SAFe APM Questions with 100% Correct
Answers 2023
What determines when a Feature is ready to move to the next column in the Program
Kanban?
Policies
Work in process (WIP) limits
Definition of done
Definition of ready – Correct answer-Policies
Which two sources are most likely to help when creating a compelling product Vision?
(Choose two.)
Agile Teams
Customer feedback
Competitor analysis
Stakeholder analysis
Team Backlogs – Correct answer-Agile Teams
Customer feedback
Which aspect of whole-product thinking captures a Customer’s price sensitivity?
Augmented product
Expected product
Potential product
Generic product – Correct answer-Augmented product
To foster alignment during the PI execution, the Product Manager may often be asked
to facilitate which event in the closed loop system?
PO sync
Scrum of Scrums
System Demo
Inspect & Adapt – Correct answer-PO sync
What are the key elements of the Solution Intent?
Specifications, designs, and tests
Strategic Themes and nonfunctional requirements
Epics, Features, and Stories
Customer segments and product Vision – Correct answer-Specifications, designs, and
tests
Which horizon describes the desired state as stable solutions that deliver high value
with minimal new investment?
Horizon 1
Horizon 0
Horizon 2
Horizon 3 – Correct answer-Horizon 1
What are two outputs of a PI Planning event? (Choose two.)
Top 10 Features
PI retrospective action items
Committed PI Objectives
Program Board with Dependencies
10-15% allocation to the Architectural Runway – Correct answer-Committed PI
Objectives
Program Board with Dependencies
What does the Solution Context describe?
The behavior of the Solution
The type of Solution the Customer will use
The environment in which the Solution operates
The Customer segment for the Solution – Correct answer-The environment in which the
Solution operates
Who are the three main stakeholders involved in calculating a Feature’s weighted
shortest job first values? (Choose three.)
Release Train Engineer
Product Manager
System Architects
Scrum Master
System Team
Business Owners – Correct answer-Release Train Engineer
Which ceremony tracks the ART’s progress towards meeting the Program Increment
objectives?
ART sync
Participatory budgeting
Portfolio minimum viable product reviews
Weighted shortest job first prioritization – Correct answer-ART sync
Under what circumstance would a team create a Story map?
When stories for a single Feature spans multiple teams
When stories are dependent on one another
When stories impact more than one Customer persona
When stories work together to support a workflow – Correct answer-When stories work
together to support a workflow
Which three sources can Product Managers leverage for innovation ideas? (Choose
three.)
Code reviews
Strategic Themes
The PM may fulfill the role of the _?
Product owner: defining stories, prioritizing team backlogs, accepting stories, etc.
T or F? PM supports all product aspects
True – Acts as marketing, contact for ales, reviews legal agreements, responses to service requests, manages valuesteam economics
PMs rely on _ for development facing concerns
Product Owners
Four dimensions of product management stakeholders
Business goals, getting it off the shelf (shipped), getting it built and leveraging support
_ _ is an iterative solution development process that promotes a holistic approach to delighting all stakeholders
Design thinking
Desirable, sustainable, feasible and _ are the four areas of design thinking
viable
Driving product strategy and execution, communicating vision, managing program backlog all have to do with what APM area?
Feasible
What are the 2 populations of Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm?
Early adopters and late adopters
What is Design Thinking’s double diamond?
Understand the problem, design the right solution
What are the two steps of Understanding the Problem in Design Thinking?
Discover (diverge), Define (converge)
What the two steps of Designing the right solution in Design thinking?
Develop (diverge), Deliver (Converge)
Focuses on the who, what and why, Determines concepts, opinions and values, assesses value provided and what internal/external customers will pay, influences marketing and sales is what research area?
Market Research
Fuses on the how, observes and evaluates what customers and users do, determines how customers use or will use the product, influences capabilities and features is what research area?
User research
What research area generally aligns to long-term product development planning horizions?
Market research
T or F. Continuous exploration is market research
True
What are the 5 populations of diffusion of innovation?
Innovators, early adopters, early majority, later majority and laggards
What kind of data is: Previously collected and published data, and may or may not address specific questions
Secondary data
What kind of data is: custom designed and implemented to answer specific questions as best as possible?
Primary data
Usage analytics/product telemetry, government data and libraries are all examples of what kind of data?
Secondary data
A/B testing, questionnaires/surveys are examples of what kind of Primary data?
Quantitative
SImple surveys, Gemba, innovation games and trade studies are examples of what kind of Primary Data?
Qualitative
What of these are considered user research: Usage analytics, government data, libraries, syndicated/private data?
syndicated/private data
Which of these are considered market research? Choice modeling, conjoint analysis, questionnaires/surveys or A/B testing?
None – they are all primary market research
Builds customer empathy with team doing the research, creates vivid, concrete language and commitment to solve customers problems, forms the foundation of innovation by letting you explore ‘what you don’t know you don’t know’ are all strengths of what kind of research?
Qualitative research
Is less objective than other market research methods, does not scale to large numbers of people is not statistically significant are all weaknesses of what kind of research?
Qualitative research
Using segmentation or sampling helps in what area of product management?
research, among other areas
__ research is often more obtainable and useful with large complex solutions having: relatively small numbers of customers, a small number of transactions with each customer, transactions costing hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars
Qualitative
A _ _ is a series of questions or data characteristics that are used to determine if a given person meets the desired respondent profile
Respondent screener
If you have __ customers in your qualitative study, you can expect to represent 70-75 percent of market needs
12
If you have __ customers in your qualitative study, you can expect to represent 90 percent of market needs
30
Innovation games are , serious games designed for market and customer research
collaborative, qualitative
Innovation games leverage cognitive psychology and _ _ to create highly actionable results
Organizational behavior
Name one ‘What is minimal valuable product’ game
20-20 vision, buy a feature, prune the product tree
Name one Innovation Game that helps identify what solution customers need?
Product box, give ’em a hot tub, remember the future
Speedboat and spiderweb are innovation games that identify what in the design thinking flow?
What is their problem?
_ __ is the process of dividing a potential market into distinct subsets with common needs or characteristics in order to focus effort on the most attractive segment
Market segmentation
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Identifiable is
We can identify its members
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Measurable is
We can determine its size
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Significant is
It is large enough to be economically feasible
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Homogenous is
Members within a segment are similar
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Heterogenous
Memebers between sgements are distinct
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Reachable is
Contacted through promotion and distribution efforts
Define from a market segmentation perspective, what Compatible is
Aligned with our mission, strengths and ability
A _ _ _ _ is not a product, service or a specific solution; its the higher purpose for which customers buy products, services and solutions
Job to be done
This market segmentation tool helps to create segments of customers facing similar problems, improve the design of operational value streams and customer experiences and creates opportunities for innovation
Job to be done
What key factors play into the value of a market segment?
current and future size of segment, amount customers are willing to pay for your product or service, compeitors, substitutes and compliments
What questions about market segment value inform strategy?
Is the segment valuable enough? Does it align with our enterprise/portfolio strategy? What would it take for us to win? Could we do it with our current team, offereings go-to-market structures, etc?
_ are finctional characters based upon research – they represent the different people who might use your product or solution in a similar way
personas
What PM tool helps personalize experiences to meet individual customer needs?
Personas
Do you define your segments, then your personas? Or define personas, then segments?
Define your segments, then your personas
T or F. Personas are strategic, longer-lived artifacts that define product direction
True
Normally, when we talk about developing features and benefits we say ‘_ ‘ But in Design Thinking, it often helps to flip the order and talk about ‘ _‘ as this helps promote considering different Features that can provide the desired benefit.
Feature-Benefit, Benefit-Feature
A primary persona does what?
Personas that MUST be satisfied for a successful product driving the design process
A secondary persona does what?
A persona that we will help make accommodations in the primary interface for as long as it doesn’t violate a primary persona
A negative persona does what?
Some we are explicitly NOT designing for
How many primary personas are there typically?
1-4
How many secondary personas are there typically?
1-3
What are some strategies for B2B personas?
Even though they are not end-users you can create personas to capture their role, authority and journey – reveal insights about how they make decisions (attitudes, concerns and criteria) in choosing our solution. They can also help drive what matters in terms of ROI, economic modeling, service and support.
What are some typical artifacts that are used to create personas?
case studies, macro-economic trends, product vision, market segments, win/loss
T or F Personas are essentially roles
F. A persona can have multiple roles
Where else can a persona be leveraged in SAFe?
Iteration planning, program backlog needs that align?, Solution context, PI objectives
Building empathy primarily happens through what three ways?
Empathy interviews, innovation games, and structured interview techniques such as laddering
Empathy Maps are a tool that PMs use to do what?
Help the team develop deep, shared understanding and empathy for other people helping to design better experiences and value streams
Which are shorter-lived artifacts: Persona or Empathy maps?
Empathy Maps
What are some good empathy interview guidelines?
Fact to face is best, build rapport before asking questions, keep questions short, ask only one question at a time, encourage stories
What did Sinek’s Golden Circle findings summarize?
Inspiring products and services always start with Why (instead of How or what)
A _ is a description of the future state of the product
vision
Indsutry analysts, mega trends, government regulation, customer feedback all feed the product _
Vision
What are some tools for developing a vision?
Postcard from the future, Vision box (designing packaging for their future product)
What’s the best method of communicating vision?
A vision video
A _ helps to provide context to create more effective solutions and business models and evolces over time as we learn more about our customers
Value proposition canvas
A _ provides a shared language to describe and visualize the current and potential future business models
business model canvas
What other SAFe canvas’ could inform and evolve with the Business Model Canvas?
Value stream canvas, portfolio canvas
A _ __ illustrates the users experience engaging with a company through products, online experiences and services
Customer journey map
What PM tool may document users desires, activities, feelings, questions, pain points and identify gaps and opportunities for new products or capabilities?
Customer journey maps
Research, graphical representation, a focus on customer goals and emotions and an understanding of your brand promise are all inputs to what PM tool?
Customer journey maps
What four areas make up whole-product thinking?
Generic product, expected product, augmented product, potential product
In whole product thinking generic product represents what?
Minimum product to satisfy customer
In whole product thinking expected product represents what?
Features typically found in this type of product
In whole product thinking augmented product represents what?
Features that differentiate this specific product from competitive or alternative products
In whole product thinking potential product represents what?
Our vision of future capabilities that keep customers
Competitors product capabilities and customers overlapping needs means what for your product?
You lose because you can’t perform there!
Competitors product capabilities and customers overlapping needs overlapping with your product capabilities means what for your product?
You have to fight for those customers!
Your product capabilities and customers overlapping needs means what for your product?
You win!