SAFe-SASM SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM) Question and Answers

Achieving Continuous Deployment involves several practices, one of which is decoupling deployment from release. This means that code can be deployed to production continuously and automatically, but it is only released to end-users when it is appropriate. Decoupling these processes allows for more frequent and reliable deployments without affecting the user experience until the features are ready for release. This practice helps in maintaining system stability and enabling faster feedback loops.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Continuous Delivery Pipeline: practices for Continuous Deployment

SAFe 5.0 framework: decoupling deployment and release for continuous improvement

In SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), lead time is an essential metric used to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of a process. Lead time is defined as the total time it takes for a work item to move through the entire process from the moment it is initiated until it is completed. To measure lead time accurately using a Team Kanban board, two specific timestamps are crucial:

When the Agile Team pulls a Story onto the board (Timestamp C):

This is the starting point of the lead time. It marks the moment when the team commits to working on a particular story by pulling it into the workflow. This action indicates that the story is now in progress and the clock starts ticking from this point.

When the Story is accepted by the Product Owner (Timestamp D):

This is the endpoint of the lead time. It signifies that the story has been completed to the satisfaction of the team and has met the acceptance criteria defined by the Product Owner. When the Product Owner accepts the story, it indicates that the work is done and the lead time measurement stops.

These two timestamps effectively capture the duration a story takes to go through the development process, providing valuable insights into process efficiency and identifying areas for improvement.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master learning materials

SAFe 5.0 Scrum Master Certification resources

The 2020 Scrum Guide:Scrum Guide 2020

This information aligns with the principles and practices outlined in the SAFe framework and the Scrum Guide, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of lead time measurement within a Team Kanban board context.

Decentralized decision-making is a principle in SAFe aimed at distributing decision authority to the people closest to the information and most affected by the decisions. The primary goal of decentralized decision-making is to reduce delay in the decision-making process, which can often occur when decisions need to pass through multiple layers of hierarchy. By empowering individuals and teams to make decisions quickly, organizations can respond faster to changes, improve agility, and maintain a steady flow of work.

An effective Agile Team focuses on delivering value by reliably deploying features that meet customer needs.

Value Delivery:The primary measure of success for an Agile team is the continuous delivery of valuable, working software.

Customer Focus:Teams work collaboratively to understand and deliver what is most valuable to customers.

Incremental Progress:Regularly delivering increments of the product that are potentially shippable ensures continuous feedback and improvement.

This characteristic emphasizes the Agile principle of delivering working software frequently, with a focus on customer value.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Agile Teams​​.

Relentless Improvement:This principle is a cornerstone of Agile and SAFe. It encourages teams to continuously seek ways to improve their processes, quality, and performance.

Scrum Master Role:The Scrum Master supports the team by fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This involves facilitating retrospectives, encouraging experimentation, and helping the team reflect on their practices and outcomes.

Taking Responsibility:By promoting relentless improvement, the Scrum Master helps the team take ownership of their actions and outcomes, driving self-management and accountability.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe emphasizes the role of the Scrum Master in supporting continuous improvement initiatives and helping teams develop a mindset of ongoing learning and development.

Integration points in agile development serve as critical junctures where progress is reviewed, and decisions can be made on whether to continue on the current path or pivot based on new information.

Integration Points:Regular integration points help in verifying progress, ensuring alignment with objectives, and assessing whether the current approach is delivering the desired outcomes.

Pivot or Persevere:These points provide the opportunity to pivot if necessary. Teams can change their course of action based on feedback, new insights, or changing requirements, ensuring that the final product meets the needs effectively.

Risk Mitigation:Regular integration reduces the risk of late discovery of issues and ensures that the product evolves in a way that adds value continuously.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Iteration Execution​​.

One of the key responsibilities of a Scrum Master is to help the team stay focused on their Iteration goals. This involves removing any obstacles or impediments that may hinder their progress. By eliminating impediments, the Scrum Master ensures that the team can work more efficiently and effectively, thereby maintaining their focus on achieving the goals set for the iteration.

Steps to eliminate impediments include:

Regularly communicating with the team to identify any obstacles they are facing.

Collaborating with stakeholders and other teams to resolve issues quickly.

Ensuring that any identified impediments are documented and tracked until they are resolved.

Facilitating problem-solving sessions and using techniques such as root cause analysis to address underlying issues.

By proactively removing these barriers, the Scrum Master supports the team in maintaining a steady and uninterrupted workflow, which is crucial for meeting iteration goals.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Scrum Master Role and Responsibilities

The 2020 Scrum Guide:Scrum Guide 2020

Principles of Lean-Agile Leadership in SAFe: focusing on continuous improvement and supporting the team in overcoming obstacles.

The fishbone diagram, also known as an Ishikawa diagram or cause-and-effect diagram, is a tool used to systematically identify potential root causes of a problem. It helps teams brainstorm and categorize the possible causes of problems to identify root issues.

Problem Statement:Clearly defines the problem at the head of the fishbone diagram.

Categories:Major categories (e.g., methods, materials, equipment, people, environment, etc.) are identified and drawn as "bones" branching off from the main "spine."

Brainstorming:Each category is explored to list possible causes, which are added as smaller bones off the main categories.

Analysis:The team analyzes the diagram to identify which causes are most likely contributing to the problem.

This method helps teams to visually map out and drill down into all possible causes of a problem, leading to more thorough and effective problem-solving.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Problem-Solving Techniques​​.

Centralized decision-making is appropriate in scenarios where consolidating decisions can lead to significant economies of scale, which involves:

Economies of Scale:These are cost advantages reaped by companies when production becomes efficient. This can happen through increased production, lower costs per unit, bulk purchasing, and centralized processes.

Consistency and Control:Centralized decisions ensure consistency across large-scale operations and can help in maintaining standards and controls, reducing duplication of effort, and leveraging bulk purchasing power.

In contrast, decentralized decision-making is more suitable for decisions requiring specific local context or those that need to be made frequently and swiftly.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Training Material, Chapter on Decision-Making Frameworks​​.

WIP (Work in Process):Refers to the number of work items that are in progress at any given time.

Impact of High WIP:Having too many items in progress can lead to context switching, inefficiencies, and delays, ultimately slowing down the overall throughput of the team.

Throughput:The rate at which the team completes work items. Reducing WIP helps the team focus on completing tasks, leading to faster throughput and better flow of work.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe emphasizes limiting WIP to improve flow efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and increase throughput.

Team Performance Measurement:In SAFe, one of the key metrics for measuring team performance is the ratio of Story points completed to Story points planned in the Program Increment (PI).

Story Points:Represent the effort required to complete user stories. By comparing planned and completed Story points, teams can gauge their ability to deliver on commitments.

Purpose:This metric helps in assessing how well the team is performing relative to their planned objectives, identifying areas for improvement, and making adjustments for future PIs.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe provides guidance on using Story points and other metrics to measure team performance and drive continuous improvement.

One of the primary outputs from the problem-solving workshop in SAFe is identifying the top improvement items for the next Program Increment (PI). These workshops focus on analyzing issues, determining root causes, and formulating actionable improvements. By prioritizing and committing to these improvement items, teams can systematically address problems and enhance their performance and productivity in subsequent PIs.

The program predictability measure is the primary metric used during the quantitative measurement part of the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event in SAFe. This measure assesses how reliably the Agile Release Train (ART) can deliver business value within the Program Increment (PI) timebox. It helps to:

Evaluate the team's ability to meet their commitments.

Identify areas where predictability can be improved.

Ensure that the business value planned for the PI is actually delivered.

By focusing on the predictability of business value, organizations can better align their planning and execution efforts, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and achieving strategic goals more effectively.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Inspect and Adapt events

SAFe 5.0 framework: using program predictability as a key metric to assess and improve ART performance.

SAFe Core Valuesare the fundamental beliefs that guide behaviors and decision-making in SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). They are critical for fostering a culture that supports Lean-Agile principles.

Transparency:

Definition:Transparency in SAFe means having an open and honest environment where everyone has access to the information they need. It involves making work visible to all stakeholders, sharing risks, and ensuring that everyone understands the status of the work.

Importance:Transparency enables trust across the Agile Release Train (ART) because it ensures that everyone is aware of what is happening, leading to informed decision-making and reducing misunderstandings. It builds a culture of openness and accountability.

SAFe Framework Reference:In SAFe, transparency is crucial for effective collaboration and alignment across teams and stakeholders. It ensures that progress, challenges, and changes are communicated openly, fostering trust and collective problem-solving.

SAFe Scrum Master References:

SAFe training materials emphasize the importance of transparency as a core value that underpins trust and collaboration within and across teams.

The SAFe website and guides detail how transparency is implemented through various practices like visual management, open communication, and regular feedback loops.

To transform unpredictable events into predictable events (A): Cadence creates a regular, reliable schedule for events, which helps in managing and mitigating variability. This predictability allows teams to plan and execute their work more effectively, reducing the uncertainty of unforeseen events.

To synchronize planning for multiple teams and ARTs (C): Cadence helps align the planning cycles of multiple teams and Agile Release Trains (ARTs), ensuring that everyone works in a coordinated manner. This synchronization is critical for integrated, cross-team activities and for maintaining a cohesive workflow across the organization.

SAFe Scrum Master References

SAFe Principles: the importance of cadence and synchronization

SAFe 5.0 framework: benefits of applying cadence in Agile teams