Capacity allocation in SAFe is a strategic approach that ensures different types of backlog items are not compared against one another. This is beneficial because it allows for the separation of capacity for different types of work, such as new features, maintenance, technical debt, and others. By allocating specific percentages of capacity to each type of work, teams can maintain a balance and ensure that they are not overcommitting to any one area. This helps in managing work allocation effectively, providing visibility of how much capacity is required, and allowing for innovation and quality improvement1. It also prevents the pitfalls of comparing fundamentally different types of work, such as new feature development against technical debt resolution, which can lead to skewed prioritization and ineffective planning2.QUESTION NO: 16
What falls outside the Scrum Master’s responsibility? (Choose two.)
A. Estimating Stories for the team
B. Assigning Stories to team members
C. Facilitating backlog refinement
D. Facilitating the team’s Innovation and Planning event
E. Coaching the team
Answer: A, B
According to the SAFe framework, the Scrum Master’s role is primarily that of a servant leader and coach for the Agile Team. They are responsible for helping educate the team in Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, and SAFe, ensuring that the agreed Agile process is followed. They also help remove impediments and foster an environment for high-performing team dynamics, continuous flow, and relentless improvement1.
Estimating stories is typically a collaborative effort among all team members during backlog refinement or iteration planning. The Scrum Master facilitates this process but does not estimate the stories for the team. This is because the team members who will be doing the work are best positioned to estimate the effort required1.
Assigning stories to team members also falls outside the Scrum Master’s responsibilities. In SAFe, teams are self-organizing, meaning they decide among themselves who will work on which stories. The Scrum Master may facilitate discussions to help the team make these decisions, but they do not assign work to individual team members1.
Facilitating backlog refinement, facilitating the team’s Innovation and Planning event, and coaching the team are all within the Scrum Master’s responsibilities. They play a key role in these areas to support the team’s progress and continuous improvement within the SAFe framework1.
