Accelerating Agile Success: A Deep Dive into SAFe® Core Values and Their Impact on Team Velocity

With the continuous development in the software industry, agility has emerged as a necessity. Companies are under constant pressure to innovate, adapt, and deliver high-quality products at an unprecedented pace. The ability to adapt, iterate, and deliver value quickly has become crucial for staying ahead of this competitive world. This is where frameworks like SAFe® (Scaled Agile Framework) come in

SAFe® offers a comprehensive approach to scaling agile practices across the enterprise, ensuring alignment, quality, and efficiency. This blog will help you explore SAFe core values and how they can contribute to agile success.

Understanding Team Velocity in SAFe

Team velocity in SAFe refers to the total work that is completed by an Agile team during a specific time period and is typically measured in story points or other relative units.

According to a recent survey by the Scrum Alliance, 68% of Agile teams track velocity by measuring project progress and thus forecasting future workloads. Understanding velocity is beneficial for Agile teams as it helps them optimize and deliver high-quality products in a consistent manner.

The Key to Unlocking Faster Velocity: SAFe Core Values

SAFe offers a defined path to help enhance agility through its core values. These values are the foundational principles that drive high-performance agile teams, fostering a culture of working smarter and faster. Let us explore how each SAFe core value impacts your team velocity. It shows a team’s capacity to deliver value to customers and the speed at which they are able to consistently produce high-quality outputs.

1. Transparency

Transparency promotes clear communication and ultimately leads to faster problem-solving.

· Clear Communication: Open communication across teams and stakeholders eliminates information silos, allowing for faster identification and resolution of issues.

· Faster Problem-Solving: Identifying issues enables early detection and collaborative resolution, thus reducing downtime and delays.

2. Alignment

Alignment ensures reduced rework and focused effort.

· Reduced Rework: When teams share a common vision and objectives, there is the least chance of conflicting priorities and duplicated efforts.

· Focused Effort: Alignment keeps teams focused on strategic goals, therefore maximizing their efficiency and productivity.

3. Customer Centricity

Customer Centricity drives value and faster iterations.

· Delivering Value: By constantly focusing on customer needs and feedback, teams are less likely to build features that may not meet the customer’s demands.

· Faster Iterations: A sharp focus on delivering value to the customer directly translates to faster iterations and quicker validation of ideas, leading to increased velocity.

4. Flow

Flow minimizes bottlenecks and ensures consistent delivery.

· Minimizing Bottlenecks: Optimizing the flow through streamlined processes and balanced workloads helps prevent delays and keep work moving smoothly.

· Consistent Delivery: A steady flow of work maintains momentum and allows for predictable, reliable output. Teams deliver features more consistently and predictably, resulting in a faster and more reliable delivery pace.

5. Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement accelerates learning cycles and increases velocity.

· Faster Learning Cycles: A culture of continuous improvement allows constant learning and adaptation based on data and feedback.

· Increased Velocity: Teams are empowered to experiment, learn from their experiences, and refine their processes, leading to faster learning cycles and ultimately resulting in increased velocity.

Synergy of Core Values

These core values do not operate in isolation rather when combined they create a synergistic effect that enhances overall team performance. Transparency and alignment empower teams to focus on customer-centric goals. Flow ensures continuous improvement by allowing teams to learn and adapt quickly based on data and feedback. This creates a virtuous cycle that fuels faster team velocity and a more successful agile journey.

While the SAFe® framework provides a structure to implement these values, they are universally applicable to any agile team. By leveraging these core values, you can create an environment where

your team can excel, collaborate effectively, and consistently deliver high-value work at an accelerated pace.

How to Become a SAFe® Practice Consultant

SAFe® Practice Consultant (SPC) is a valuable certification for professionals looking to lead and implement the Scaled Agile Framework within their organizations. Below is the step-by-step guide that will help you earn this certification:

1. Understand the Prerequisites

· Experience: You need to have at least five years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product, or management.

· Agile Knowledge: A deep understanding of agile principles and practices is essential. Moreover, experience with agile methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, or XP is also beneficial.

2. Complete a Leading SAFe Course ·

Course Enrollment: Enroll yourself in a leading SAFe course from Knowlathon. This short training provides you with a comprehensive overview of the SAFe framework and prepares you for the SAFe® Agilist (SA) Certification.

· Certification Exam: After successfully completing the course, pass the SAFe Agilist Certification exam.

3. Pass the SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) Exam

· Preparation: Use the study materials provided by the training institute. Gain knowledge on the SAFe framework and course notes and utilize additional resources.

· Exam Format: The SPC exam consists of multiple-choice questions and needs to be completed within a specified time frame.

· Exam Topics: Topics included in this exam are Lean-Agile Leadership, implementing SAFe, empowering a Lean portfolio, and building large solutions.

4. Gain Practical Experience

· Apply SAFe Principles: Start applying SAFe principles and practices within your organization. Lead SAFe implementations, coach agile teams, and drive continuous improvement.

· Documentation: Maintain all the documentation of your experiences and outcomes. This will be useful for further professional development and case studies.

5. Maintain Your Certification

· Renewal: SAFe certification requires renewal every year. This usually involves earning a specified number of continuing education credits.

· Contribution: Share your skills by mentoring others, and contribute to SAFe discussions, publishing articles and case studies.

Conclusion

Earning a SAFe Practitioner Consultant Certification is a significant step towards advancing your career in agile methodologies. Remember that the journey to agile success is continuous and requires commitment and adherence to its core values.

For professionals looking to excel in agile methodologies, it is time to adopt and integrate SAFe core values into your practices. Click here and start learning SAFe core values today.