Transitioning to SAFe?: A Humble Journey from Familiar Comforts to Scaled Agility

It’s never easy to lead change—especially when your team has been doing things a certain way for years, even decades. They’re skilled, experienced, and convinced that what worked yesterday will work tomorrow. I’ve been there. I’ve faced those crossed arms in meetings and heard, “We’ve always done it this way, and it’s worked just fine.”

As a leader, I learned the hard way that logic alone isn’t enough to shift deeply rooted mindsets. It’s about understanding, patience, and guiding people toward a vision of what’s possible. Here’s my story and the lessons I learned navigating a team’s transition to SAFe?.

What Got Us Here, Won’t Get Us There

Years ago, I was leading a program team that had been using a mix of Waterfall and Scrum. For years, these methods had delivered results, and the team took pride in their well-oiled machine. But as the company scaled, cracks began to show:

• Dependencies between teams caused delays.
• Communication silos led to rework.
• Delivering value took longer, and market demands were shifting faster than we could keep up.

When leadership proposed adopting SAFe?, I was on board. But my team? Not so much.

One team member told me, “Why fix something that isn’t broken?” I empathized—change feels unnecessary when the current system seems to work. But as Marshall Goldsmith famously wrote in What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There:

“The skills and behaviors that led to your past success are rarely the same as those needed for future success.”

I knew that while our methods had brought us here, they wouldn’t sustain us in the rapidly evolving landscape.

| Facing Resistance Head-On |

The resistance wasn’t just vocal—it was palpable. Meetings about SAFe? felt tense, with team members questioning its necessity. One senior developer said bluntly, “This feels like change for the sake of change.”

Rather than arguing, I decided to listen. I sat with the team and asked:

• What do you like about our current way of working?
• What frustrates you the most about our current process?
• If we could improve one thing, what would it be?

What I discovered was eye-opening. They weren’t opposed to improvement—they were afraid of losing what made them effective: autonomy, predictability, and clarity in their roles.

Lessons Learned from My Journey

Looking back, here’s what worked in guiding the team toward SAFe?:

1. Acknowledge Their Expertise

The team’s resistance wasn’t defiance—it was pride in their work. I made it clear that this wasn’t about replacing their skills or invalidating their achievements.

What I Said: “You’ve built something incredible, and it’s why we’re able to even consider scaling to the next level. SAFe? is just a way to help us take what we’ve done here and make it work across the entire organization.”

2. Show, Don’t Tell

Abstract benefits like “alignment” and “faster value delivery” didn’t resonate. So, I showed them. We conducted a pilot Program Increment (PI) planning session with a small group.

Seeing cross-team collaboration in action and identifying dependencies early was a game-changer. One skeptic later admitted, “I didn’t realize how much time we spend chasing answers instead of solving problems. This makes sense now.”

3. Start with Small Wins

We began with a single Agile Release Train (ART) rather than a full-scale rollout. This reduced the pressure and allowed the team to experiment in a controlled environment.

After the first PI, I highlighted a few key wins:

• A critical dependency resolved in planning, avoiding a two-week delay.
• Early feedback from stakeholders incorporated into the sprint.

Celebrating these wins helped shift perceptions from skepticism to curiosity.

4. Address the Fear of Change

Resistance often masks fear—fear of failure, irrelevance, or losing control. I spent time addressing these fears through one-on-one conversations.

What I Learned: Transparency and empathy are powerful. I admitted my own apprehensions, saying, “I know this feels uncomfortable—it’s new for me, too. But I believe in this team, and I’m committed to supporting you every step of the way.”

| Tips for Navigating a Reluctant Team |

If you’re facing similar challenges, here are a few strategies that worked for me:

1. Create a Safe Space for Dialogue

Give your team the freedom to express concerns without judgment. Listen actively and address their fears with empathy, not defensiveness.

2. Involve Them in the Process

People resist change when it feels imposed. Invite the team to co-create the transition plan, whether it’s setting objectives for the first PI or defining success metrics.

3. Focus on Incremental Change

Don’t try to implement everything at once. Start with a single ART or pilot project, and iterate based on feedback.

4. Highlight Tangible Benefits

Show how SAFe? solves their current pain points, whether it’s resolving dependencies faster or delivering value more predictably.

5. Provide Role-Specific Support

Roles like Release Train Engineer (RTE) and Product Manager can feel intimidating. Offer tailored coaching and mentoring for those stepping into new responsibilities.

6. Celebrate and Reflect

Celebrate small wins to build momentum. Use retrospectives to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and adjust accordingly.

| The Moment It Clicked |

The turning point came during a retrospective after our second PI. A senior team member who had been resistant from the start said, “I used to think SAFe? was just adding bureaucracy. Now I see how it helps us work smarter, not harder.”

That moment validated the journey. The team had not only adapted to SAFe? but had started owning it, making it their own.

| Final Thoughts |

Transitioning to SAFe? isn’t just about adopting a new framework—it’s about guiding people through a mindset shift. It requires patience, humility, and an unwavering belief in your team’s ability to grow.

Remember, the resistance you face isn’t a barrier—it’s an opportunity to connect, learn, and lead with empathy. Change is never easy, but with the right approach, it can lead to incredible outcomes.

As Marshall Goldsmith reminds us, “What got you here won’t get you there.” But with a little courage and a lot of collaboration, you can guide your team to the next level of success.

About the Author Sapna Jhawer is a director who specializes in guiding teams through transformative change. Drawing on her own experiences, she helps organizations embrace agility, scale effectively, and build cultures of collaboration and trust.