How To Become A SAFe Agilist?

Large organizations need to be incredibly dynamic and results-driven to maneuver the fast moving market. Challenging times demand challenging measures. Added to this is the complex problem of managing multiple agile teams.

Sounds too common?

This problem isn’t limited to one organization. It’s faced by many organizations but only a few seek help. The question still stands as to how to make an organization agile so that different functions within the organization can work together and not in silos?

How can they serve the customers better?

It was, for this reason, Dean Leffingwell decided to conceptualize SAFe® in 2011. SAFe® is a knowledge base of proven, integrated principles, practices, and competencies for achieving business agility using Lean, Agile, Systems Thinking, and DevOps. It is a set of knowledge that has structured guidance regarding roles and responsibilities, work planning and work management, and core values.

SAFe® has found takers in large organizations like FedEx, Chevron, American Express, and has accomplished remarkable results. Widely adopted frameworks mean tons of opportunities with high pay and career growth.

As a manager or a leader, getting started in SAFe® is not as complex as it seems. The door to a career in SAFe® opens by becoming a SAFe® Agilist. Hop on and let’s delve into the topic to know all about SAFe® agilist. 

Who is a SAFe® agilist?

A SAFe® Agilist leads a Lean-Agile Enterprise with the help of SAFe®. The underlying principles originate from Lean thinking and Agile Development, product development flow, and DevOps.

A SAFe® Agilist applies Lean, Agile, and the Product Development principles to increase productivity, employee satisfaction, time to market quality.

As a SAFe® Agilist, you should understand the interaction between Agile teams, Agile programs, and Agile Portfolio Management.

Leading SAFe® is based on the principles of SAFe® derived from Lean, systems thinking, agile development, and product development flow.

Why Should You Become a Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA)?

A SAFe® Agilist has the insights to transform your agile product management.

They are also aware of how to transform agile portfolio management into a structured organization that delivers a continuous flow of value to your stakeholders and customers with the shortest possible time to market.

A SAFe® Agilist applies their knowledge of SAFe®, lean thinking, and product development flow principles in an enterprise context so that they can spearhead the adoption of SAFe®.

Responsibilities of a SAFe® Agilist

• 1Planning and Execution of Program Increment- A SAFe® Agilist has envisioned a roadmap for the success of the Agile Development and successful SAFe® implementation process. They start strategic planning as a lead which sets the plan for the Development team to realize the goal of becoming an Agile organization. They also plan and implement the incremental values through Program Management.
• 2Planning and execution through Agile Release Trains - Agile Release Trains is a virtual organizational construct team for common technical and business goals. An Agile Release Train is a cross-functional team of 50-125 members that work together towards achieving a common goal. A SAFe® Agilist ensures that the planning and execution through ARTs are done effectively. Some of the responsibilities of a SAFe® Agilist include fixation of schedules, timely increment in systems, applying the synchronization, adoption of Agile and SAFe® core values, face-to-face planning, innovation, and planning.
• 3Guiding Agile Transformation: Lead and facilitate the adoption of Agile practices and principles at scale across the organization.
• 4Implementing SAFe® Framework: Implement the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) effectively, aligning teams, programs, and portfolios to organizational goals.
• 5Driving Continuous Improvement: Encourage a culture of continuous improvement by facilitating retrospectives, identifying areas for enhancement, and implementing iterative changes to optimize Agile practices.
• 6Supporting Agile Framework Adoption: Support the adoption of Agile frameworks and practices, such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and DevOps, to drive organizational agility and responsiveness.
• 7Facilitating SAFe® Events: Facilitate SAFe® events, including Program Increment (PI) Planning, Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshops, and Scrum of Scrums, to drive alignment, planning, and delivery.
• 8Aligning with Business Objectives: Ensure alignment between Agile initiatives and business objectives, prioritizing work that delivers maximum value to customers and stakeholders.
• 9Promoting Agile Mindset: Promote and champion an Agile mindset and culture throughout the organization, encouraging adaptability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

How can you become a SAFe® Agilist?

• 1The first step is to pursue Leading SAFe® Training. This is a mandatory step because it enables a deeper understanding of SAFe® and allows you to access the study materials to pass the exam.
• 2Apply SAFe® in an enterprise context to enable continuous exploring, integrating, deploying, and releasing values.
• 3Enhance Lean-Agile leadership skills and help cascade Lean-Agile Mindset and principles across the organization.
• 4Enable Lean-Agile transformation at the enterprise level to achieve business agility.
• 5Coordinate the development of large solutions by improving communication and collaboration across all projects.
• 6Empower with a Lean Portfolio and apply Agile across the organisation, not just to the IT delivery teams.

Conclusion

As per the State of Agile Report 2021, SAFe® is fast becoming the most preferred Agile framework with 37% of the organizations adopting it.

With organizations looking to solve problems with multiple teams, SAFe® is becoming a financially rewarding career option.

Leading SAFe® certification training is the primary step. SAFe® practitioners are in demand. Start with SAFe® Agilist and you will climb your way up the SAFe® Learning Path.