Leading SAFe® or Implementing SAFe® – Which is the right training for me?

The Scaled Agile Framework has evolved over the last years, experiences have been incorporated and the path of an enterprise towards an agile organization has been extended by many methods, tools and practical tools. In the meantime, it is easy to lose track of the whole process in this huge pool of methods and examples. To support beginners and also advanced users, Scaled Agile Inc. (SAI) has developed a website with the Big Picture, the Implementation Roadmap and a large number of helpful and well illustrated articles. Some of these are tailored to the respective roles such as Scrum Master or Product Owner, while others deal with a very specific organizational skill such as DevOps or Agile Software Engineering.

Two of the most important trainings in this portfolio are Leading SAFe® and Implementing SAFe®. The former concludes with certification as SAFe® Agilist (SA) and the latter certifies participants as SAFe® Program Consultants (SPC). In addition to these abstract terms, both training courses claim to provide an overview of what is behind SAFe® and to equip participants with the ability to lead a company through lean-agile transformation.  But which is the right training for me? What are the differences and similarities between the two trainings? Is the difference only in the time frame and the price tag?

Let's start with the Leading SAFe®Training. This is a two-day, interactive format in which participants learn the underlying principles of the framework and the associated mindset. We then discuss the core competencies of a lean enterprise to get a sense of how these changes can actually be implemented in practice. This leads us from the team level upwards through the program level to Lean Portfolio Management. A special highlight is the simulation of a Program Increment Planning Event, one of the most important events in the synchronization of several teams within an Agile Release Train. The goal of the training is to make the participants understand what it means to initiate and execute a lean-agile transformation in a company. How do the individual elements interact and what new skills do I need to train within my organization? It is aimed at managers such as line managers, product, program and project managers or, for example, enterprise and system architects. It is deliberately placed at the beginning of the transformation roadmap, the so-called "tipping point", the decision point for or against a transformation, because it is intended to provide an understanding of the far-reaching changes that go hand in hand with a SAFe® transformation, without going into too much technical and role-specific detail. To follow the course, you don't need any subject-specific knowledge, but you should have some knowledge of the term agility and have some years of experience in project management or a leadership role to really understand the concepts and the change. What does it mean to hand over decisions? How do I ensure alignment so that my teams can work on products in a truly self-organized way and develop solutions to company-wide issues themselves? How does it feel to prioritize a backlog after WSJF together instead of simply being allowed to determine the most important things yourself? You should be aware of all these things and not approach an agile transformation lightheartedly just because it is "in fashion".

At the end of this training there is a 90-minute exam, consisting of 45 questions, of which at least 75% must be answered correctly in order to successfully complete the training. Then you will receive the certification as a SAFe® Agilist, but even more importantly you will have the knowledge base to make a conscious decision for a SAFe® Transformation in a corporate context.

The four day Implementing SAFe® Training is also part of the program. It includes the two days of the Leading SAFe® Training and supplements this with the Transformation Roadmap. How do I really carry out such an agile transformation in practice? It leads the participants from the "tipping point" mentioned above, through the launch of the first Agile Release Train, to the enlargement of the portfolio level and on to the coaching of a continuously learning system. This course is built on the knowledge of what SAFe® is and how it works and complements this with how to implement SAFe® along an implementation roadmap. It therefore addresses people who later want to actively participate in the corporate transformation themselves. It thus addresses change consultants, members of the lean-agile Center of Excellence, members of the Agile Project Management Office and other managers. Therefore, participants who pass the two-hour exam (60 questions - 75% of which are correctly answered) bear the title SAFe® Program Consultant. Accordingly, participants can derive the greatest added value from the training if they have several years of experience in both project management and agile methods. The training is located on the Transformation Roadmap as the first step after the tipping point. If executives decide to undergo an agile transformation after attending the Leading SAFe Training, the first step is to intensively train these change agents, who will later accompany the transformation, in Implementing SAFe.

Even though the target group and purpose of both trainings are slightly different, both formats promise a lot of information and insights into the SAFe world. Interactive formats with many exercises and simulations provide two intensive days of fun and mutual exchange.

Are you interested in one of the two trainings? Look here for the upcoming dates.