SA Practice Questions
Prepare for SA with more than an answer.
- Exam fee
- $100 USD
- Level
- Foundational
- Valid for
- 1 year
Domains covered on the exam 6
- Digital Age and Business Agility13%
- Lean-Agile Leaders31%
- Team and Technical Agility7%
- Agile Product Delivery31%
- Lean Portfolio Management13%
- Leading the Change7%
- 1
During PI Planning, teams create two types of objectives: committed and uncommitted. What is the primary purpose of uncommitted objectives?
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Correct answer: C
Uncommitted objectives are used to identify work that is planned but cannot be guaranteed. This could be due to high uncertainty, dependencies, or risks. By making them uncommitted, they act as stretch goals. This practice increases the predictability and reliability of the committed plan because it provides a buffer. Teams are not penalized if uncommitted objectives are not met, but they do count for extra credit if they are. This encourages ambitious goals without sacrificing predictability.
- 2
True or False: The SAFe House of Lean is built on the foundation of Lean-Agile Leadership.
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Correct answer: A
This is true. The SAFe House of Lean model is adapted from the Toyota model. Its goal is Value. The roof is supported by four pillars: Respect for People and Culture, Flow, Innovation, and Relentless Improvement. The entire structure rests on the foundation of Lean-Agile Leadership, signifying that leadership is the essential base that supports and enables all other aspects of a successful Lean enterprise.
- 3
The continuous delivery pipeline consists of four elements: Continuous Exploration, Continuous Integration, Continuous Deployment, and Release on Demand. Which element is most focused on taking features from the ART backlog and preparing them for implementation?
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Correct answer: A
Continuous Exploration (CE) is the first element of the continuous delivery pipeline. It focuses on the activities needed to understand customer needs and create alignment on what should be built. This involves synthesizing research, refining features, and defining their benefits and acceptance criteria, effectively preparing them for implementation in the subsequent stages of the pipeline.
- 4
SAFe Principle #3, 'Assume variability; preserve options', is critical for innovation and achieving optimal solutions. What is a key practice that directly supports this principle?
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Correct answer: C
Set-Based Design is a practice where multiple design options are explored in parallel for a period of time. As more is learned, inferior options are eliminated, and the teams converge on the optimal solution. This directly embodies Principle #3 by preserving options and delaying decisions until the last responsible moment, which allows for more innovation and a better economic outcome compared to committing to a single point solution early.
- 5
The following diagram illustrates a key SAFe principle. Which principle is best represented by this diagram showing multiple potential solution paths being explored concurrently before converging on a final design?
flowchart LR subgraph Time Start --> P1 & P2 & P3 P1[Path 1] --> D1{Decision Point} P2[Path 2] --> D1 P3[Path 3] --> D1 D1 --> P4[Path A] & P5[Path B] P4 --> D2{Final Decision} P5 --> D2 D2 --> ConvergedSolution[Converged Solution] endShow answer details
Correct answer: B
This diagram illustrates the practice of set-based design, which is a key concept in Principle #3. Instead of choosing a single point solution early on, multiple options are explored in parallel. Knowledge is gained about the alternatives, and decisions are deferred to the last responsible moment. This approach preserves options and leads to better economic outcomes when facing high uncertainty.
- 6
A financial services firm has successfully launched its first Agile Release Train (ART) focused on its retail banking application. The ART is performing well, but senior leadership is concerned that the portfolio's strategic goals are not being effectively translated into the work performed by the ART. Which SAFe mechanism is specifically designed to connect the enterprise strategy to the portfolio's work?
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Correct answer: C
Strategic Themes are the primary mechanism in SAFe for connecting the enterprise's strategic direction to the SAFe portfolio. They provide business context for portfolio decision-making, influencing the Portfolio Vision and the prioritization of Epics in the Portfolio Backlog. PI Objectives are short-term goals for a Program Increment, the Portfolio Backlog contains the work, and the Solution Intent is for solution design, but Strategic Themes provide the overarching strategic linkage.
- 7
During a PI Planning event for a new ART, the teams are struggling to create their plans because the vision is unclear and the top 10 features are poorly defined. Which two roles have the primary responsibility for addressing this issue before and during the event? (Select TWO)
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Correct answer: B, C
Product Management is responsible for defining the Vision, the ART backlog, and presenting the top 10 features. System Architects are responsible for providing the architectural runway and technical guidance. While the RTE facilitates the event and Business Owners provide business context, the core content of vision and features falls to Product Management and the technical feasibility to the System Architect.
Product Management is responsible for defining the Vision, the ART backlog, and presenting the top 10 features. System Architects are responsible for providing the architectural runway and technical guidance. While the RTE facilitates the event and Business Owners provide business context, the core content of vision and features falls to Product Management and the technical feasibility to the System Architect.
- 8
True or False: According to SAFe Principle #5, basing milestones on an objective evaluation of working systems means that phase-gate reviews should be replaced entirely by System Demos.
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Correct answer: A
This is true. SAFe Principle #5 advocates for moving away from traditional phase-gate milestones, which are often based on documents and predictive plans. Instead, it promotes objective milestones based on the demonstration of a working system. The System Demo at the end of each iteration provides this objective evidence, allowing stakeholders to make decisions based on tangible progress rather than on subjective status reports.
- 9
A large enterprise is adopting SAFe and has identified its primary development value stream for a major e-commerce platform. The leadership team is now debating how to fund the work. A traditional project manager proposes funding individual projects with detailed, upfront cost estimates. A SAFe consultant argues for a different approach. What is the recommended SAFe method for funding?
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Correct answer: D
SAFe advocates for Lean Budgeting, which involves funding value streams rather than traditional projects. This approach provides a more flexible and efficient flow of funds to the people and resources needed to deliver value. It empowers the Agile Release Trains within the value stream to make decisions on the highest priority work without the overhead and delays of project-based cost accounting.
- 10
A mature Agile Release Train (ART) is consistently delivering value, but the System Demo often reveals integration issues that were not discovered during the Iteration. This results in significant rework. Which SAFe concept is MOST directly aimed at preventing this specific problem?
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Correct answer: C
Continuous Integration (CI) is a core practice of Built-in Quality and the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. By having teams integrate their work frequently (at least daily), integration issues are discovered early and locally, rather than late in the cycle at the System Demo. This prevents large, complex integration problems and reduces rework. While the IP Iteration can be used for integration, the goal is to integrate continuously, not just at the end of the PI.
