SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is an 'Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration' in the context of an ART?
- A sprint dedicated to developing new product features
- A buffer iteration at the end of a PI used for innovation, PI Planning prep, and hardening (Correct answer)
- A planning event for the next fiscal year
- A retrospective for the entire ART
Correct answer: A buffer iteration at the end of a PI used for innovation, PI Planning prep, and hardening
The IP Iteration is the last iteration of a PI, providing time for innovation, hackathons, team improvement, and preparing for the next PI Planning event.
Question 2: What does 'ART Velocity' measure?
- The speed of the release train deployment pipeline
- The average number of story points delivered per PI across all teams on the ART (Correct answer)
- The number of features completed per sprint
- The throughput of the CI/CD pipeline
Correct answer: The average number of story points delivered per PI across all teams on the ART
ART Velocity is the sum of all team velocities on the ART, used to forecast how much work can be committed to in a PI.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'Feature Toggles' in a SAFe ART context?
- A tool for switching between Agile and Waterfall
- A technique allowing features to be deployed but activated selectively (Correct answer)
- A method for toggling between sprint goals
- A configuration management process
Correct answer: A technique allowing features to be deployed but activated selectively
Feature toggles (flags) allow teams to deploy code to production while selectively enabling features for specific users or markets.
Question 4: What is a 'Solution Train' in SAFe, and how does it relate to ARTs?
- A single large ART with more than 125 people
- A coordination structure for multiple ARTs building a large, complex solution (Correct answer)
- An IT infrastructure deployment process
- A portfolio-level governance board
Correct answer: A coordination structure for multiple ARTs building a large, complex solution
A Solution Train coordinates multiple ARTs and suppliers to build large solutions requiring more than one ART to deliver.
Question 5: What is the purpose of 'System Demos' in SAFe?
- To demonstrate individual team stories to the Product Owner
- To show integrated, working system increments from all ART teams to stakeholders every iteration (Correct answer)
- To review the ART roadmap with executives
- To demo architecture decisions to the System Architect
Correct answer: To show integrated, working system increments from all ART teams to stakeholders every iteration
System Demos occur every iteration to show a fully integrated and tested increment from all teams on the ART to key stakeholders.
Question 6: In SAFe, what is a 'Shared Service' in the context of an ART?
- A cloud computing service used by all teams
- A team or group providing specialized capabilities to multiple ARTs or teams (Correct answer)
- A common backlog shared across all Agile teams
- A centralized testing environment
Correct answer: A team or group providing specialized capabilities to multiple ARTs or teams
Shared Services are specialists (security, UX, legal, DBA) who support multiple ARTs but are not exclusively dedicated to one ART.
SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) 2
What is an 'Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration' in the context of an ART?