Is SAFe?Right for You? 5 Quick Questions to Decide
Scaled Agile (SAFe?) Training by Agilemania
Thriving in the Digital Age with Business Agility!
Hey everyone! Welcome to the Sixth Edition of our newsletter— The Scaled Agile Press!??? It's an initiative by Agilemania for all the SAFe? practitioners and enthusiasts.
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe?) has emerged as the most widely adopted scaling model worldwide, used by 37% of organizations according to the 15th Annual State of Agile Report.?
However, rushing to adopt a scaling method prematurely can result in costly failures that could significantly impede future attempts to expand the use of Agile techniques. Today’s newsletter aims to help organizations determine if they are ready to embrace SAFe? by considering the following five critical factors:
1??Do you have a solid Lean-Agile mindset foundation?
?? SAFe? 6.0 is built on the principles of Lean thinking and Agile development. If your teams and leadership lack a fundamental understanding and practice of Lean-Agile mindset and principles, adopting SAFe? may exacerbate existing challenges. Establishing a Lean-Agile mindset is a critical prerequisite for successful SAFe? adoption.
2??Are you ready to invest in building a robust guiding coalition and change management capabilities?
?? Adopting SAFe? is not just a process or framework implementation; it's a significant organizational change effort that requires a robust guiding coalition and structured change management approach. Organizations should be prepared to identify and empower a group of influential leaders and change agents who can drive the transformation, address resistance, and sustain the momentum. Additionally, investing in change management capabilities, such as training, communication, and monitoring, is crucial for a successful SAFe? adoption.
3??Have you assessed the readiness of your value streams and identified potential challenges or dependencies?
?? SAFe? is designed to optimize the flow of value through value streams, which often span multiple teams, departments, and systems. Before embarking on a SAFe? transformation, organizations should assess the readiness of their value streams, identify potential challenges or dependencies, and develop plans to address them. This may involve process improvements, system integrations, or even organizational restructuring to align with the value stream approach.
4??Do you have experienced Lean-Agile change agents?
?? SAFe? relies on experienced Lean-Agile change agents, such as Lean-Agile Leaders, Agile Coaches, and Release Train Engineers (RTEs), to guide the transformation. Without skilled practitioners, the chances of a successful SAFe? implementation are significantly reduced. Consider hiring external coaches or trainers to jumpstart your initiative.
5??Have you allocated sufficient resources for training and execution?
?? Adopting SAFe 6.0 requires a substantial investment in training and coaching for teams, leaders, and stakeholders. Ensure you have allocated adequate budgets for these activities, as well as for the execution of SAFe events and processes. Skimping on training and resources often leads to failed transformations.
If you can confidently answer "yes" to these five questions, your organization may be well-positioned to embark on a SAFe? 6.0 transformation. However, it's essential to approach this journey with open eyes and an open mind, as it requires a significant cultural shift and long-term commitment from all levels of the organization.
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Remember, poor culture, processes, governance, and leadership will disrupt any methodology. Many drivers for SAFe? could be solved by improving and standardizing development and release management within current methodologies. Few organizations are capable of or should be applying a pure SAFe? framework. Successful organizations have adopted and modified SAFe? frameworks to best fit their needs, teams, value streams, and maturity.
Ready to take the next step? Enroll in our Scaled Agile Framework? courses and learn how to leverage SAFe? to seamlessly integrate AI into your organization and achieve business agility.?
Take your team's agility to the next level. Learn, assess, and grow together with SAFe?.
??Agile Tip of the Week?
Before embarking on a SAFe? transformation, start with a clear understanding of your needs, constraints, goals, and culture. Developing an Agile mindset is core to value realization, so begin with an Agile readiness assessment.