How is customer feedback incorporated into measuring progress?

• A. Annual customer feedback reports
• B. Customer satisfaction surveys
• C. Stakeholder sign-offs
• D. Cadence-based objective measures of working code with customer feedback

Answer: (D)

Progress is measured by delivering tangible, working software at a regular cadence and gathering direct feedback from customers on that increment. In SAFe, the team or ART shows a runnable slice of the system at each iteration through the System Demo, giving customers and stakeholders the chance to interact with real functionality and voice what to adjust next. This keeps progress tied to actual value being produced and validated, rather than to reports or approvals that come later.

Annual feedback reports miss the mark because they come far after work has been done and can’t reflect the latest iterations or shifts in priorities. Customer satisfaction surveys provide sentiment but don’t directly demonstrate the delivered capabilities or how they’re improving over time. Stakeholder sign-offs can become a gate that slows delivery and aren’t a reliable measure of ongoing progress or customer value.

By contrast, cadence-based, objective measures of working code with customer feedback ensure progress is visible, incremental, and usable, with feedback looped back quickly to guide future work.