SAFe Lean-Agile Leadership and Culture 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary behavior change required of leaders in a SAFe Lean-Agile transformation?
- Approving all team decisions to maintain oversight
- Shifting from command-and-control to servant leadership that empowers teams (Correct answer)
- Increasing the number of status reports required
- Outsourcing Agile coaching to consultants
Correct answer: Shifting from command-and-control to servant leadership that empowers teams
SAFe leaders must transform from directing and controlling to empowering, coaching, and removing impediments — embodying servant leadership principles.
Question 2: What does 'Leading by Example' mean in the SAFe Leadership competency?
- Publishing metrics dashboards for all to see
- Leaders personally exhibiting Lean-Agile behaviors and mindset — they model what they ask of others (Correct answer)
- Executives attending all Scrum ceremonies
- Managers completing SAFe certification
Correct answer: Leaders personally exhibiting Lean-Agile behaviors and mindset — they model what they ask of others
Leading by Example means executives and managers demonstrate the Lean-Agile mindset daily through their decisions, communication, and behaviors.
Question 3: What is a 'Communities of Practice (CoP)' in SAFe?
- A mandatory training program for all employees
- An informal group of practitioners who share knowledge, tools, and practices around a topic area (Correct answer)
- A governance committee for SAFe compliance
- A team of coaches hired to implement SAFe
Correct answer: An informal group of practitioners who share knowledge, tools, and practices around a topic area
Communities of Practice are voluntary, cross-team groups where practitioners (e.g., Scrum Masters, UX designers) collaborate, share lessons, and improve skills.
Question 4: In SAFe, 'Psychological Safety' in teams is important because:
- It prevents team members from reporting issues to management
- It enables team members to speak up, take risks, and surface problems without fear of punishment (Correct answer)
- It protects teams from outside interference
- It ensures physical safety in the workplace
Correct answer: It enables team members to speak up, take risks, and surface problems without fear of punishment
Psychological Safety allows team members to voice concerns, admit mistakes, and propose bold ideas — essential for continuous learning and improvement.
Question 5: What is the 'SAFe Transformation Backlog' used for?
- Tracking software development work
- Capturing and prioritizing improvements needed for the organization's Lean-Agile transformation (Correct answer)
- Listing all SAFe training sessions to be scheduled
- Documenting compliance requirements for Agile adoption
Correct answer: Capturing and prioritizing improvements needed for the organization's Lean-Agile transformation
The SAFe Transformation Backlog captures and prioritizes all actions, changes, and improvements needed as the organization adopts SAFe.
Question 6: What does 'Gemba Walk' mean in the context of SAFe Lean-Agile leadership?
- A SAFe planning ceremony
- Leaders going to where the work happens to observe, understand, and support teams directly (Correct answer)
- A type of Lean waste audit
- A Kaizen event for process improvement
Correct answer: Leaders going to where the work happens to observe, understand, and support teams directly
A Gemba Walk ('go to the actual place') has leaders visit teams, observe real work, ask questions, and identify improvement opportunities firsthand.
SAFe Lean-Agile Leadership and Culture 1
What is the primary behavior change required of leaders in a SAFe Lean-Agile transformation?