SAFe RTE practice questions: Executing the PI

5 free questions from 30 on this area · answer and explanation for each · no sign-up

These 5 questions come from the Executing the PI section of our SAFe RTE bank (30 questions on this area, which carries 28% of the real exam). Every question is original, with the correct answer explained and linked to the source it is drawn from.

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1/5 · Executing the PI

During the risk review portion of PI Planning, a risk is raised: Team A depends on an API from Team B that may not be ready until the IP Iteration. Team B agrees on the spot to resequence its backlog and move the API story into Iteration 1, fully addressing the timing concern before Team A needs it. How should this risk be categorized using ROAM?

AResolved

BMitigated

CAccepted

DOwned

Show answer & explanation

A is correct. SAFe's ROAM technique sorts risks into Resolved, Owned, Accepted, or Mitigated during the PI Planning risk review. When an action taken during the event removes the risk entirely, it is marked Resolved rather than merely mitigated or assigned an owner for later tracking.
↗ the SAFe 6.0 framework (framework.scaledagile.com) + the official SAFe Release Train Engineer course content — Executing the PI

2/5 · Executing the PI · hard

Team Delta finishes PI Planning with two PI objectives marked as 'uncommitted' because of significant, unresolved dependency risk on an external vendor deliverable. As RTE, how should this be handled going into ART execution?

ATreat them as committed anyway since the team still intends to attempt the work

BRemove the objectives from the plan and backlog entirely since the team cannot commit to them

CUse the uncommitted status to reduce the team's velocity baseline for the next PI as a corrective measure

DDocument the uncommitted objectives and communicate them transparently to Business Owners and stakeholders as no-guarantee items; the team still plans and tracks progress on them, but they carry no formal delivery commitment

Show answer & explanation

D is correct. SAFe 6.0 allows teams to designate certain PI objectives as uncommitted when there is significant risk or uncertainty outside their control, such as external dependencies. These are still planned and worked, but they are excluded from predictability calculations and communicated transparently so stakeholders understand there is no firm delivery guarantee.
↗ the SAFe 6.0 framework (framework.scaledagile.com) + the official SAFe Release Train Engineer course content — Executing the PI

3/5 · Executing the PI · hard

The RTE observes that too many Features are being pulled into the 'Analyzing' state of the Program Kanban simultaneously, causing Product Management to context-switch heavily and delaying refinement for the whole ART. What action reflects proper application of Kanban principles at the ART level?

AEscalate to Lean Portfolio Management to have the Portfolio Kanban override and take control of all Program-level Feature refinement

BRemove WIP limits entirely since the Program Kanban should allow unlimited Features to be analyzed in parallel

CAdd all pending Features into the current PI plan immediately regardless of capacity, to avoid delaying customers

DEstablish and enforce a WIP limit on the Program Kanban's Analyzing state so only a manageable number of Features are analyzed at once, pulling new ones only as capacity frees up

Show answer & explanation

D is correct. SAFe's Program Kanban applies WIP limits to each state (Funnel, Analyzing, Backlog, Implementing, etc.) to prevent overloading roles like Product Management and to keep Features flowing smoothly. When context-switching and delay appear in a given state, the correct Kanban response is to enforce or tighten the WIP limit for that state rather than add more work or remove limits.
↗ the SAFe 6.0 framework (framework.scaledagile.com) + the official SAFe Release Train Engineer course content — Executing the PI

4/5 · Executing the PI · easy

How often does the System Demo occur during PI execution?

ADaily, as part of each team's Daily Stand-up.

BOnly during the Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration.

CAt the end of every iteration, giving stakeholders an integrated view of new Features delivered by all teams on the ART.

DOnly once, at the very end of the PI, replacing the need for any earlier demos.

Show answer & explanation

C is correct. SAFe 6.0 specifies that the System Demo is held at the end of every iteration to provide an integrated, objective view of what all ART teams have built, with a special PI System Demo occurring during the IP Iteration to showcase the full increment.
↗ the SAFe 6.0 framework (framework.scaledagile.com) + the official SAFe Release Train Engineer course content — Executing the PI

5/5 · Executing the PI · easy

What is the PRIMARY purpose of the Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration within a Program Increment?

ATo serve as a hardening or stabilization sprint where all remaining defects from the PI must be fixed before release.

BTo give teams an extra iteration of feature development capacity that is excluded from velocity calculations.

CTo provide dedicated time for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and Inspect & Adapt, while also acting as an estimating guard band for the PI.

DTo allow the RTE to conduct individual performance reviews for every team member.

Show answer & explanation

C is correct. SAFe 6.0 describes the IP Iteration as providing dedicated time across the ART for innovation, continuing education, PI Planning, and the Inspect & Adapt event, and it also serves as an estimating guard band to absorb planning uncertainty — explicitly not a hardening sprint.
↗ the SAFe 6.0 framework (framework.scaledagile.com) + the official SAFe Release Train Engineer course content — Executing the PI

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Other SAFe RTE areas

The same kind of free sample for every other section of the SAFe RTE bank:

Exploring the RTE Role20 q Applying SAFe Principles24 q Serving the ART35 q

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