SAFe Agilist (SA)
What is the role of a SAFe Agilist (SA)?
The SAFe Agilist is the first major introduction into the SAFe principles and constructs. The certification is awarded after passing an exam, for which you can prepare with the two-day course ‘Leading SAFe’. As the name suggests, Leading SAFe is meant for people who will ‘lead’ a Lean-Agile enterprise, and thus have to become familiar with the framework at a strategic level.
Leading SAFe goes into the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) and its underlying principles as derived from Lean, systems thinking, Agile development, product development flow, design thinking, Lean Portfolio Management and DevOps. It also gives the Lean-Agile leader the understanding needed to support and participate in a PI Planning event and to understand the work of one or multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs).
A SAFe Agilist is able to apply Lean, Agile and the Product Development Flow principles in order to improve productivity, employee satisfaction, time-to-market and quality. They know how to introduce and apply SAFe in a company and how to benefit from achieving goals. As SAFe Agilist you come to understand the interaction between Agile teams, Agile programs and Agile Portfolio management.
Articles about Leading SAFe
On the left side you can read everything about what Leading SAFe actually is.
Why SAFe Agilist (SA)?
A SAFe Agilist has the insights into what is required to transform your current agile product development. He/she also knows how to change agile portfolio management into an efficient organization that delivers continuous flow of value to your stakeholders and customers with shortest sustainable time to market.
A SAFe Agilist validates their knowledge in applying the Scaled Agile Framework, lean thinking and product development flow principles in an enterprise context so they can lead the adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework.
Responsibilities of a SAFe Agilist
Be a guide
Guiding success, adoption, and continuous developments of SAFe in an enterprise.
Respond to the need for innovation
Helping to define the perceptions and goals of a company in order to communicate strategic agreements successfully. SAs respond to the need for innovation of stakeholders and teams.
Motivate
Help employees establish their expertise and careers by motivating them in a way that boost their capacities and develop their obligation to the perceptions and goals of the company.
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)
SAFe Product Owner (POPM)
SAFe Advanced Scrum Master
SAFe Agilist (SA)
Release Train Engineer (RTE)
SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
The SAFe roles: after your SA certification
When you certify as a SAFe Agilist, you’ve had a profound introduction to the framework. To continue with SAFe, you may want to consider which role you aim to take on, and follow a training to that effect:
- A SAFe Agilist can apply the Lean-Agile mindset to their management or leadership role.
- A SAFe Scrum Master, or even SAFe Advanced Scrum Master can facilitate and coach one or more Agile Teams in a SAFe organization.
- A SAFe Product Owner provides an Agile Team with priority and expertise, taking decisions at the feature level.
- A SAFe Product Manager provides multiple teams in an Agile Release Train with feature priorities and expertise, while managing stakeholder and customer demand.
- A Release Train Engineer keeps the Agile Trains of an organisation on track.
- A SAFe Program consultant is the leading agent of change: a combined internal SAFe consultant and trainer who brings others to take on SAFe roles and so implements the whole SAFe framework in the organisation.