Pass the Scrum SAFe Certification SAFe-Practitioner Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

 The Release Train Engineer (RTE) is a servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART), which is a group of Agile teams that work together to deliver value. The RTE facilitates the ART events and processes, and supports the teams in delivering value. They communicate with stakeholders, escalate impediments, help manage risk, and drive relentless improvement. The RTE also serves as the ART Chief Coach, which means they help the teams apply and improve the SAFe principles and practices, such as PI planning, system demos, inspect and adapt, and innovation and planning1. The RTE is not the team backlog owner, the ART-level content authority, or the technical leader of the ART, but rather the facilitator and enabler of the ART’s success. References: Release Train Engineer - Scaled Agile Framework, Release Train Engineer(RTE): Roles & Responsibilities - KnowledgeHut, Release Train Engineer - Scaled Agile Framework

The Inspect and Adapt (I&A) is a significant event held at the end of each Program Increment (PI), where the current state of the Solution is demonstrated and evaluated by the train. Teams then reflect and identify improvement backlog items via a structured, problem-solving workshop. The I&A event consists of three parts: the PI System Demo, where the features developed during the PI are shown and feedback is collected; the quantitative and qualitative measurement, where the teams assess their performance and progress using various metrics and surveys; and the retrospective and problem-solving workshop, where the teams identify and analyze the root causes of their most critical issues and devise action plans to address them12. References: Inspect and Adapt, Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner

Customer Centricity is a mindset that focuses on creating positive experiences for the customer through the full set of products and services that the enterprise offers. Customer-centric organizations deliver whole-product solutions designed with a deep understanding of customer needs. This results in greater profits, increased employee engagement, and more satisfied customers in the private sector. Nonprofits and the public sector (governments) can achieve the resiliency, sustainability, and alignment needed to fulfill their mission1. The purpose of Customer Centricity is to understand the customer’s needs and deliver solutions that meet or exceed them. References: 1: Customer Centricity - Scaled Agile Framework

Stories are the primary means of expressing needed functionality in SAFe. They largely replace the traditional requirements specification with new paradigms based on Lean-Agile development. Stories are elaborated by a user-voice statement and acceptance criteria, and they are used to describe the features and behaviors of the system at various levels of abstraction. Stories are also testable, estimable, and prioritizable, which makes them suitable for planning and delivering value in an iterative and incremental way. References: SAFe Requirements Model, What replaces detailed requirements documents in agile?, What replaces detailed requirements documents in SAFe?

One way to quickly address impediments to flow is to identify them on the Planning Board, which is a visual tool that shows the status of work items and dependencies in an iteration. By making impediments visible, the team can collaborate to resolve them and prevent them from blocking the delivery of value. The Planning Board also helps the team monitor their progress and adjust their plan as needed. References: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Planning the Iteration, [Visualize and Limit WIP, Reduce Batch Sizes, and Manage Queue Lengths]

According to the Scaled Agile Framework, the ART Planning Board is a visualization of the PI’s feature delivery dates, feature dependencies among teams, and relevant milestones1. Features are the primary elements that are planned and tracked on the ART Planning Board2.

Epics, user stories, and tasks are not found on the ART Planning Board, but they are related to features in different ways. Epics are large initiatives that span multiple ARTs and PIs, and they are decomposed into features and enablers2. User stories and tasks are smaller units of work that are used by teams to implement features within iterations2.

One of the results from Iteration Planning for SAFe Scrum Teams is the Iteration goals, which are short, specific, and measurable statements that describe what the Agile team intends to accomplish in an Iteration. The Iteration goals are derived from the team backlog, the PI objectives, and the team vision. The Iteration goals help to align the team to a common vision of work in the Iteration, and provide clarity, focus, and motivation. The Iteration goals also enable the team to communicate their progress and dependencies to other teams and stakeholders, and to demonstrate value delivery in the system demo. References: Exam Study Guide: SP (6.0) - SAFe® Practitioner, Iteration Goals

 = The “3 Cs” of user stories are three criteria that help to ensure that the requirements in your story are clear, complete, and correct. These three criteria are Card, Conversation, and Confirmation1.

Card: A user story card is a placeholder for a conversation. It is a brief and informal description of a software feature written from the perspective of the end user. It captures the essence of the user’s need, without going into too much detail or technical jargon. It is usually written on a physical or digital card that can be easily moved and prioritized2.

Conversation: A user story card is not enough to convey all the information needed to develop and deliver the feature. It is meant to trigger a conversation between the product owner, the development team, and other stakeholders. The conversation is where the details, assumptions, risks, and acceptance criteria are discussed and clarified. The conversation is also an opportunity to collaborate, negotiate, and validate the user story3.

Confirmation: A user story is not complete until it has a confirmation. This is a set of criteria that define what done looks like for the feature. It is also known as acceptance criteria, and it specifies the conditions that must be met for the user story to be accepted by the product owner and the customer. The confirmation is usually written as a series of testable statements that can be verified by the development team and the product owner4.

The goal of the SAFe House of Lean model is to deliver value to the customer and society in the shortest sustainable lead time, with the best quality and value1. The SAFe House of Lean model is based on the Toyota Production System, which aims to eliminate waste and optimize the whole system2. The SAFe House of Lean model consists of a foundation, four pillars, and a roof, which represent the core values, principles, and practices of Lean-Agile development3. The roof is the goal, which is value, and it is supported by the four pillars: respect for people and culture, flow, innovation, and relentless improvement. The foundation is Lean-Agile leadership, which enables and guides the transformation and fosters a culture of learning and growth. References: Core Values - Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe Lean-Agile Principles - Scaled Agile Framework, The SAFe House of Lean model: short and sweet - Echometer, [Lean-Agile Mindset - Scaled Agile Framework]

 The PI Planning process is a two-day event that aligns all the teams on the Agile Release Train (ART) to a shared mission and vision for the upcoming Program Increment (PI)1. The PI Planning process has several inputs and outputs, as shown in Figure 12. One of the outputs of the PI Planning process is the PI Objectives, which are a set of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound) goals that each team and the ART commit to achieving in the PI3. The PI Objectives are based on the features and enablers that the teams plan to deliver, and they reflect the business and technical value that the teams and the ART intend to provide to the stakeholders4. The PI Objectives are also used to track the progress and performance of the teams and the ART throughout the PI execution5. The other options are not outputs of the PI Planning process, but rather inputs or outcomes. The PI Vision is an input to the PI Planning process, which describes the current state, future state, and features of the solution that the ART will deliver in the PI. The PI Goals are an outcome of the PI Planning process, which are derived from the PI Objectives and summarize the business and technical benefits that the ART will deliver in the PI. The Actual PI Business Value is an outcome of the PI execution, which measures the actual value delivered by the ART at the end of the PI, based on the PI Objectives and stakeholder feedback. References: PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework, Inputs and Outputs of PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework, PI Objectives - Scaled Agile Framework, PI Planning - Scaled Agile Framework, Program Execution - Scaled Agile Framework, [PI Vision - Scaled Agile Framework], [PI Goals - Scaled Agile Framework], [Inspect and Adapt - Scaled Agile Framework]

Figure 1. Inputs and outputs of PI Planning2