Free Scrum SAFe-Practitioner Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 2

This statement is one of the 12 principles behind the Agile Manifesto1, which guides the agile software development approach. It means that agile teams should focus on delivering the most valuable features and avoid unnecessary work that does not add value to the customer or the product. By applying simplicity, agile teams can reduce waste, increase efficiency, and improve quality. References: 12 Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto

According to the SAFe for Teams SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner handbook and study guide, a decrease in variability leads to an increase in predictability. Variability is the degree of uncertainty or variation in the outcomes of a process or a system. High variability means that the outcomes are more likely to deviate from the expected or desired results, which makes them harder to plan and control. Low variability means that the outcomes are more consistent and closer to the expected or desired results, which makes them easier to plan and control. Predictability is the ability to forecast or anticipate the outcomes of a process or a system with a high degree of confidence and accuracy. High predictability means that the outcomes are more likely to match the forecasts or expectations, which reduces the risk of failure and increases the value delivery. Low predictability means that the outcomes are more likely to differ from the forecasts or expectations, which increases the risk of failure and decreases the value delivery. Therefore, a decrease in variability leads to an increase in predictability, as the outcomes become more stable and reliable. References: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, SAFe® for Teams - Know Your Role on an Agile Team, Assume variability; preserve options - Scaled Agile Framework

 The daily stand-up is a 15-minute meeting that occurs every day during the Iteration, where the Agile team members synchronize their work, share their progress, and identify any impediments or dependencies. The daily stand-up follows a simple format, where each team member answers three questions:

What did I do yesterday to advance the Iteration goals?

What will I do today to advance the Iteration goals?

Are there any impediments that will prevent the team from meeting the Iteration goals? These questions help the team members to align their actions with the Iteration goals, communicate their status and plans, and raise any issues or risks that need to be addressed. The daily stand-up also fosters collaboration, accountability, and transparency among the team members, and enables them to adjust their work as needed to deliver value. References: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Daily Stand-up

 Agile Teams are the basic building block when organizing around value in SAFe. They are cross-functional, self-organizing, and empowered to deliver value in short iterations. They are aligned to a common mission and vision through the Agile Release Train (ART), which is a long-lived team of Agile Teams that delivers value streams. Agile Teams apply Scrum, Kanban, and XP practices to collaborate and deliver solutions that meet customer needs and provide business value. References: Agile Teams, Agile Release Trains, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe Practitioner

 A quality of an Agile team is that it is cross-functional, meaning that it has all the skills and roles necessary to deliver value to the customer. A cross-functional team can work independently and collaboratively, without relying on external dependencies or handoffs. A cross-functional team can also adapt to changing requirements and feedback, and deliver work in small increments. References: Agile Teams - Scaled Agile Framework, Top 8 Characteristics of High-Performing Agile Team - Techtic Solutions, Agile Q&A: Team Qualities | Agile Alliance, Agile Team Roles and Responsibilities: A Brief Guide - Teamhood

One of the steps for setting initial velocity is to assess the team’s capacity, which is the amount of time available for the team to work on the backlog items. The team members assess their availability, acknowledging time off and other potential duties that may reduce their capacity, such as meetings, training, support, etc. The team then calculates their capacity by multiplying the number of team members by the number of hours per day by the number of days in the Iteration. The team’s capacity is used as an input for estimating the initial velocity, which is the amount of work the team can complete in an Iteration. References: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Capacity Allocation, Velocity

 One way to understand current work in progress (WIP) in a system is to make current work visible to all stakeholders. This means using visual tools, such as Kanban boards, to show the status, flow, and bottlenecks of work items in the system. Making current work visible helps to identify and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths, which are key principles for achieving flow and delivering value faster1. Making current work visible also enables faster feedback, collaboration, and improvement, as well as transparency and alignment of goals and expectations23. References: = 1: Principle #6 - Visualize and Limit WIP, Reduce Batch Sizes, and Manage Queue Lengths - Scaled Agile Framework1; 2: Controlling Work-in-Process (WIP) - Project Management Institute2; 3: How to Identify and Measure Your Work in Progress (WIP)3

One of the Lean Thinking Principles is to make value flow without interruptions. This means that the organization should optimize the entire value stream, from the customer’s perspective, and eliminate any waste or delays that prevent the smooth and fast delivery of value. Waste can be anything that does not add value to the customer, such as defects, overproduction, waiting, inventory, transportation, motion, or overprocessing. Delays can be caused by handoffs, queues, approvals, dependencies, or variability. By making value flow without interruptions, the organization can increase customer satisfaction, reduce costs, improve quality, and accelerate time to market. References: Lean Thinking: Overview, Principles, Benefits, & Applications Explained, Lean Thinking – Lean Practice | Planview LeanKit

Acceptance criteria are the conditions that a story must satisfy to be accepted by the Product Owner and the stakeholders. They define the boundaries of the story and provide guidance on how to test it for completion. Acceptance criteria are usually written as a list of statements or scenarios that describe the expected behavior and outcomes of the story. They help to ensure that the story delivers value to the user and meets the Definition of Done1234. References: Story - Scaled Agile Framework, How to Write Agile Test Case Requirements | SmartBear, Agile Story Completion Checklist - SDLCforms, Module 2: Complete a story - IBM

Respect for People is one of the four SAFe Core Values. It means that the enterprise fosters a culture of mutual influence, trust, empowerment, and collaboration among all the people involved in delivering value, including customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. Respect for People also implies that the enterprise values diversity, inclusion, and psychological safety, and that it treats people as the most important asset. Respect for People supports the following practices in SAFe1:

Turn mistakes into learning moments. Mistakes are inevitable in complex and uncertain environments, and they provide opportunities for learning and improvement. Instead of blaming or punishing people for making mistakes, the enterprise encourages them to share their learnings, experiment with new ideas, and apply the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA) cycle.

Create a trust-based environment. Trust is the foundation of effective collaboration and high performance. The enterprise builds trust by being transparent, honest, supportive, and accountable. It also empowers people to make decisions, take ownership, and self-organize around value delivery.

Visualize work. Visualization helps people see the flow of value, identify bottlenecks, dependencies, and waste, and collaborate on solutions. The enterprise uses various tools and techniques to visualize work, such as Kanban boards, Cumulative Flow Diagrams, Program Boards, and Value Stream Maps. References: 1: Respect for People and Culture - Scaled Agile Framework