Leading SAFe^® with Certified SAFe^® Agilist (SA)

A Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA) is a person who has passed the Scaled Agile Framework certification test and has completed the Leading SAFe® certification. You can handle the critical issues of designing and delivering enterprise-level software and systems in the shortest time by earning the SAFe® Agilist certification from Scaled Agile, Inc. It provides direction to businesses at all levels that are actively involved in solution development, including portfolio, programme, team, and large solutions.

While it is simple to adopt Lean/Agile principles at the team or department level, due to the scope of the change, reproducing these benefits at the enterprise level can be difficult. As a result, organisations rely on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®), which facilitates large-scale, multi-team conversions. SAFe® 5 Agilists are in high demand because of their skill in guiding this shift through carefully planned programme releases and defining the roles and structures needed to grow Agile to the programme level.

The two day long Leading SAFe® course results in the following learning outcomes:

• Lean, Agile, DevOps, and Lean Product Development understanding and principles
• Observations on how to achieve Business Agility by organising around value
• Understanding of Lean Portfolio Management, with a focus on the importance of Lean principles and budgeting.
• The value of PI Planning events, coordinating multiple Agile Release Trains, and developing team and technical agility
• Agile product delivery with a customer-centric mentality and a design thinking approach
• The necessity of developing Communities of Practice and fully empowered people and teams to sustain SAFe® transformation.

In a nutshell, the SAFe® Implementation Roadmap assists leaders in charting their organization’s transformation path.

The main topics that are covered in the SAFe Agilist Certification training are as follows:

• Thriving in the digital age with Business Agility. 
• Evaluate SAFe an operating system for Business Agility
• How SAFe Seven Core Competencies achieves Business Agility
• Becoming a Lean-Agile leader and applying lean-agile mindset at Scale.
• Demonstrate how SAFe Principles enable business agility at scale
• Establishing Team and Technical Agility
• Forming cross-functional Agile Teams to support Build quality in
• Organizing Agile Release Trains (ARTs) around the flow of value
• Building Solutions with Agile Product Delivery 
• Applying Customer Centricity with Design Thinking
• Prioritizing the Program Backlog
• Participating in PI Planning
• Developing on Cadence 
• Releasing on Demand
• Building a Continuous Delivery Pipeline with DevOps
• Exploring Lean Portfolio Management Defining the SAFe portfolio and connecting the portfolio to the Enterprise strategy
• Maintaining the Portfolio Vision and Establishing portfolio flow
• Funding Value Stream
• Explore how to lead by example i.e. Authenticity, Emotional intelligence, Lifelong learning, Growing others, Decentralized decision-making and Identifying actions to take for leading the change

SAFe® consists of different roles at 4 levels of the organization. The responsibilities of the Scaled Agile (SAFe®) roles are as follows:

Team Level:

At this level, the responsibilities synchronise and coordinate with the events at the team level. In the context of the Agile Release Train, this assists Agile teams in developing and delivering value (ART). Roles at the team level include:

• Agile Team– Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Dev Team are part of a cross-functional team.
• Development Team– A vertical slice of functionality is delivered by a cross-functional team that includes testers, developers, and other professionals.
• Product Owner– Responsible for prioritizing the blog and defining user stories.
• Scrum Master– An Agile Team coach and servant leader who assists the team in facilitating team events, removing roadblocks, and fostering a high-performing team atmosphere.

Program Level:

The roles at the programme level keep the team focused on a project goal and provide the required governance to the ARTs. The following are some of the roles:

• System Engineer– An individual that applies system thinking in the project
• Product Management– They are responsible for the program backlog and work with the customers and product owners to understand the requirements.
• Release Train Engineer– A leading Scrum Master and a servant leader who uses various strategies to optimise the flow of value.
• Business Owner- A small group of stakeholders who have the technical responsibility for ROI. 

Large Solution Level:

At the large solution level, the roles manage various vendors and ARTs while also providing the necessary governance. The following are some of the roles:

• Customer– The buyer of every solution.
• Solution Architect/Engineering– A small group or a single person who defines a shared architectural and technical vision for the solution being developed.
• Solution Management- Work with customers in order to understand their needs.
• Solution Train Engineer- Suppliers and ARTs are guided and facilitated by a coach and servant leader.
• Supplier- An internal or external organization that builds and delivers the components, services, or subsystems.

Portfolio Level:

Portfolio-level jobs coordinate across several streams and provide the highest level of governance and responsibility.

• Lean-Portfolio Management– Represents the individuals with the highest level of decision making and financial accountability.
• Epic Owners– Coordinate portfolio epics via the portfolio Kanban systems
• Enterprise Architect– Optimizes portfolio outcomes by providing the strategic technical direction.

Other supporting Roles:

• System team– Helps in creating and using the Agile development environment.
• Lean User Experience (Lean UX)– A process, culture, and mindset that embraces Lean-Agile methods.
• Lean-Agile Leaders– Responsible for the successful adoption of SAFe®.

There are no prerequisites for taking the Leading SAFe course. However, prior to beginning the course, you should have some fundamental experience in software development and testing, product or project management, business analysis, and Scrum. The training is designed for SAFe professionals who wish to improve their performance in their current roles. The following are the people who should take the Leading SAFe course:

• Senior Project Managers/ Senior Consultants
• Program Managers /Projects Managers / Product Managers
• Team Leads /Tech Lead
• IT Head/ Business Heads
• Business Analysts
• IT Heads / Senior IT Managers
• Development, QA, and Infrastructure Management
• Program and Project Managers
• Product and Product Line Management
• Portfolio Managers, PMO, and Process Leads
• Enterprise, System, and Solution Architects 
• Leaders and Executives (Directors, Managers, VPs, CIOs, etc.)
• Experienced testers who want to get a better understanding of their roles

The following individuals will benefit from this course:

• Executives and Leaders, Managers, Directors, CIOs, and VPs
• Development, QA, and Infrastructure Management
• Program and Project Managers
• Product and Product Line Management
• Portfolio Managers, PMO, and Process Leads
• Enterprise, System, and Solution Architects

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is a comprehensive framework for large-scale Agile project teams to effortlessly transition to Agile. It serves as a roadmap for projects at the Portfolio, Large Solution, Program, and Team levels. Businesses reap the following benefits after deploying SAFe®:

10 – 50% happier, more motivated employees

30 – 75% faster time-to-market

20 – 50% increase in productivity

25 – 75% defect reduction

Scaled Agile, Inc. has released five major upgrades to its SAFe® framework since its debut in 2011, all of which reflect changing industry needs. The most recent upgrade is version 5.1, which introduces the Lean Enterprise’s “Seven Core Competencies.” These skills assist SAFe® firms in establishing a true Lean enterprise, which is important for gaining a competitive advantage in today’s world.

At this year’s Global SAFe Summit, Scaled Agile released SAFe 5.0, a new version of the Scaled Agile Framework. The new version includes a straightforward model presentation and a focus on business agility. It also emphasises customer-centricity and the expansion of portfolio management. Here are some further changes in SAFe 5.0:

• Business Agility at the forefront
• New metric in the framework – Business Agility Assessment
• Two new competencies – Organizational Agility and Continuous Learning culture
• New level in SAFe (Essential SAFe) and two competencies have been redefined (Enterprise Solution Delivery and Agile Product Delivery)
• Renewed emphasis on the Lean Portfolio Management’s Core Competency
• New themes – Design thinking and Customer Centricity
• New Principle – Organize around the value

The SAFe Implementation Roadmap outlines a strategy and a set of activities that can aid in the successful implementation of SAFe. It takes a lot of effort to achieve the benefits of Lean/Agile development and business agility at scale. Before you can reap the benefits of SAFe, your company must adopt a Lean/Agile mentality and apply Lean/Agile concepts. Despite the fact that there are no exact step-by-step instructions for implementation, the following 12 actions can assist firms in achieving the greatest results:

1. Recognize the tipping point
   Organizations must understand when they have reached their tipping point, a point at which success is the only logical path ahead. The case for change will become so powerful that it will be impossible to refuse.
2. Train Lean-Agile Change Agents
   All Lean-Agile change agents will be trained as Certified SAFe Program Consultants, able to provide the business with the knowledge and horsepower needed to make the change.
3. Train executives, managers, and leaders
   Any type of transformation necessitates strong leadership. As participants in the LACE, some leaders will give continuous and direct sponsorship for the transformation in the instance of SAFe (Lean-Agile Center of Excellence). Others will help with SAFe implementation, as well as leading, influencing, and managing the transition.
4. Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence
   LACE is a group of people who are committed to implementing SAFe in the company. This is one of the most significant distinctions between firms who are devoted to Lean-Agile techniques and those that embrace Agile solely for the sake of the name.
5. Identify Value Streams and ARTs
   This requires an in-depth understanding of the organizational model that will be facilitating the flow of value through functional silos, boundaries, and activities.
6. Create the Implementation Plan
   The newly trained Lean-Agile leaders will use their new skills to identify methods for putting the framework into action. As a result, the implementation plan is created.
7. Prepare for ART Launch
   This includes carrying out the tasks necessary for a successful ART launch. This implementation will be led by SAFe Program Consultants.
8. Train teams and launch the ART
   This includes focusing on the Agile teams who will be creating the system needed by the organization.  
9. Coach ART Execution
   Stakeholders will have been trained and SPC change agents will have been developed in the new working methods by now. Now is the time for Lean-Agile leaders to concentrate on what truly matters. This will begin with individual and team coaching.
10. Launch more ARTs and Value Streams
    This stage requires you to move at a faster pace. Greater ARTs and value streams will be launched by the company in order to consolidate gains and produce more change. The organisation will be able to reap all of SAFe’s benefits.
11. Extend to the Portfolio
    The organisation will be subjected to traditional and phase-gated processes that inhibit performance if the ARTs and value streams succeed. This will put more strain on the portfolio, necessitating more revisions to optimise strategic flow.
12. Accelerate
    This is the beginning of a new journey built on continuous progress. The growing Lean enterprise must now begin to establish a new operating culture and model, one in which Lean and Agile practises and concepts are the standards.

The SAFe® Agilist certification validates your ability to use lean thinking, the SAFe® Framework, and product development flow principles in a business setting. Our two-day Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) training course, conducted by a Scaled Agile, Inc.-authorized SAFe® Program Consultant, gives you hands-on experience with the Scaled Agile Framework in major companies.

SAFe®, one of the most well-known frameworks for enterprise agility, is provided by Scaled Agile, Inc. Dean Leffingwell first released SAFe® in 2011 as a knowledge source for businesses adopting Agile. It is the main provider of SAFe® courses for enterprise-wide Agile implementation. The SAFe® Agilist (SA) Certification is awarded to people who have passed the SAFe® 5 Agilist Certification Exam.

This is the most difficult credential to obtain nowadays if you want to work for a large corporation.

Some of the advantages of SAFe Agile Training are listed below:

• Stand out from the crowd: It allows a professional to stand out from the crowd, and certification assures that a professional has a deeper understanding of how to implement the process at an enterprise level.
• Pay Increases: A salary increase has always been one of the main reasons. In terms of pay, a certified professional is always the one who benefits the most.
• Global recognition: SAFe Certification is internationally recognised, allowing you to work with huge corporations all over the world.
• Fast Deliverables: Having a strong understanding of Lean-Agile is always beneficial when it comes to meeting deadlines.

On successful completion of  SAFe training, Candidates will receive following:

• Attendees who pass the SAFe certification exam will receive:
• SAFe Agilist certificate issued by Scaled Agile- an Authorized body for SAFe Certifications.
• A SAFe Agilist digital symbol to endorse your triumph online
• A certified membership of one-year as a SAFe Agilist using which you can access the SA Community
• A SAFe Agilist certification practice manual with your score in SAFe Agilist certification
• Access to a diversity of knowledge bases or resources to assist SAFe certified professionals throughout their stint in SAFe world.

A two-day event is held for SAFe Agilist certification to cover subjects such as introducing SAFe and adopting a Lean-Agile mindset. In addition, the course delves into the SAFe Principles and a slew of other topics.

Below are the details of the topics covered in SAFe Training:

1. Introduction of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
2. Embracing a Lean-Agile Mindset
3. Understanding SAFe Principles
4. Experiencing Program Increment (PI) Planning
5. Exploring, Executing, and Releasing Value
6. Leading the Lean-Agile Enterprise
7. Empowering a Lean Portfolio
8. Building Large Solutions
9. Tips and Tricks for passing the exam SAFe®

From SAFe training, participants can gain below the skills

• Enterprise-level Lean-Agile software and systems implementation
• Learn how to identify value streams, as well as how to plan and execute Agile Release Trains (ART)
• SAFe ideals and principles will be learned, and participants will be able to apply SAFe’s Lean and Agile ideas to SAFe roles and practises.
• Learn how to improve your Lean-Agile leadership abilities.
• With DevOps, you’ll be well-versed in releasing on demand.
• Lean Portfolio Management was successfully implemented in the organisation.
• It can teach managers and senior managers how to create Agile Milestones and Roadmaps, as well as plans to help them reach project and organisational goals.
• Complete the training course and pass the SAFe Agilist (SA) certification exam.

One of the advantages of a one-year subscription with Scaled Agile is free admission to the Scaled Agile Community group, which is comprised of all SAFe® specialists, where you may discuss and share your expertise and techniques about SAFe® Agile Practices.

The four levels of SAFe are as follows:-

• Team.
• Program.
• Large Solution.
• Portfolio.