencies4. References: Product Owner - Scaled Agile Framework, Team Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework, Program Backlog - Scaled Agile Framework, PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework

 According to the SAFe Implementation Roadmap, culture change is the last step in the transformation process. It states that “culture change comes last, not first. You can’t change a culture until you have changed the underlying behavior and the results that the behavior produces” 1. Therefore, the best way to change the culture is to adopt new approaches that deliver better outcomes and then anchor them in the culture by reinforcing the benefits and values they bring. This is consistent with Kotter’s model of leading change, which also suggests that anchoring new approaches in the culture is the final stage of a successful change effort 23. References: Enhance the Portfolio, Leading Change (Step 8) – Anchor Change in the Culture, Anchor Change in Your Organization’s Culture

 A User Story is a short description of a piece of functionality that delivers value to a customer or stakeholder. It is typically written from the perspective of an end user and follows the format: “As a , I want , so that ”. User Stories are the primary elements of the Team Backlog and are used to plan and execute the Iteration. User Stories should be small enough to be completed within one Iteration, which is usually two weeks long. If a User Story is too large or complex, it should be split into smaller stories that can fit within the Iteration timebox. This ensures that the team can deliver value frequently and receive feedback quickly. References: SAFe for Teams Student Workbook: materials and exercises from Lesson 3; v6.scaledagileframework.com/story/