Resilient Agile Change

“Each system is perfectly designed to achieve the results it does…”

David P. Hanna (Designing Organizations for High Performance)

Agility – implemented correctly – offers enormous advantages in a digitalized world – not only in IT, but everywhere in companies and organizations, including public administration! We help you to ensure that the transformation is not only well-intentioned, but also well done – even in a scaling environment!

Increasingly, our customers rely on SAFe® (ScaledAgileFramework), which is by far the market-leading open framework. We have extensive implementation, coaching and training experience with SAFe®. Regardless of the agile methodology itself, we help organizations identify the value streams, setup the agile teams, coach in the important difference between principles and practices to achieve noticeable short-term as well as sustainable success.

“…To achieve better results, you need to change the system.”

Quote attributed to W. Edwards Deming

Why SAFe®? By far, it is the worldwide leading methodology offering lean, agile and scaling continuous delivery of innovation and robust operations. Own analysis of the yearly “State of Agile” surveys from 3,000+ agile practitioners clearly show SAFe®’s increasing dominancy throughout the recent years. Meanwhile, SAFe® has exceeded the 50% mark.

“Realizing the need to transform in the digital age is not the issue, it is using models from the past.”

Agile Certification Courses and Trainings

Frequently, we offer SAFe® certification open courses and inhouse on request, based on comprehensive implementation experience:

Having trained hundreds of participants, feedback typically sores in 4.8+ out of 5 and NPS recommendation 9 out of 10.  

Back in 2018 we were first to introduce SAFe® for public agencies on the German market (SGP – SAFe® for Government Practitioners SGP).

(see Seminar&Events).

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is the world’s leading methodology for scaling agile and lean management practices. SAFe® is a freely available knowledge base and provides a proven, holistic framework for agile organizational alignment.

The following SAFe® certificate courses are offered as public “open” course (online) as well as “inhouse” for closed groups (online or onsite on request).

Leading SAFe (SA)

  • Leading SAFe® – certification as SAFe® Agilist (SA) [… more…]
    • The course answers the questions:
      • What is SAFe?
      • What is business agility and how does SAFe support it?
      • How does an organization get started with the Scaled Agile Framework®?
    • Attendees learn:
      • How to realize the benefits of SAFe, including: Boosting productivity, improving product quality, decreasing time to market, increasing employee engagement.
      • How to establish Team and Technical Agility and organize around the flow of value.
      • How to align massive organizations around clear, common objectives.
      •  How to participate successfully in critical SAFe events, such as PI Planning.
      •  How to adopt a customer-centric mindset.
    • What’s included:
      • Course delivery online (inhouse courses onsite on request) and materials (electronically) in English
      • Remote learning via SAFe® Virtual Classrooms for preparation for the certificate exam (to be taken online at own pace within one month after the course, participants must be present throughout the course to take the exam)
      • Access to SAFe® Collaborate, a visual online workspace
      • One-year membership in the SAFe® Community
      • Continuous Education: 21 Professional Development Units
        (PMI claim code 44460OU5T4)
    • Who benefits from this certification course?
      • Executives and Managers, Directors, CIOs and VPs
      • Developers, Quality Assurance and Infrastructure Managers
      • Program and Project Managers, Consultants
      • Product and Product Line Managers
      • Portfolio Managers, PMO and Process Leads
      • Business, Systems and Solution Architects
      • Scrum Master, Product Owner and agile coaches
    • Prerequisites
      All are welcome, regardless of specific prior knowledge. However, for the SAFe® certification exam we recommend:
      • 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product or project management.
      • Experience in Scrum

SAFe® Product Owner / Product Manager (POPM)

-description to follow shortly-

  • SAFe® Scrum Master
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® Lean Portfolio Management
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® for Teams
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® Release Train Engineer
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® Advanced Scrum Master
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® DevOps
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® for Architects
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® Agile Product Management
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® for Government
    – similar description to follow shortly-
  • SAFe® Agile Software Engineering
    – similar description to follow shortly-

Frequently asked questions on SAFe® certification (courses):

  • What is the format of the certification exam?
    All SAFe® certification exams are online multiple choice (without proctor, though “closed books”), 90- or 120-minutes duration, and required pass rates are in the 75+% range. All details can be found here. (https://support.scaledagile.com/s/topic/0TO6T000001OQd9WAG/certification-exams?language=en_US)
  • How does the certification exam take place?
    The trainer will enable the participants on the SAFe® online platform and after the training course, they have access to it, can take a preparational test and – at their own pace and once they feel confident, they take the online certification examination
  • How do I register for the online exam?
    The email address of the course participant will be requested with the list of participants before the training. Activation or admission to the examination usually takes place on the last day of the training.
  • How do I get my access data to the SAFe® Community Platform?
    Participants will receive their access data to the SAFe® Community Platform of Scaled Agile, Inc. based in Boulder (USA) and to the online examination by email.
  • When do I have to have completed my online exam?
    Participants can take the online certification exam within 30 days after the training course. The certification fee for the first attempt is included in the course fees. (it is our trainers’ objective that one attempt is sufficient😉) Each retake or attempt past the 30-day window is applicable to a small fee. All details can be found here. (https://support.scaledagile.com/s/topic/0TO6T000001OQd9WAG/certification-exams?language=en_US)
  • Is participation in the examination compulsory?
    No, Participation is optional.
  • How do I get my certificate after a successful exam?
    After passing the exam, the certificate is made available for download in the participant’s personal user profile and a digital badge can be claimed.

Agile Implementation (Consulting & Coaching)

Successful and sustainable transformation towards agile and lean approach requires competency. Knowledge (as acquired by trainings) is a foundation, necessary but not sufficient to achieve a high level of execution excellence.

We help clients in their endeavor of agile change transformation with consulting e.g. on

  • Identification of agile readiness and maturity: with our proven tools, we provide quickly an initial assessment of the current state of agile within the organization. Often, fragments of agile procedures are already existing, though a certain level of frustration due to missing pieces as agile does not seem to materialize yet.
  • The identification and definition of the target organizational setup
    (in SAFe® it is called “Lean Portfolio” with “Agile Release Trains (ART)” and “Solution Trains”)
  • Preparation of the agile change transformation, e.g. ART launch
  • Rollout of the ART and the portfolio
  • Interim-wise covering key roles such as Solution Train Engineer (STE), Release Train Engineer (RTE), Portfolio Manager, Architect, Scrum Master, Product Owner. Over time with our clients progress in staffing those roles internally, we phase out with proper on-the-job handover to safeguard agile flow and progress.

With the external help, organizations can accerate their agile transformation and reach a higher maturity level much quicker … and this is what pays off. Own scientific research has shown the correlation between higher maturity and better economic performance (see SAFe Summit Video How to unleash full SAFe potential).

For agile group or individual key roles, we provide coaching that helps our clients in specific situations and prepare them for better execution. Typically, these coaching sessions are more frequent (e.g. weekly) in the beginning of the transformation and will phase out over time.

Some reference examples:

Engineering (Revenue > EUR 3 Bn), 22% savings delivered

Services
Agility
Process and cost optimization
Lean
SAP 4 HANA Readiness

 

Activities

  • Management of the overall “LEAN IT” program
  • Identification of process and cost optimizations
  • Development of a “Target Operating Model
  • Preparation of lean-agile alignment

Result

  • 22% cost savings,
  • Streamlining of the IT application portfolio,
  • Realignment of the organization,
  • Introduction of coordinated efficiency and quality indicators

 

 

Company size > € 10 billion p.a. sales

Implementation of SAFe® lean-agile management in multiple units

Services
Scaled agile management
Implementation of market-leading lean-agile management method SAFe®

Activities
Transformation of six different areas to a lean-agile way of working according to the methodology SAFe® (ScaledAgileFramework.com) as Senior Agile Coach and Trainer.
Implementation of so-called “Agile Release Trains” / “Solution Trains” based on Value Stream Workshops, execution of Program Increment Planning (PIP) events, coaching and training of employees and senior management.

Result
50% faster delivery of results within 6 months with significantly reduced defect rate.

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Change Management Bootcamp (Certification Course)

Knowing about change management – theoretically – is one thing, but does not dispense real life with real settings!

  • Knowledge ≠ Understanding

In a time (and cost) affordable manner, this training session will provide insights in how to cope with real life challenges in TUPles (TUP – Teams Under Pressure).

We are living in a dynamic and complex world or, in a high dynexity that may lead to near-chaotic situations. Performing teams have learnt to cope with these situations and still deliver! Insights in such resilience is core of this program.

The concept is based on systemic change management that encounters holistically an organization (such as a team, division, company, …), its environment and driving forces.   

  • The course answers the questions:
    • Why is behavioral change on individual and team level crucial to high performing teams?
    • What antipattern exists in teams, their environment, and the personal individuals that prevents proper performance (diagnosis)?
    • Taking a systemic view, what alternatives (principles and practices) can help to ensure high performance (redesign).
    • Test the new normal
  • Attendees will:
    • experience challenging situations,
    • learn how to leave behind previously used but unhelpful practices,
    • sharpen the attention for behavioral pattern in the “system” and its environment,
    • understand what it takes to take corrective (change) actions to ensure that the business objectives are met.
  • The format is:
    Four times four hours remote (on request two days onsite). At the end, a evaluated presentation will be given by the participants.
  • What’s included:
    • Course delivery online (inhouse courses onsite on request) and materials (electronically) in English
    • Certificate
  • Who benefits from this certification course?
    • Team members
    • Leaders and senior leaders
  • Prerequisites
    • All are welcome, regardless of specific prior knowledge.
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