Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a set of organizational and workflow patterns for implementing agile practices at an enterprise scale. SAFe promotes alignment, collaboration, and delivery across large numbers of agile teams. It was formed around three primary bodies of knowledge.

• agile software development

• lean product development

• systems thinking.

Core Values

The SAFe Agile methodology is based on these four values.

• Alignment

• Built-in quality

• Transparency

• Program execution

• Leadership

Principles

The principles are intended to influence the decisions of not just leaders and managers, but of everyone in the organization and condition their mindset to shift from traditional waterfall thinking to lean-agile thinking.

• Take an economic view

• Apply systems thinking

• Assume variability; preserve options

• Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles

• Base milestones on an objective evaluation of working systems

• Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes and manage queue lengths

• Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning

• Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

• Decentralize decision-making

Implementation SAFe

The 12 steps for implementing SAFe include:

1. Reaching the tipping point

2. Train lean-agile change agents

3. Train executives, managers, and leaders

4. Create a lean-agile center of excellence

5. Identify value streams and ARTs (Agile Release Trains)

6. Create the implementation plan

7. Prepare for ART launch

8. Train teams and launch the ART

9. Coach the ART execution

10. Launch more ARTs and value streams

11. Extend to the portfolio

12. Sustain and improve

If you are trying to prepare for SAFe certification. These practice tests questions will help you prepare for SAFE 5 Leading safe SA (SAFe Agilest).

1. Lean Budget Guardrails

   1. • Guiding investments by horizon

2. Weighted shortest job first gives preference to jobs with which two characteristics

   1. • higher cost of delay

      • shorter duration

3. What is one pillar of the safe house of lean

   1. • Invovation ()

4. A series of activities that have proven to be effective in successfully implementing safe

   1. • The SAFe Implementation Roadmap

5. What is stretch objectives in safe

   1. • used to identify work that can be variable within the scope of a PI

6. Top two reasons for adopting agile in an organization

   1. • Accelerate product delivery

      • Enable changing priorities

7. what is another name for technical or functional spikes needed to uncover knowledge

   1. • Exploration enablers

8. what is the primary focus of lean portfolio management

   1. • Align Lean-Agile development with business strategy

9. What statement is true about program events

   1. • Team events run inside the Program events, and the Program events create a closed loop system

10. Who facilities solution train events

    1. • The Solution Train Engineer

11. What is part of the role of the scrum master

    1. • Coach Teams the Agile team

12. Which statement is a principle from the Agile Manifesto?

    1. • Working software is the primary measure of progress

       • responding to change over following a plan.

13. What are two items that appear on the program board? (Choose two.)

    1. • Features

       • Significant dependencies

14. Why is it important to decouple deployment from release?

    1. • To enable deploying upon demand

15. At the end of PI Planning after dependencies are resolved and risks are addressed, a confidence vote is taken. What is the default method used to vote?

    1. • Fist of Five

16. during the final plan review program risks are addressed using roam

    1. • Owned, Mitigated, Resolved, Accepted

17. Which two areas are part of the Scaled Agile Framework Core Values? (Choose two.)

    1. • Built-in Quality

       • Alignment

       • transparency

       • Program Execution

18. Who is responsible for managing the Portfolio Kanban

    1. • Lean Portfolio Management

19. When are planning adjustments communicated back to the Agile Release Train after the management review

    1. • At the beginning of day two

20. Which of the core competencies of the lean enterprise helps align strategy and execution

    1. • Lean Portfolio Management

21. When should new approaches be anchored in an organization's culture?

    1. • Culture change comes last as a results of changing work habits

22. What is the meaning of shift left in safe agile

    1. • applying quality practice early and continuously

23. Which leadership style helps create a safe environment for learning, growth, and mutual influence

    1. • Leader as the developer of people

24. What does the Continuous Delivery Pipeline enable?

    1. • Ongoing development team objective

25. Scrum is built on transparency, inspection, and what else

    1. • Adaption

26. During which event are the Team PI Objectives agreed upon

    1. • PI Planning

27. Which role serves as the Servant Leader for the Agile Release Train

    1. • Release Train Engineer

28. Which statement is true about Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) and budgeting

    1. • LPM empowers stakeholders to adapt the current backlog and roadmap context

29. Who is responsible for managing the Portfolio Kanban

    1. • Lean Portfolio Management

30. Optimizing flow means identifying and reducing what?

    1. • Delays

31. Which statement is true about Program events?

    1. • Team events run inside the Program events, and the Program events create a closed loop system

32. How can trust be gained between the business and development

    1. • Deliver predictability

33. When are planning adjustments communicated back to the Agile Release Train after the management review

    1. • At the beginning of day two

34. Why do Business Owners assign business value to Teams' PI Objectives

    1. • To provide the teams with guidance of value to the business

35. What is this statement defining: "A series of activities that have proven to be effective in successfully implementing SAFe"?

    1. • The SAFe Implementation Roadmap

36. What is an example of cross-functional Iterations?

    1. • Iteration 1: Define, Build, Test; Define, Build, Test

37. What are two ways to describe a cross-functional Agil38e team? (Choose two.)

    1. • They are optimized for communication and delivery of value

       • They can define, build, and test a feature or component

38. Which two areas are part of the Scaled Agile Framework Core Values? (Choose two.)

    1. • Built-in Quality

       • Alignment

39. What is the primary focus of Lean Portfolio Management?

    1. • Align Lean-Agile development with business strategy

40. Which statement is true about stretch Team PI Objectives?

    1. • They are part of the load but are not part of the commitment

41. What is an example of applying cadence and synchronization in SAFe?

    1. • Conducting a PI Planning Meeting

42. Which statement is a value from the Agile Manifesto?

    1. • Individuals and Interactions Over Processes and Tools

       • Working software over comprehensive documentation

       • Responding to Change Over Following a Plan

       • Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation

43. Safe first lean-agile principle includes deliver early and often and what else

    1. • delivery value Incremental and development

44. What are the top two reasons for adopting Agile in an organization? (Choose two.)

    1. • Enable changing priorities

       • Accelerate product delivery

45. When would Large Solution SAFe be needed?

    1. • When there are more than two Agile Teams

46. If small batches go through the system faster with lower variability, then which statement is true about batch size?

    1. • Severe project slippage is the most likely result of large batches

       • large batches can cause project to miss target

47. If a program repeatedly shows separate feature branches rather than a true System Demo, which practice should be reviewed to address the issue?

    1. • Continuous Integration

48. Which statement is true about Solution Context when defining large solutions?

    1. • It defines the environment in which the Solution operates

49. According to the Harvard Business Review article titled, "The New New Product Development Game", what does it mean to create built-in instability?

    1. • Provide challenging requirements and a high degree of freedom to meet the requirements

50. The analyzing step of the Portfolio Kanban system has a new Epic with a completed Lean business case. What best describes the next step for the Epic?

    1. • It will be moved to the Portfolio Backlog if it receives a "Go" decision from Lean Portfolio Management

51. Which statement is a principle from the Agile Manifesto?

    1. • Working software is the primary measure of progress

       • responding to change over following a plan.

52. What is the roof of the SAFe House of Lean?

    1. • Value

53. What is a benefit of enhancing enterprise agility?

    1. • It allows for a faster response to changing market opportunities

54. Weighted Shortest Job First gives preference to jobs with which two characteristics? (Choose two.)

    1. • Shorter duration

       • Higher Cost of Delay

       • 56 What does the Continuous Delivery Pipeline enable?

       • Continuous learning cycles

55. What is the best measure of progress for complex system development?

    1. • System Demo

56. Which three types of decisions should remain centralized even in a decentralized decision-making environment? (Choose three.)

    1. • Long lasting decisions

       • Infrequent decisions

       • Decisions with significant economies of scale

57. Decision that deliver large and board economic benefit

    1. • unlike the change in short term

58. Which SAFe Principle includes providing autonomy with purpose, mission, and minimum constraints?

    1. • Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

59. SAFe's first Lean-Agile Principle includes "Deliver early and often" and what else?

    1. • Deliver value incrementally

60. What is one key purpose of DevOps?

    1. • operate with an automated Continuous Delivery Pipeline.

61. A team has just adopted the SAFe Implementation Roadmap and is in the process of training executives, managers, and leaders. What is their next step?

    1. • Identify Value Streams and Agile Release Trains

62. Strategic Themes are different business objectives which help guide Solutions. Where are Strategic Themes found in the SAFe Big Picture?

    1. • Portfolio Level

63. What is one pillar of the SAFe House of Lean?

    1. • Flow

64. When should new approaches be anchored in an organization's culture?

    1. • Culture change comes last as a results of changing work habits

65. What is an attribute of an application built with DevOps in mind?

    1. • Overlay measurements with events

66. What is the difference between a pi road-map and a solution road map

    1. • A near-term PI road-map and a longer-term solution road-map.