ADM ADM Scaling Agile Frameworks 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)?
- An enterprise agility framework that applies lean-agile principles across large organizations (Correct answer)
- A single-team Scrum extension designed for software startups
- A project management methodology focused on waterfall planning at scale
- A certification program for individual Scrum Masters
Correct answer: An enterprise agility framework that applies lean-agile principles across large organizations
SAFe organizes multiple agile teams around value streams and provides roles, ceremonies, and artifacts to align strategy with execution at enterprise scale.
Question 2: What is a Program Increment (PI) in SAFe?
- A time-boxed planning and delivery period, typically 8–12 weeks, for an Agile Release Train (Correct answer)
- A single sprint iteration within a Scrum team in SAFe
- The quarterly budget cycle for a SAFe portfolio
- A product increment reviewed at the end of each sprint
Correct answer: A time-boxed planning and delivery period, typically 8–12 weeks, for an Agile Release Train
A PI is SAFe's cadence unit above the sprint level; multiple teams plan, execute, and review work together across a fixed PI period.
Question 3: What is LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum)?
- A lightweight framework that extends Scrum to multiple teams with minimal additional roles (Correct answer)
- An enterprise framework with many prescribed roles and ceremonies
- A Kanban-based scaling approach focused on flow metrics
- A portfolio management tool for SAFe organizations
Correct answer: A lightweight framework that extends Scrum to multiple teams with minimal additional roles
LeSS scales Scrum by keeping the same Scrum rules and adding coordination practices, deliberately avoiding extra roles and processes to preserve agility.
Question 4: What is an Agile Release Train (ART) in SAFe?
- A long-lived team of agile teams (typically 50–125 people) that delivers value together (Correct answer)
- A deployment pipeline that automates releases to production
- A series of sprint reviews conducted in sequence across teams
- A Kanban board used to track cross-team dependencies
Correct answer: A long-lived team of agile teams (typically 50–125 people) that delivers value together
An ART is SAFe's primary value delivery vehicle: a virtual organization of 5–12 teams aligned to a shared mission, backlog, and PI cadence.
Question 5: What is Scrum@Scale?
- A framework by Jeff Sutherland that scales Scrum using a network of Scrum teams (Correct answer)
- A SAFe configuration for teams with fewer than 20 members
- A Scrum extension that adds portfolio-level Kanban boards
- A scaling approach that merges Scrum with Extreme Programming practices
Correct answer: A framework by Jeff Sutherland that scales Scrum using a network of Scrum teams
Scrum@Scale, created by Scrum co-founder Jeff Sutherland, scales Scrum's core mechanics across the enterprise using a modular, fractal structure.
Question 6: What is the primary responsibility of a Release Train Engineer (RTE) in SAFe?
- Serve as servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train, facilitating ART events (Correct answer)
- Manage the product roadmap and prioritize the ART backlog
- Write and approve acceptance criteria for program-level user stories
- Oversee budget allocation for the SAFe portfolio
Correct answer: Serve as servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train, facilitating ART events
The RTE is the chief Scrum Master for the ART, removing impediments, facilitating PI Planning, and coaching teams toward higher agile maturity.
ADM ADM Scaling Agile Frameworks 1
What is the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)?