Scrum SAFe-POPM SAFe Product Owner-Product Manager (POPM) Exam Practice Test

The Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration is a unique, dedicated iteration that occurs every Program Increment (PI). A PI is a timebox of 8 to 12 weeks, during which an Agile Release Train (ART) delivers incremental value in the form of working, tested software and systems. Therefore, in a 12-week PI, the IP Iteration occurs every quarter

One method to establish a team’s velocity is to compare the average story points completed throughout the previous iterations. This gives an indication of how much work the team can realistically deliver in a given time frame, based on their past performance. To calculate the team’s velocity, you can use the following formula: Team velocity = total story points completed / number of iterations. You can also use various charts and tools to visualize the team’s velocity and track itsprogress over time1234

References:

•Velocity in Scrum: How to Measure and Improve Performance - Atlassian

•Discover the Concept of Team Velocity - OpenClassrooms

•A Word on Velocity - LeadingAgile

•Increasing Your Scrum Team’s Velocity — ClearlyAgile

Hypothesizing what would create value for customers is the main activity of Product Owners and Product Managers in the first step of SAFe’s Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which is Continuous Exploration (CE)12. In CE, they use design thinking to understand the market problem or customer need and the solution required to meet that need12. They start with a hypothesis of something that will provide value to customers, such as a new feature, capability, or enhancement12. They then validate or invalidate their hypothesis through experimentation, feedback, and learning12.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (A, B, and C) are not the main activity of Product Owners and Product Managers in the first step of SAFe’s Continuous Delivery Pipeline, but rather activities that may occur in other steps or roles.

•Ensuring the Architecture team has sufficient capacity is an activity that may occur in the second step of SAFe’s Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which is Continuous Integration (CI)12. In CI, the Architecture team works with the Development teams to ensure the technical quality and integrity of the solution12.

•Negotiating Supplier contracts is an activity that may occur in the fourth step of SAFe’s Continuous Delivery Pipeline, which is Release on Demand12. In Release on Demand, the Solution Management team works with the Suppliers to coordinate the release of the solution components that are provided by them12.

•Prioritizing the Team Backlog is an activity that occurs in the Program Increment (PI) Planning event, which is part of the Agile Product Delivery competency3. In PI Planning, the Product Owner works with the Development team and other stakeholders to define, prioritize, and estimate the work items for the upcoming PI3.

Product Management works with System Architect to prioritize Enablers, which are backlog items that extend the architectural runway of the solution under development or improve the performance of the development value stream1. System Architect provides technical guidance and enablement to the Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and helps identify and define the enablers needed to support the features and capabilities2. In collaboration with System Architect, Product Management negotiates capacity allocations that balance the concentration of business and enabler features in the ART backlog3.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (B, C, and D) are not the role that Product Management works with to prioritize Enablers, but rather roles that have different responsibilities or collaborations with Product Management.

•Development Manager is a role that supports the Development teams in building quality solutions and fosters a culture of technical excellence and innovation4. Development Manager may work with Product Management to provide feedback on the feasibility and effort of the features and enablers, but not to prioritize them.

•Product Owner is a role that represents the customer and stakeholders to the Development team and defines and accepts the work items in the Team Backlog. Product Owner may work with Product Management to align on the product vision and roadmap and to decompose the features and enablers into stories, but not to prioritize them.

•Solution Management is a role that is responsible for defining and delivering complex solutions that require multiple ARTs and Solution Trains. Solution Management may work with Product Management to coordinate the dependencies and interfaces between the solutions and the products, but not to prioritize the enablers.

Product Management is the role that has content authority for the ART Backlog. The ART Backlog is a Kanban system that captures and manages the features and enablers that the Agile Release Train (ART) will implement in the upcoming Program Increments (PIs)1. Product Management is responsible for defining and communicating the vision, value proposition, and features of the solution, as well as prioritizing and refining the backlog items2. Product Management collaborates with stakeholders, customers, architects, and other roles to ensure that the ART Backlog reflects the needs and expectations of the customers and aligns with the strategic direction of the portfolio3.

References:

•ART and Solution Train Backlogs - Scaled Agile Framework

•Product Management - Scaled Agile Framework

A pattern for splitting Features into Stories is to use variations in data, which means identifying different types of data that the feature can handle and creating a story for each type. For example, a feature that allows users to upload files can be split into stories for different file formats, sizes, or sources. This way, the stories are independent, testable, and valuable12

References:

•Story - Scaled Agile Framework

•User stories splitting by data variations and interfaces

Considering how and what to demo during Iteration Planning increases the effectiveness of System Demos, which are events that provide an integrated view of new features delivered by the Agile Release Train (ART) in each Iteration12. By thinking ahead of how and what to demo, the teams can:

•Align on the product vision and roadmap and ensure that the work items are aligned with the customer value and the PI objectives12.

•Define clear and testable acceptance criteria for each work item and plan how to verify them in the demo12.

•Identify and resolve any dependencies, risks, or impediments that may affect the demo12.

•Prepare the demo environment and the necessary tools and data to support the demo12.

•Practice the demo and rehearse the script and the roles of the presenters12.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (A, B, and C) are not actions that increase the effectiveness of System Demos, but rather actions that may reduce it.

•Spending a lot of time preparing for the demo may not be effective, as it may take away time and focus from the actual development and testing of the work items. Instead, the teams should aim for continuous integration and built-in quality practices that enable them to demo the work items as soon as they are done12.

•Limiting team attendance to minimize disruptions to the team may not be effective, as it may reduce the feedback and collaboration opportunities that the demo provides. Instead, the teams should invite and engage all the relevant stakeholders, such as Business Owners, executive sponsors, other Agile Teams, development management, and customers, to the demo12.

•Focusing on team-level metrics may not be effective, as it may not reflect the true value and progress of the integrated work across the ART. Instead, the teams should focus on system-level metrics, such as PI objectives, solution quality, and customer satisfaction, to evaluate the outcome and impact of the demo12.

The vision is a description of the future state of the solution under development, reflecting customer and stakeholder needs, as well as the features and capabilities proposed to meet those needs1. Communicating the vision effectively is essential for creating a shared understanding of the program’s goals and objectives, especially as they evolve due to changing market needs and business drivers1. One of the key aspects of communicating the vision is to establish the importance of Lean budget Guardrails, which are policies and practices that ensure the financial integrity and economic viability of the solution2. Lean budget Guardrails provide the boundaries and context forthe solution development, enabling decentralized decision-making and empowering teams to operate autonomously within the agreed-upon funding2. By communicating the importance of Lean budget Guardrails, the vision helps align the teams with the strategic themes and portfolio priorities, as well as foster a culture of innovation and learning2.

References: 1 Vision - Scaled Agile Framework, 2 Lean Budgets - Scaled Agile Framework

The primary purpose of PO Sync is to assess progress of the Program Increment (PI) and adjust scope and priority as needed12. PO Sync is a regular event that involves the Product Owners from all the Agile teams in an Agile Release Train (ART)12. In PO Sync, they share the status of their work, identify dependencies, risks, and impediments, and align on the product vision and roadmap12. PO Sync helps to ensure that the ART delivers value to the customers and meets the PI objectives12.

Some additional information that might be helpful for you are:

•The other options (B, C, and D) are not the primary purpose of PO Sync, but rather purposes of other events or activities.

•Building PI Objectives and improving alignment is the purpose of PI Planning, which is a two-day event that occurs at the beginning of each PI3. In PI Planning, all the members of the ART collaborate to define, prioritize, and plan the work for the next PI3.

•Aligning with Coach Sync participants on the status of the PI is the purpose of Scrum of Scrums (SoS), which is a regular event that involves the Scrum Masters from all the Agile teams in an ART4. In SoS, they coordinate and synchronize the work of the teams, resolve cross-team impediments, and report the progress and risks to the RTE4.

•Conducting backlog refinement is an activity that occurs throughout the PI, where the Product Owner and the Development team review and update the Team Backlog to prepare for the upcoming Iterations. Backlog refinement helps to ensure that the work items are clear, feasible, and valuable

The problem-solving workshop is more effective than traditional lessons learned documents because it makes improvements actionable through backlog items for the next Program Increment (PI). A problem-solving workshop is a structured approach to identify and solve problems that affect the performance and quality of the Agile Release Train (ART) or Solution Train1. Unlike traditional lessons learned documents, which are often passive and rarely implemented, a problem-solving workshop results in a set of improvement backlog items that are prioritized and planned for the next PI2. This way, the teams can implement the improvements and measure their impact on the value delivery3.

References:

•Inspect and Adapt - Scaled Agile Framework

•Why is the problem-solving workshop more effective than traditional …

•Problem-solving workshop: Step-by-Step - Agilephoria

The Continuous Delivery Pipeline enables the delivery of new functionality to customers more frequently by streamlining and automating the workflows, activities, and feedback loops from ideation to release1. The Continuous Delivery Pipeline consists of four aspects: Continuous Exploration, Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, and Release on Demand2. These aspects work together to support the delivery of small batches of new functionality, which can be released to the market based on the customer demand and business needs3.

References:

•Continuous Delivery Pipeline - Scaled Agile Framework

•Continuous Delivery Pipeline - Scaled Agile Framework

•SAFe Continuous Delivery Pipeline: A Comprehensive Guide to the …

A Kanban board is a visual tool that helps teams manage the flow of work from start to finish. It shows the steps of the team’s workflow, the work items in each step, and the work-in-process (WIP) limits for each step1. A Kanban board demonstrates where a team has too much work-in-process (WIP), which is the number of work items that are being worked on at any given time. Having too much WIP can cause delays, bottlenecks, and waste in the value stream2. By using a Kanban board, teams can identify and resolve the sources of excessive WIP, and optimize their flow and throughput3.

References:

•SAFe Team Kanban - Scaled Agile Framework

•Applying Kanban in SAFe - Scaled Agile Framework

•What is a Kanban Board, and How Do You Use It? - How-To Geek

Journey mapping is one method for designing the end-to-end customer experience. It is a visual representation of the steps, emotions, and pain points that a customer goes through when interacting with a product or service. It helps to identify the customer needs, expectations, and goals, as well as the gaps and opportunities for improvement in the current experience. Journey mapping also helps to align the stakeholders on the customer perspective and prioritize the features and solutions that will deliver the most value and satisfaction123

References:

•The expanding role of design in creating an end-to-end customer experience

•End to End Customer Experience: Know and Control its 3 Elements - HEFLO BPM

•How Design thinking Can Shape end to end Customer Experience