The most common enquiry we get - both prior to and during courses - is how to choose a SAFe training course? Those who are yet to take any Scaled Agile certifications want to know which one is right for them and those who have taken one want advice on which SAFe agile training course they should take next. Given there are currently 13 SAFe certifications provided by Scaled Agile, Inc. I can appreciate their confusion!
Implementing SAFe with SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) Certification (4-days)
The most complete class is the 4-day Implementing SAFe class with SPC certification. This is the only class that covers all Seven Core Competencies of Business Agility and the full SAFe Implementation Roadmap. This means if you want to be on the front-line helping organisations implement SAFe this the course you want to take. This class is also taken by a lot of people who want to train others in SAFe. While the SPC certification is the first step on this journey, experience with applying SAFe and delivering training are also essential ingredients to becoming a successful SAFe Trainer.
There are a couple of myths about this course that I would like to dispel. Firstly, the inclusion of Leading SAFe as part of the content creates a misconception that attending this class is equivalent to attending a Leading SAFe class. In my experience this is not true. When we teach a two-day Leading SAFe class we are focused on introducing participants to SAFe. When we teach the Leading SAFe content in the context of Implementing SAFe we are focused on helping participants become effective SAFe Practice Consultants, so it is a much deeper and detailed conversation. This can be overwhelming for those new to SAFe.
The second myth is that Implementing SAFe is only useful for people who want to train others in SAFe. This could not be further from the truth. This class is primarily for those leading and supporting an organisation's journey to implementing SAFe and launching successful Agile Release Trains.
Leading SAFe with SAFe Agilist (SA) Certification (2-days)
Technically, the target audience for Leading SAFe is people in leadership and management roles. This is the class that is taught to leaders at all levels from front line leaders to CEOs in organisations that are already using SAFe and/or exploring adopting SAFe. When launching Agile Release Trains (ARTs) we like every people manager for every person on or impact by the ART to take this class, along with the ART leadership (RTE, Product Management and System Architect) and Shared Services.
However, the Leading SAFe class is also the best class to take to get an introduction to SAFe. I like to think of Leading SAFe as a “crash course” in the Scaled Agile Framework. It provides an overview of the big picture and covers four of the Seven Core Competencies of Business Agility: Lean-Agile Leadership, Team and Technical Agility, Agile Product Delivery and Lean Portfolio Management. This class has the most comprehensive content on the SAFe Principles and includes a PI Planning Simulation. Participants should obtain a solid understanding of Portfolio SAFe and the “Ten Critical ART Success Factors”. The SAFe Agilist certification is also the most popular of all the SAFe certifications.
SAFe for Government with SAFe Government Practitioner (SGP) Certification (2-days)
Content-wise, SAFe for Government is very similar to Leading SAFe. For those working in the context of the US Federal Government, there is some specific guidance on working with FAR. The class also covers Solutions Trains and working with suppliers, which is content that was removed from Leading SAFe in version 5.0. Like the other introductory level classes, this course also includes the PI Planning simulation, in which it adds the complexity of multiple Government contractors needing to collaborate on building a solution.
Unlike Leading SAFe, there are only a couple of slides on Customer Centricity and Design Thinking. Instead, the course dives into areas like lean-agile contracting, compliance and governance in a government context. We see this as an alternative Leading SAFe for those working in the Government space. This class is not widely available in Australia.
The Lean Portfolio Management course provides a deep dive into the Lean Portfolio Management competency that is one of the Seven Core Competencies of Business Agility in SAFe. This class is primarily attended by PMO leaders and their team members. It is recommended that participants have attended either Leading SAFe or SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager before attending this class. Participants in this course experience using the full LPM toolset in a simulated context then build a plan to start or improve the LPM competency within their own organisation.
SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager with SAFe POPM Certification (2-days)
SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager is for people doing, or planning to be doing, the Product Owner or Product Manager role on an Agile Release Train within an organisation that is using SAFe. This course is 70% Producer Owner focused, 30% Product Manager focused. The course covers the role of the Product Owner and Product Manager in planning and executing a Program Increment and Iterations. Participants experience writing epics, features, stories and acceptance criteria.
Leading SAFe is a highly recommended prerequisite for the SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager course. While it is not mandatory, it is important to understand that the POPM class does not include a deep dive on the Lean Mindset, SAFe Principles or PI Planning. If you are looking for this knowledge you should consider taking Leading SAFe.
SAFe Scrum Master with SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) Certification (2-days)
The SAFe Scrum Master course is intended to help new, existing and aspiring Scrum Masters prepare for the role of Scrum Master on an Agile Release Train within an organisation using SAFe. It provides an introduction to Scrum and Agile and how Scrum fits into SAFe, then deep dives into the coaching role of the SAFe Scrum Scrum Master. Participants get to experience PI Planning, as well as planning and executing an iteration. The class also covers all the Scrum and SAFe events that a SAFe Scrum Master facilitates.
I am a Certified Scrum Master (CSM) do I still need to do SAFe Scrum Master?
This class is not the same as the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification or at least is very different from the CSM I took from Mike Cohn back in 2014! The focus of a CSM course is how to do scrum well, the focus of the SAFe Scrum Master class is how to be a servant leader and support a team executing Scrum in the context of SAFe. I do not see these certifications as competing and, in fact, we see having both as valuable. We often refer clients to Certified Scrum Trainers like Ilan and Colin at AxisAgile, who are both excellent Scrum Trainers and not anti-SAFe.
SAFe for Architects with SAFe Architect (ARCH) Certification (3-days)
SAFe for Architects is for people doing, or planning to be doing, any of the SAFe architect roles - System Architect, Solution Architect or Enterprise Architect. It is recommended that participants have attended at least one SAFe course prior to attending this class. We recommend Leading SAFe. The SAFe for Architects course explores the SAFe architect role within every facet of the framework from steering the portfolio to working with agile teams.
SAFe for Teams with SAFe Practitioner (SP) Certification (2-days)
SAFe for Teams, which leads to the SAFe Practitioner certification, is intended to prepare members of an Agile Release Train for their role in a team on an Agile Release Train. This class is primarily used as part of launching an Agile Release Train. Once the ART is up and running, new team members that are also new to SAFe should take this class. We also see developers, testers and business analysts taking this class as part of preparing to join an organisation that practices SAFe.
This course provides an introduction to SAFe and Agile and an understanding of the roles on an agile team and an Agile Release Train. Students get to experience breaking down features into user stories with acceptance criteria, estimating backlogs and participating in PI Planning. The class also teaches participants about the Scrum and SAFe events that SAFe Agile Teams participate in.
Agile Product Manager is for people doing, or planning to be doing, the role of Product Manager on an Agile Release Train (or Solution Manager for a Solution Train). It is recommended that participants have attended at least one SAFe course. We recommend Leading SAFe and SAFe Product Manager/Product Owner. This course is 70% focused on the role of the Product Manager and 30% focused on the role of the Product Owner.
This class has a large focus on the Customer Centricity and Design Thinking dimension of the Agile Product Delivery competency, as well as the Continuous Exploration component of the Continuous Delivery Pipeline. The SAFe POPM certification has a greater focus on the Develop on Cadence, Release on Demand dimension.
SAFe DevOps with SAFe DevOps Practitioner (SDP) Certification (2-days)
The SAFe DevOps course is almost more workshop than training. It works best when a group of people from the same organisation attend together. Participants start by value stream mapping their current development process and then over the course of the rest of the two-days identify opportunities to improve both cycle time and quality. This class is suitable for all members of an Agile Release Train and works best when attended by cross functional teams. It is a great follow-on class for those with existing SAFe training that want to bring focus to their relentless improvement efforts.
Agile Software Engineering is designed for members of an agile team to improve their application of technical agility and techniques for building quality into their solutions. It is tool and language agnostic. This class assumes participants has some basic SAFe knowledge and therefore best taken after one of the more introductory courses like SAFe for Teams or Leading SAFe.
SAFe Advanced Scrum Masters with SASM Certification (2-days)
The SAFe Advanced Scrum Master course is designed for people with an existing Scrum Master certification to "level up". We recommend attendees have either taken SAFe Scrum Master or have experience with SAFe before taking this class. For more information on the difference between this class and the SAFe Scrum Master class check out: Demystifying SAFe Scrum Master Certifications.
SAFe Release Train Engineer with RTE Certification (3-days)
SAFe Release Train Engineer is designed for existing RTEs and existing SAFe Scrum Masters to “level up”. The class assumes the participants have been working in a SAFe environment for at least one Program Increment and have completed at least one SAFe certification. The class explores the role of the RTE in every aspect of operating an Agile Release Train.
We are often asked why this class is not earlier on the Implementation Roadmap. While I cannot speak for Scaled Agile, Inc., when we launch Agile Release Trains, the RTE attends - Leading SAFe, SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager, SAFe Scrum Master and SAFe for Teams - in the circa 8 weeks leading up to the ART launch. This in addition to coaching before and during the first couple of Program Increments feels like enough upfront education.
Where should I start with SAFe Training?
If you are still wondering where to start - there are six SAFe certifications training that do not have SAFe experience or prior SAFe training as a recommended prerequisite: Leading SAFe, SAFe for Government, SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe for Teams, SAFe DevOps and Implementing SAFe. Choosing the right one for you is very much a matter of context, specifically your current role and what you aspire to do.
Of course for those who “just want to learn about SAFe” or “just want a SAFe certification” to improve their job prospects, the answer is easy - do Leading SAFe.. This is the most popular and widely recognised of all the SAFe certifications. We also recommend Leading SAFe to anyone in a leadership or management role, including project managers, program managers, program directors, portfolio managers, architects, development managers, product managers, test managers etc.
As you may have already gleaned from the above the SAFe Scrum Master class is a great place for existing or aspiring Scrum Masters to start and SAFe for Teams is designed to help agile team members new to SAFe get started.
As for SAFe DevOps, if you have no prior SAFe experience or training, then the learning curve is steeper, as the class is definitely set in the context of SAFe. However, this class is a good starting point for those looking to build a business case for SAFe.
What about Implementing SAFe, can I start there?
While Implementing SAFe does not have SAFe experience or training as a prerequisite, many SAFe Practice Consultant Trainers (the SPCTs that teach the Implementing SAFe class) believe that Leading SAFe should be a prerequisite and I happen to agree! While the two-day Leading SAFe course content is included in the Implementing SAFe class, most people struggle to absorb 4-days of brand new knowledge. Taking Leading SAFe, or in fact, almost any SAFe training class, prior to Implementing SAFe is a way of priming the brain for this intense learning experience. Bottom line - we don’t recommend Implementing SAFe for beginners to agile or SAFe.
I already have one (or more) SAFe certifications, what class should I take next?
What sort of consultant would I be if I didn’t answer that one with - it depends! 😉 While it is impossible to provide an answer for every possible scenario, there are some patterns that we recommend. You can download a free copy of our SAFe Certification Pathways below.
No matter which class you choose to start or continue your SAFe learning journey, I hope you have found this little guide useful. ‘Til next time #StaySAFe.
Mark presented an overview of the journey Fred IT Group took from traditional business structure to a customer and product focussed, agile organisation of the future. He provided the context on the need to change, the journey itself and what went right and what didn’t work so well. A pragmatic and practical presentation that will provide you with insights on how you might transition to the new way of working or gain insights to improve the transformation you are currently undertaking. This is a real-world story as Mark has led the transformation from within the organisation and seen the value that can be realised.
Mark Bain is accountable for the strategy, structure and process changes that enabled the transformation to SAFe. Additionally, he manages security, procurement, architecture and technical strategy for the organisation. Fred IT Group specialises in the development and support of solutions in the Pharmacy and eHealth space. They are best known for the development of SafeScript which assists in the prevention of members of the public becoming addicted to and dying from prescription drug overdoses.
With the recent emergence of remote SAFe training, the number of SAFe certification providers appears to have exploded. In many cities across the world you will find multiple Scaled Agile training classes being offered by different providers every week. The choice is simply overwhelming. With so many providers; how do you distinguish between them? Assuming it's not practical for everyone to attend SAFe training by Pretty Agile, I thought I would share some thoughts on factors to consider when choosing a SAFe agile training provider.
The Provider
The first consideration is the company providing the training,
Is the provider a Scaled Agile Partner?
Scaled Agile Inc. the certifying body for the Scaled Agile Framework has a large partner network. While taking a SAFe certification class from Scaled Agile Partner is not a guarantee of quality, it is an indicator that the provider is committed enough that they are prepared to pay a fee to be part of the Scaled Agile Partner program. With the exception of the Gold SPCT partner level, the levels are indication of level of investment rather than level of expertise.
You can find a partner or check if a provider is a partner by going to: https://www.scaledagile.com/find-a-partner/ From the partner listing page you can find out a heap of information about the partner, including some data that may indicative of the partner's depth of experience . For illustrative purposes a screenshot of the Pretty Agile listing is provided below.
What is a Gold SPCT Partner?
This is a partner that has a SAFe Practice Consultant Trainer (SPCT) on their team. According to Scaled Agile Inc. the SPCT certification is the most advanced certification you can achieve with SAFe. Partners with SPCTs will have the Scaled Agile Partner Gold SPCT badge. While this is not a guarantee of quality it can be an indicator. If the instructor is an SPCT they should have a reasonable depth of experience with SAFe.
“As is the case with any certification, you should carefully evaluate SAFe instructors and consultants, and make sure that they have demonstrated experience that is relevant to the role you are asking them to take on. Do not rely on certifications alone as a measure of the skills of a consultant or prospective employee. A notable exception to this is the SAFe Practice Consultant Trainer (SPCT) certification, which does require demonstrated experience with agile, software development or product management, training and consulting. If you’re hiring someone who has [an] SPCT certification, you can be confident that they do have experience in these areas, as well as experience with SAFe implementation at multiple organizations. However, SPCTs are in short supply. As of February 2020, there are fewer than 100 people worldwide holding this certification.”
- Gartner, “A Technical Professional’s Guide to Successful Adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe),” Kevin Matheny, Bill Holz, 13 April 2020
Of course, even if the partner has an SPCT this is not a guarantee that the SPCT is mentoring the SAFe instructors employed by that partner. Eg. A large partner with a single SPCT based in Europe, is probably not an indicator of the quality of the partner's teams in other geographies like Australia, as the time overlap is not friendly.
How long has the partner been a partner?
The Scaled Agile Partner program was initiated in 2013. The Scaled Agile partner finder provides the partner commencement date for all partners except those who have joined recently. For the more recent partners the "Partners since" field is not displayed. It seems reasonable to assume the longer the partner has been a partner the more experienced they are with SAFe.
How many classes has the provider run?
Another data point the Scaled Agile Partner finder provides is the number of people who have attended SAFe training delivered by the partner. While there are close to 400 partners in the network, only about 20 have delivered over 4,00 classes. You can further contextualise this data by looking at the size of the organisation as theses counts likely include the providers own staff.
Is this provider charging a fair market price?
You might think that the cheapest price is the best price but remember you get what you pay for! Scaled Agile Inc. provides pricing guidance for all SAFe certification classes. For the most part providers tend to follow this guidance for the 3 and 4-day classes but less so on the more popular 2-day classes.
If someone is offering the same SAFe certification class at a significant discount you might want to consider what is driving this. Questions to consider:
How many instructors does the class have?
Is the provider licensing the courseware and providing the exam for the course?
Do they provide printed workbooks in addition to digital workbooks?
Do they work full time and spend their weekends training for “pocket money”?
Are they collecting the appropriate taxes for the region that they are operating in?
How many instructors does the class have?
Scaled Agile Inc. requires two trainers for remote delivery of Implementing SAFe and Leading SAFe. From my understanding the rationale for this is twofold: (1) class feedback indicated that classes with two trainers are higher quality and (2) classes that include the PI Planning simulation benefit from a second trainer. While the Scaled Agile policy applies to only two specific remote SAFe classes, our experience indicates that any class delivered by two instructors is a better quality class. It is also worth noting that the SAFe Scrum Master and SAFe for Government courses also include the PI Planning simulation.
Are all classes guaranteed to run?
Guaranteed to run SAFe training is an interesting phenomenon that emerged when the Scaled Agile training market started flooding a few years back. My best guess is that many providers were cancelling classes, resulting in some providers starting to use “guaranteed to run” as a marketing strategy. Here is the thing with a “guaranteed to run” class, the class may well run, but be prepared to be the only student!
While this might seem like a win, it is not. All certified Scaled Agile training classes included numerous group exercises, so the quality of the learning experience in a very small class is likely to be suboptimal. Scaled Agile recommends a minimum of 12 participants for all classes. This guidance is based on in person training. Given our experience with remote SAFe training over the past 5 months, slightly smaller classes are workable for online SAFe classes. So when choosing a provider you might like to ask about average class sizes.
On the other hand, if you are worried about the provider you choose cancelling, do some research. How many classes does the provider have on offer in the region? Anecdotally we hear that the partners that are listing the most classes (what we call calendar flooding) are cancelling 9 out of 10 classes. There are plenty of solid providers in the market who very rarely cancel classes, however they probably list each type once a month or once a quarter depending on popularity.
The Instructor
The provider isn’t the only factor you should consider. You should also give serious consideration to the specific individual instructor(s) that will be delivering the class.
Is the name of the instructor for the class listed on the providers website?
Personally, I think it is a red flag if the training provider has not listed the specific instructor(s) for each class on their website. Without this information you have no way to gauge the instructors experience. This could also be an indication the provider does even have an instructor for the class! For example, from time to time we get calls from providers asking us if we have instructors available for a class they have sold and don't actually have qualified instructors to deliver.
Does the instructor have any practical experience with SAFe?
It is important to understand that not all instructors are equal. The qualifications required to teach any SAFe class (except Implementing SAFe and SAFe Release Train Engineer) is as follows:
Attend an Implementing SAFe class.
Pass an online multiple choice exam.
Watch the online enablement videos for the specific course you want to teach and pass the online class exam.
So, in case it is not clear - no practical experience with SAFe is required to teach any SAFe class (except Implementing SAFe and SAFe Release Train Engineer).
So do some research! Check our the bios of the instructors. You should be able to find these on the Scaled Agile website, the providers website or you can even check out LinkedIn.
How long has the instructor been a SAFe Practice Consultant?
SPCs that qualified prior to 2020 will have an SPC4 badge and should have completed their upgrade to receive their SPC5 badge if they are teaching a 5.0 class. There is no digital badge for SAFe 3.0 but you can always check out their LinkedIn profile and see when they got their SPC.
Where is the instructor located?
In our new “working from home” world, providers are starting to offer classes in new geographies. At the same time, the opportunity to attend a remote SAFe training class from a provider in another geography has become an option for the first time. This may open up opportunities for you. We certainly have had a handful of folks from the US, Canada and even Europe who are happy to work some odd hours to attend one our classes (even though they are delivered on Australian time). But I’m not sure I would be so interested in taking a class being delivered by someone who is working from midnight to 8am in the UK to deliver a class in Australia! I also think in these uncertain economic times I would factor in how I can support the providers I respect in my local economy.
Another consideration, if you are looking to start to implementing SAFe after attending a class, is that ability of the partner to support you in the geographical regions your organisation operates in.
Who are your friends, colleagues and LinkedIn connections recommending?
Perhaps the most reliable way to choose an instructor is to ask your friends and colleagues about their experiences. They will be able to talk to the quality of the training set up and the instructors.
Bottom line: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. At a minimum all SAFe agile training providers should be able to answer questions about tools and timing for the class you are interested in.
Whoever you choose to use for your next SAFe class, I hope you have a truly awesome learning experience. ‘Till next time, #StaySAFe.
