SAFe 6 DevOps Exam Questions: Comprehensive Preparation Guide
The SAFe 6 DevOps certification is designed to validate your knowledge of DevOps practices within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). This certification ensures that professionals can support continuous delivery, improve flow, and align business objectives with IT operations. This guide provides an overview of the SAFe 6 DevOps exam and sample questions to help you prepare effectively.
Overview of the SAFe 6 DevOps Certification Exam
Key Exam Details
- Format: Multiple-choice and multiple-select questions.
- Number of Questions: 45.
- Duration: 90 minutes.
- Passing Score: 73% (33 out of 45).
- Delivery: Web-based, closed-book exam.
Topics Covered
- Understanding CALMR (Culture, Automation, Lean Flow, Measurement, Recovery).
- Continuous exploration and integration.
- Building and deploying with continuous delivery pipelines.
- Aligning with release on demand.
- Optimizing flow across the value stream.
Sample SAFe 6 DevOps Exam Questions
1. Understanding CALMR
Question 1: What is the primary focus of the CALMR approach in DevOps?
- a) Accelerating release frequency at all costs.
- b) Creating a culture of shared responsibility for business outcomes.
- c) Using only automation to ensure delivery quality.
- d) Prioritizing recovery over all other practices.
Answer: b) Creating a culture of shared responsibility for business outcomes.
Explanation: The CALMR approach emphasizes a cultural shift, automation, lean flow, measurement, and recovery to support business outcomes.
Question 2: Which component of CALMR focuses on reducing waste and improving efficiency in the delivery pipeline?
- a) Culture.
- b) Lean flow.
- c) Measurement.
- d) Recovery.
Answer: b) Lean flow.
Explanation: Lean flow reduces waste, identifies bottlenecks, and ensures smooth delivery across the value stream.
2. Continuous Exploration and Integration
Question 3: What is the main goal of continuous exploration in a DevOps context?
- a) Automating deployment processes.
- b) Aligning the team with customer needs and market changes.
- c) Reducing testing cycles.
- d) Improving recovery time.
Answer: b) Aligning the team with customer needs and market changes.
Explanation: Continuous exploration ensures teams gather customer insights to align development with evolving requirements.
Question 4: Which practice is essential for achieving continuous integration?
- a) Deploying to production after each commit.
- b) Merging changes frequently into the shared repository.
- c) Conducting quarterly integration reviews.
- d) Using manual testing processes exclusively.
Answer: b) Merging changes frequently into the shared repository.
Explanation: Frequent merging reduces integration issues and ensures code remains compatible.
3. Continuous Delivery Pipelines
Question 5: What is the purpose of continuous delivery pipelines?
- a) To automate all project tasks.
- b) To visualize, automate, and measure the flow of value from concept to delivery.
- c) To ensure all team members work on the same task.
- d) To eliminate the need for planning.
Answer: b) To visualize, automate, and measure the flow of value from concept to delivery.
Explanation: Continuous delivery pipelines streamline processes and ensure efficient delivery of value.
Question 6: What is the best way to ensure the pipeline supports frequent delivery to production?
- a) Avoid using version control systems.
- b) Ensure testing and deployment are automated.
- c) Perform manual integration before deployment.
- d) Limit the pipeline to one feature at a time.
Answer: b) Ensure testing and deployment are automated.
Explanation: Automation reduces errors and speeds up the delivery process.
4. Release on Demand
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of release on demand?
- a) Delivering features in batches at the end of each sprint.
- b) Aligning releases with customer demand and business objectives.
- c) Releasing code as soon as it is written.
- d) Eliminating the need for testing.
Answer: b) Aligning releases with customer demand and business objectives.
Explanation: Release on demand ensures value is delivered at the right time to meet customer needs.
Question 8: Which of the following is critical for supporting release on demand?
- a) Manual deployment processes.
- b) Automated release mechanisms.
- c) Quarterly release planning.
- d) Individual team silos.
Answer: b) Automated release mechanisms.
Explanation: Automation enables faster, more reliable releases in response to demand.
5. Value Stream Optimization
Question 9: What is a key metric for measuring flow efficiency in a value stream?
- a) Total number of deployed features.
- b) Percentage of time spent on value-adding activities.
- c) Number of daily stand-up meetings.
- d) Amount of code written per sprint.
Answer: b) Percentage of time spent on value-adding activities.
Explanation: Flow efficiency measures how much time is spent on productive activities versus delays.
Question 10: How can a team identify bottlenecks in the delivery process?
- a) By analyzing lead time and cycle time metrics.
- b) By increasing the number of tasks in progress.
- c) By focusing only on team velocity.
- d) By avoiding measurement altogether.
Answer: a) By analyzing lead time and cycle time metrics.
Explanation: Lead time and cycle time highlight delays, helping teams address bottlenecks.
Tips for Passing the SAFe 6 DevOps Exam
- Understand the CALMR Approach:
- Dive deep into each component: Culture, Automation, Lean Flow, Measurement, and Recovery.
- Focus on Continuous Delivery Pipelines:
- Familiarize yourself with the practices and metrics used to optimize delivery pipelines.
- Practice with Sample Questions:
- Simulate the exam with practice questions to identify weak areas.
- Review SAFe Resources:
- Use official SAFe study materials, including the SAFe DevOps Practitioner course content.
- Apply Real-World Scenarios:
- Relate DevOps principles to practical situations for better retention and understanding.
Conclusion
The SAFe 6 DevOps exam validates your expertise in applying DevOps principles within the SAFe framework. By studying key topics like CALMR, continuous delivery pipelines, and value stream optimization, and practicing with sample questions, you can confidently prepare for success. Leverage this guide as a starting point to enhance your knowledge and achieve certification. Good luck!