My experiential insights on how to learn SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) & master it!

Here I am sharing my experience to add value to SAFe aspirants particularly those who are very new to the world of Scaled Agile Framework. You can look into my "Customized SAFe" diagram above. "FL" in that diagram stands for "Feedback Loop". This is my SAFe deployment progression strategy considering that the Agile Release Trains (ARTs) were already formed in that landscape.

1. Get your basic concepts on Scrum, Kanban, and DevOps solidified in a very good manner. Would you attempt to learn integral calculus without knowing any addition, multiplication, or summation? The same is the case here. Some companies attempt to implement SAFe when their agile teams are still struggling with the basics of Scrum, Kanban, and DevOps. All these happen in real-world scenarios, and they tell us Agile is not working for us, SAFe is not working for us. I used to tell them in my consulting calls "You should be surprised if SAFe works in your case!" my intent is not to be sarcastic but to tell them not to expect SAFe to do wonders if their agile teams are not competent in the basics of scrum and kanban itself.

2. Understand the values & principles of SAFe. Why do they exist? what did they mean? and then go to the framework. Then move to the seven core competencies (only high-level view for now). Don't beat yourself if you are not able to comprehend everything for now.

3. Start with Essential SAFe. Get to know the roles or user personas and also the competencies of Essential SAFe in a detailed manner now.

4. Repeat step 3 now with Large Solution and Portfolio SAFe.

5. You need to connect the roles and then do an integrated learning exercise or learning activity. Means what? Learn the roles of Scrum Master, RTE, and STE together so that you do not miss out on any "integrated knowledge" that arises because of your reading.

6. Similarly combine the roles of Product Owner, Product Management, Solution Management & Epic Owner. Along a similar line of thought do the same for System Architect, Solution Architect & Enterprise Architect.

7. Take a color printout of the Full SAFe enlarged version and paste it on the wall of your study room. That's what I did during the beginning days of my SAFe journey. Believe me, that picture will start "talking" to you in a much more amplified and intensified manner based on your own "evolution"! I used to meditate on the SAFe picture for 30 minutes every day in the 2018-2019 timeframe then it became a part of my bio memory!

8. Do NOT try to "boil the ocean" and get exhausted within a few days. It took 6 months of sustained effort for me to get a decent expertise in SAFe. Then I implemented it hands-on in almost 70 or 75 engagements (till date - 11th March 2024) across multiple domains. Today, I literally "play" with SAFe to the extent that I take the principles of SAFe and create my own Customized Agile Framework (CAF) and my own Business Agility Frameworks. The below diagram of CAF is also available on my website.

https://www.balajiagile.com

9. Similarly combine the learnings of Team backlog, ART backlog, Solution backlog, and Portfolio backlog.

10. Now look into the SAFe Maturity Assessment sheet to know how and what parameters are used to assess. You need to know when to customize, when not to customize, and to what extent you need to customize SAFe based on the context. Believe me, it's an art in itself.

11. Now it's not enough only if you know the latest version of SAFe. Start reading the older or earlier versions of SAFe to appreciate the SAFe's evolutionary journey. That will now take your competency or capabilities in SAFe to the next level.

12. Now learn the entities in the "Spanning Palette" too.

13. Create your own program-level cadences and portfolio-level cadences after mastering the existing ones. You need to know where you are exactly in your "Shu-Ha-Ri" journey of learning SAFe. You can refer to my below article for that.

(2) Introducing Agile Program/Agile Portfolio Level Cadences | LinkedIn

14. For an easy understanding of Portfolio SAFe, you can refer to my CAF above. I simplified the entire game by using "Investment Themes". The Epics would be mapped or parented to the respective Investment Themes using EBCM and that ensures it aligns with the overall OKR, KRAs and the vision of the Portfolio. As obvious, your Portfolios are the building block of your organization.

I deliberately take a pause here because I can still keep on pouring out my thoughts, but an article on LinkedIn needs to have some limit or restriction.

Remember the objective of learning SAFe is NOT just to master a single framework called SAFe. The intent is to master "Enterprise Agility" through the framework called SAFe. SAFe is a powerful framework but still, it is a means to that end! Do not get confused with the travel journey to be your destination in itself.

For any further queries on SAFe, you can reach out to me on WhatsApp number +91 96000 74231 & please read the comments section of this article too.