SAFe Courses & Certifications

SAFe is a technique that has the ability to implement lean agile transformation into a company. If you want to introduce it, you need to have a solid understanding about the fundamentals of SAFe. That’s where you need to go ahead with one of the SAFe courses and certifications.

Numerous SAFe courses and certifications are available for you to consider. Here is a list of the courses that you can follow to

  • Implementing SAFe
  • Leading SAFe
  • SAFe for teams
  • SAFe scrum master
  • SAFe advanced scrum master
  • SAFe release train engineer
  • SAFe product owner/product manager
  • SAFe DevOps
  • Agile software engineering
  • SAFe for architects
  • Lean portfolio management
  • Agile product and solution management.

Content that you can find in all these SAFe courses are thoughtfully created to help employees with ensuring agile transformation within their workplaces. Therefore, you will be able to follow these certification courses with the peace of mind and achieve excellent results.

You should start with the beginner courses in SAFe and then move to the advanced courses. Likewise, you should also follow SAFe courses that are related to your job description. For example, if you are into DevOps, you need to follow SAFe DevOps certification course. It will help you to understand your responsibilities in leading lean agile transformation within the company.

After you obtain SAFe cortication, you will need to renew it annually. You will need to pay a renewal fee of $100 to retain the certification as well. It is totally worth because SAFe can help you to introduce much-needed agile transformation to a company and retain it and stay updated along with time.

— Slimane Zouggari

Portfolio SAFe

Portfolio SAFe has the ability to align strategy along with execution in a company. In addition to that, it is organizing proper solution development around the flow of value via one value stream or more.

Three additional core competencies are making Portfolio SAFe possible. They include Lean Portfolio Management, Continuous Learning Culture and Organizational Agility. Every single portfolio that you can find in Portfolio SAFe is connected either to a government entity or an enterprise.

Value streams is one of the highlights that you can find in Portfolio SAFe. In here, a value stream is developed in order to fund the resources and people to develop solutions that can deliver value to both customer as well as the business. Moreover, it is focusing on lean budgets, which provide proper financial control.

Portfolio SAFe has the ability to align the enterprise strategy to go ahead with a portfolio execution. This is done by focusing more on the value streams. This delivers the basic governance mechanisms and budgeting mechanisms at the end of the day. In the meantime, you can see how portfolio sync is being used to provide a clear picture on how the portfolio is progressing to cater to strategic goals and objectives.

If there is a need to introduce developing right things within a lean agile company along with the usage of appropriate investments, Portfolio SAFe principles can be used. The portfolio will be able to cater to a strategic objective. In the meantime, business epics will capture and reflect all the capabilities that the business has in order to deliver value streams across the organization.

— Slimane Zouggari

Large Solution SAFe

Large Solution SAFe is made out of artifacts, roles and processes that are needed to develop complex and large scale solutions. In this level, you can find how special attention is paid towards capturing requirements while having solution in mind. This is done with proper coordination with multiple suppliers and Agile Release Trains. This is done in order to make sure that a company is in compliance with standards and regulations.

In order to develop large scale solutions with Large Solution SAFe, it is important to have additional roles, events, artifacts and coordination. Presence of these elements will cater towards the possibility of implementing Large Solution SAFe and ensuring a lean agile framework within the company.

When it comes to Large Solution SAFe, special attention is paid towards overcoming biggest challenges faced by a company. In order to overcome those challenges, the company will go ahead and develop large scale solutions as well. They are beyond the scope of single ART that can be developed.

Large Solution SAFe is using three different activities in order to coordinate with multiple suppliers and ARTs. They include pre and post pi planning, solution demonstration and inspection along with adoption. Then it is possible to evaluate the current solution and introduce the much needed change.

According to the definition of Scrum, a team should be less than 10 members. However, there are situations where bigger teams have to be employed to get projects completed. While dealing with such projects, Large Solution SAFe will come into play. They can offer much-needed support and assistance to introducing lean agility to the company.

— Slimane Zouggari

Essential SAFe

Essential SAFe is the minimal set of events, roles and artifacts that are needed to deliver business solutions through an Agile Release Train continuously to the Agile Teams. Due to the same reason, you can think about calling ART, or Agile Release Train as the heart of Essential SAFe as well. In here ART acts as the virtual company formed to increase functional boundaries while removing the unwanted steps when implementing SAFe principles and practices within a company.

You will have to deal with lots of bottlenecks when implementing SAFe lean agile practices and principles within a company. You can overcome them with ART. In the meantime, ART will be able to help you to enhance the functional boundaries as well.

Essential SAFe is a large solution. In fact, it can be implemented wider across an organization in a more convenient manner. Along with that, the time taken to get the entire company to function according to lean agile practices can be reduced. This is the main difference that you can see in Essential SAFe when compared to other configurations of SAFe.

Essential SAFe focuses more on fixing people because the processes will often be able to deliver similar behaviors within the people team. Along with that, it is possible to enhance the agility of the company as well.

In order to introduce agility to a company, managers will come across the need to overcome some cultural barriers of the team members. Overcoming these barriers will become an easy thing to do with the support and assistance offered by Essential SAFe at the end of the day.

— Slimane Zouggari

What’s new in SAFe 5.0?

Today (1st of February, 2020), SAFe 5.0 has been released.

SAFe 5.0 is the latest version of the agile framework promoted by Scaled Agile Inc. Along with the introduction of SAFe 5.0, companies are now provided with the opportunity to introduce agility across enterprises in an effective manner.

What’s new?

You can find several new changes in SAFe 5.0. Out of those changes, the biggest change that you will notice is the presentation of the entire model. In addition to that, you will be able to see how the alignment of the components have changed to ensure business agility.

Overview

Essential SAFe is one of the new elements that you can find in SAFe 5.0. It focuses in training everyone and launching the train. Along with that, all the people will be able to get used to the agile environment and function effectively.

SAFe 5.0 has introduced a new framework roof as well. In here, it is believed that SAFe is not in a position to ensure business agility without adopting the portfolio level of SAFe. This is where they pay attention towards two different levels, which include Essential and Solution.

The newest version of SAFe is paying attention towards customer centricity as well. This can help the organizations to focus on organizing the ARTs around value of customers.

Difference with previous version of SAFe?

Learn portfolio management capabilities are improved with SAFe 5.0. In addition to that, you will be able to see a reorganization of the components. People and core components have been moved to the left side of the framework, while providing a stronger focus on their roles.

— Slimane Zouggari

SAFe – System Architect and Solution Architect

System Architect and Solution Architect, represents the teams and individuals, which have the technical responsibility for the overall engineering and architectural design of the solution and system. This fractious discipline system takes a system view on key progress. It is participating in the definition of a nonfunctional requirements and higher level functional that analyze the technical trade offs, major subsystem and components.
System Architect and Solution Architect align the Value Stream as well as Agile Release Trains to a corporate technological and architectural idea of the Solution under progress. Participating in defining the subsystem and systems, evaluate alternatives and endorse technology assumptions that support the solution improvement through providing architectural view, communicating and evolving the larger technological solution.
This team arises and Value Stream Level and Programs controls mostly the setting of the Agile Release Train where they work with the Agile Teams and have a practical enablement with respect to subsystems and capability parts under the purview of the Architectural Solution teams that have a practical leadership for developing architectural abilities of the whole solution.
System and Solution Architect usually have the responsibilities such as:
 Supervising and foster the Built in Quantity
 Participating in PI Planning and Pre-Post PI Planning System as well as Inspect and Adapt
 Developing and Planning the architectural way in supporting for the upcoming business Features/capabilities
 Support the technology aspects of Program and Value Stream Kanbans
 Explore, support and define the implementation of value stream and program enablers to progress solution resolved; work openly with agile teams to support explore and implement them.
 Participating in definition, high level design and planning of the solution and explore solution replacements
 Defining their interfaces and subsystems that allocate responsibilities, understand the solution placement as well as communicating the necessities for the interactions with solution setting.
 Work together with the stakeholders, suppliers and customers to establish the high level solution determined which can help the key intent information models and documentation necessities.
 Working with portfolio stakeholders, specifically the Enterprise Architect to analyze, split, realizes and develops the execution of enabler Epics.
Initiatives build a group of people who perform the systems features of solution progress of those teams that usually involve multiple disciplines, mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, as well as other aspects of a complex solution and the software elements. Obviously, it is impossible to reason nearly how to form a multifaceted solutions without containing the parts of software Systems Engineering and Architecture. A significant communication of restraint is necessary. The customary ways for both solutions, it is strongly sink near the point-solution, phase-gate, and Big Up Front Design approaches. It is understood because the stage gate cascade model is the finest model available at that time and these are large systems as well as someone has to identify how one is hypothetical to go about the structure. Therefore, this functions emphasis on the cross discipline relationship, feedback-driven knowledge cycles and leveraging the characteristic erraticism of the advancement product.

— Slimane Zouggari

SAFe – Release Train Engineer and Value Stream Engineer

A release train engineer (RTE), has a responsibility to facilitate the program level, manage risk, and escalates impediments as well as helps drive in program level constant development. While the Value Stream Engineer (VSE), is the one that is guiding and assisting the work of a Release Train engineers as well as the Suppliers, these two kinds of jobs has almost the same background of development or SAFe program managers and function the most effective servant leaders.
The Value Stream Engineer (VSE) and Release Train Engineer (RTE) assist the value stream and release train execution as well as the processes. They intensify the manage risk, help guarantee value delivery, impediments and help drive nonstop development.
The two types of job have responsibilities normally fulfill the following tasks such as:
 Optimizing and managing the flow of the value over the program by means ofthe Information Radiators and Program and Value Stream Kanbans.
 Coach Leaders, scrum masters and teams practices and attitudes
 It inspires the Team Level, value stream level, program level, as well as around engineering and quality practices
 Contagious of improvement in initiative via Adapt and Inspect workshops, it is measure the alertness of the value stream and help recover
 Attending the Solution Demos and System Demos
 Providing contribution on resourcing to statement serious blockages
 They operate and understand within the Budget
 They also helping to manage the dependencies and the risks
 Supporting some related activities and report status to the program agile portfolio management
 Assisting the periodic synchronization meetings, including the ART sync in the Program Level as well as the VS sync in the stream value level
 Facilitating together with economic decision making by helping ability and article assessment by team and roll-up to the stream value level as well as the Portfolio level
 Track impediments and escalate
 Establishing the Program Increments an communicating to annual calendars for iterations
 Helping PI Planning
 Simplify the Post-Pi Planning keenness via nurturing the training of Backlogs and Vision, as well as pre and post PI Planning meetings
However, an outlook change is frequently needed for a new Release Train Engineer and Value Stream Engineer. The managing and direction activities is stand-in as a servant leader. A servant leadership is a management philosophy that denotes an inclusive assessment of the value of a community, work and spirit. In this regard, the Release Train Engineer and Vale Stream Engineer must have the characteristic of a servant leader actions wherein you must support and listen your team in regards to the problem in decision making and identification.
Encouraging and supporting the development of team as well as the personal improvements of individuals. Persuading rather using of authority. Creating a kind of environment that has mutual influence. It is important that you support the commitments of the team and you need to be open and learn to appreciate the openness in other member of the team.
Therefore, Release Train Engineer and Value Stream Engineer has almost the same responsibilities that need to fulfil, but in order to be an effective engineer you need to learn the characteristic of servant leader.

— Slimane Zouggari

Safe – Product management

Product management is very important to all business owners out there through the help of reputable and trustworthy company. Looking for the best service provider is quite hard especially on the internet. In this way, if you want to have a reliable company who will be responsible on product management, SAFE will be the best idea that you could ever have. When you will consider this amazing amenity provider, you will be given a product manager who can do the following services:
1. Understand client’s needs and make effective and efficient solutions. Managing of a product is the customers’ internal voice more specifically for the Agile Release Train or ART. Furthermore, they work on with customers in order for them to have a profound understanding about the things they should have to know. In addition to that, they will be able to communicate all their needs and join in proposed solutions validations.
2. Comprehend and help portfolio work. Every ART is connected to a portfolio in which the product manager has the working obligation to comprehend the so-called Budget parameters that are needed for the fiscal period. They are familiar on how a particular strategic themes influence its direction. They will also serve Epic Owners in order for them to improve Epics business case that can affect their Agile Release Train (ART).
3. Enhance and communicate the vision program and roadmap. Product management will consistently enhance and communicate the goals and objectives of the teams that are tasked on development. Also, they will define all the basic properties of the platform. In this way, you will be assured of getting the service that you truly deserve. In fact, they are partnered with the Solution and System Engineering/ Architect which likewise define and keep the NFRs which mean Nonfunctional Requirements. This will help you ensure that the provided solutions reach the standards.
4. The work flow will be managed and prioritized. Product management facilitates the work flow via the Kanban Program. They make sure that there are ready features that can be found in the backlog more often. This is because they enhance the acceptance feature criteria that are employed to help these features meet its Done Definition.
5. Product manager join PI planning. During the PI planning session, product management delivers the vision that highlights the proposed solution features in addition to the related ongoing Milestones. Also, they usually join as train business owners who are responsible for establishing the value of the business and approving the objectives of the PI.
6. Create a functional and efficient Product Owner and Product Manager team. The key to functional and efficient innovation is the Product Owner and Product Manager team. They also make a bigger contribution to the satisfaction of their job.
Summing up, if you need product management, you can make SAFE as your number one option. They can assure you of receiving an excellent service. Furthermore, you will be given a product manager who has the ability to do the job for you.

— Slimane Zouggari

SAFe – Enablers

Enabler is a kind of technical initiative that has the ability to support development of an organization initiative. It commonly exists to four levels of SAFe: Enabler Epics at Portfolio level, Enabler features at program level, Enabler capabilities at Value Stream Level and Enabler stories at team Level. It can be used to different kinds of activities that need support for the upcoming features of business however, it falls only to three types of categories and it includes:
• Infrastructure- It is use to enhance and build the testing and development of an environment to facilitate faster the high quality testing and development.
• Architecture- It is use to build architectural runway to ensure it will create fast and smooth development.
• Exploration- It is use to build understanding regarding the needs of the customers and understand the prospective solutions in evaluating alternatives.
Through using enabler, you will have the assurance that you can capture the visibility of the needed work and efficiently support the delivery and development of business features for its future. However, you still need to choose which one will work best for your business since there are different types of enablers you can choose from.
Here are the types of enablers you may find in the market:
• Enabler stories-This kind of enabler best fits to Iterations nut do not require voice format since it has criteria of acceptance that requires the support testing.
• Enabler features and capabilities. This kind of enabler commonly occur at Program levels and value Stream in which it can share similar attributes like statement of acceptance and benefits criteria and it usually best for single PI.
• Enabler epics-This is type of enabler that is written through using value statement format that has been defined just for epics.
Since it is created based from the initiative of the business, it can make different Kanban system that needs explorations to validate the solution, develop test, pave runway, and integrate initiatives. Most of these enablers are created by architects or through the system of the engineering at different levels either it is portfolio levels, enterprise architects or system and solution of both engineering and architects at program levels and value stream. Architect that creates enabler can steer it through Kanban System that can provide information that is needed to implement it and guidance that can help to analyze it.
Some of the enablers can emerge locally from needs of agile teams, value streams, agile release trains to improve its existing solutions. It is subjected to the allocation in value stream backlogs and program that will provide assurance to have better solutions. It can be applied for enabler that will differentiate different kinds of enablers.
Enabler can be applied to exploration in order for the development teams flesh out some details of designs and requirements, architectural runway to ensure agile architecture can implement their concepts, and to the infrastructure that will ensure to reduce the risk of integration. This is how the enabler becomes very beneficial is to most of the engineers and architects. .

— Slimane Zouggari

SAFe – Customer

Nowadays, customers are the most important entities in the business world. Since the world is becoming highly competitive, customer will serves as the external and internal part of an organization that continuously increases their demands. Most of them want some options, quick service, better solutions, and more valuable products that will meet all of their needs with great satisfactions.
Integrating the customer as the integral to the Lean –Agile Solution is the best way to have better development since you consider them as part of your value stream. Therefore, they should not be separable from process and should work closely and frequently with the product and solution management and other kinds of stakeholders that will help to shape the economic framework, vision and solution intent. Customers have strong influence to define and prioritize solutions and can actively participate to the process improvement, demos, and planning.
Customers are considered as integral part of the lean agile development that plays vital role for SAFe and at the same time part of value stream. The support for the agile principles and lean are continuously participating to the evolutions, demonstrations, planning and definition of solutions that is very important to the success of every execution.
In some cases, customers are considered as internal while others are external. On the other hand, customers are the largest class to the economic buyers wherein the system builder needs to understand and aggregate the requirements for some general case and fill the broad market that needs the adequate internal proxy to the development.
So no matter what kind of customers you have for your business are, there is a need for you to get engage them in your entire agile development solutions. They are require to participate to the proxy or person by fulfilling the general responsibilities like:
• Participate in UAT, beta testing and other forms of validation for best solutions
• Participate similar to business owner when it comes to PI planning
• Review the financial and technical status of solutions
• Attend system demo that can help to evaluate for the increment solutions
• Communicate with economic logic and help to create validate assumptions to the economic framework
• Participate in workshops and remove the systemic impediments
• Collaborate to manage the time, scope and other constraints regarding solution and product management
• Interact with subject matter and expertise at time of workshops
• Define the milestones, releases and roadmaps
The engagement of the customer as end-user can drives the success of agile. Since the agile development is considered as dependent in high degree of engagement from their customers there are higher stage models are being assume. However, the engagement here is different because serves as the base from the solution builder in which the building is the general solutions and use to sell to numerous customers. It is also specifically build for customers that are base from their specifications.
Having this kind of solutions, it helps to reduce the aspect of win – lose regarding the relationship to the customer and system builder and receives continuous flow for the business.

— Slimane Zouggari