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Leading SAFe–SAFe Agilist Certification Training (2 days) Prior Year Content

In this two-day course, you will gain the knowledge necessary to lead an enterprise agile transformation by leveraging the Scaled Agile Framework, and its underlying principles of lean thinking, and product development flow. You will leave with an understanding of how the principles and practices of the framework support Lean Thinking, Agile Development, SAFe ScrumXP, Agile Release Train, Agile Portfolio Management, Agile Architecture, and Scaling Leadership.

By the end of this course, attendees will be able to:

  • Apply lean, agile and product development flow principles to improve productivity, employee engagement, time to market, and quality
  • Apply the Scaled Agile Framework based on lecture, real-world examples, and insights by Scaled Agile experts
  • Understand the skills necessary for an enterprise transformation based on the information and examples presented, and additional recommended readings and resources
  • Gain the insights into the leadership skill most effective in unlocking the intrinsic motivation of software development knowledge workers, and begin applying them in your context

This course is a requirement for those seeking certification as a Scaled Agile Framework Agilist (SA). Upon completion, participants will complete the exam to receive their Scaled Agilist Certification. Participants also get a free trial of Sensei, LitheSpeed’s own continuous improvement tool for running retrospectives.

All instructors are deeply experienced consultants with backgrounds in both lean and agile methods, who are willing and able to answer real-world questions posed by participants, as well as provide supporting case studies from a wide variety of recent project environments. The course is updated frequently to present the very latest thinking and tools from both the lean and agile worlds, so participants will leave with tested techniques ready to apply to their own situations, not just theory.

Prerequisite
While no prerequisites are required to attend the class, the Scaled Agilist Certification prerequisites are as follows:

  • 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product or project management
  • Experience in Scrum Process
  • Attendance of the 2-day Leading SAFe course
  • Pass the SA exam (retakes are $50 and can be taken 90 days or more after the previous exam)

Important information about the Scaled Agilist Certification
The Leading SAFe exam is difficult. It assumes Scrum Experience as a prerequisite and study outside the class to pass the exam. It is a SAFe primer class, but the exam is more exhaustive than the materials covered in the 2 days.  Be sure to read the material behind the Big picture at ScaledAgileFramework.com.

2-Day Topical Outline

Intro to SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
Introduction to the origins of the Scaled Agile Framework

Lean Thinking
How SAFe incorporates the values of Lean Leadership, Learning Organizations, and concepts of Product Development Flow

Scaling Agile
SAFe is made up of many tried and true practices for scaling agile to large programs. We will discuss the origins and application of these techniques.

Team Delivery
The basis of SAFe is the agile team. We will discuss how SAFe incorporates Scrum and eXtreme Programing to deliver high quality software on a cadence.

Program Level
Agile Release Trains are the engines of feature delivery in the SAFe framework. We will discuss the techniques for integrating team delivery at the program level to allow large programs to “Develop on Cadence and Deliver on Demand”.

Portfolio
Portfolio management and maximization of value delivery across multiple programs in SAFe is accomplished with leadership tools that align delivery across trains using investment themes and value streams.

Agile Architecture
Agile delivery in large programs requires a combination of Agile Emergent Architecture and investment in an Architectural Runway.

Scaling Leadership
Leading SAFe organizations requires a shift in mindset from the leadership. We will discuss the mindset shifts we must undertake to move towards organizational agility.


Class Daily Schedule
Sign-In/Registration 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.
Morning Session 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Lunch 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
Afternoon Session 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Times represent the typical daily schedule. Please confirm your schedule at registration.
 
Training Course Fee Includes

• Tuition
• Course notebook
• Continental breakfasts and refreshment breaks
• Lunches
• Letter of completion

Bob Payne
Bob Payne, LitheSpeed

Bob Payne is the VP of enterprise consulting at LitheSpeed. An early adopter of Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, and SAFe, he has worked exclusively as a lean+agile transformation leader since 1999. Bob brings a pragmatic approach to the use of “best fit” approaches from across the spectrum of practices and processes. He believes that the most important piece of any transformation is to grow the skills in the teams to build and create a culture of continuous improvement. Bob is founder and chair of the AgileDC conference, speaks at industry conferences worldwide, hosts the AgileToolkit podcast and has produced more than 170 podcasts.

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