Course Taxonomy: Scaling Agility

SAFe® AI-Empowered Scrum Master (SSM)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

  • Lesson 1: Introducing Scrum in SAFe
    • Basic Agile development concepts
    • Scrum basics
    • The Agile Team in SAFe
  • Lesson 2: Characterizing the Role of the Scrum Master
    • Defining the role of the Scrum Master
    • Coaching execution with effective events
    • Cultivating high-performing teams
  • Lesson 3: Experiencing PI Planning
    • Preparing for PI Planning
    • PI Planning – Day One
    • PI Planning – Day Two
    • Final plan review and PI objectives
  • Lesson 4: Facilitating Iteration Execution
    • Plan the iteration
    • Track the iteration progress
    • Refine the backlog
    • Facilitate the Iteration Review
    • Facilitate relentless improvement
    • Support DevOps and Release on Demand
  • Lesson 5: Finishing the PI
    • Coach the IP iteration
    • Prepare the team for the Inspect & Adapt event
  • Lesson 6: AI for Scrum Masters
    • AI foundations and prompting
    • Responsible AI
    • Building an AI-augmented Scrum Master workflow

Registered Scrum@Scale Practitioner

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Scrum@Scale focuses on the organization as a whole, emphasizing how to optimize coordination with a “minimum viable bureaucracy.” You will learn the various components of the Scrum@Scale framework, such as scaled roles, scaled events, and enterprise artifacts.

Some concepts in the course include:

  • The elements of the Scrum Master Cycle (the “how” of Scrum), including concepts such as cross-team coordination, impediment removal, and the Executive Action Team
  • The elements of the Product Owner Cycle (the “why” of Scrum), including concepts such as strategic planning, release planning, and the Executive Meta Scrum
  • How these elements combine together to optimize organizational effectiveness
  • Where should you get started with your Scrum@Scale implementation

Once you understand how these elements can help transform your organization holistically, you can create a plan specifically tailored and prioritized to your situation. Implement what you’re ready for, building upon the elements of the framework over time.

AI-Empowered SAFe® Implementing SAFe (SPC)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Leading SAFe® – Days 1 and 2

  • Introducing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
  • Embracing a Lean-Agile Mindset
  • Understanding SAFe Principles
  • Experiencing Program Increment (PI) Planning
  • Exploring, executing, and releasing value
  • Leading a Lean-Agile Enterprise
  • Empowering a Lean Portfolio
  • Building Large Solutions

Implementing SAFe® – Days 3 and 4

  • Reaching the SAFe Tipping Point
  • Designing the Implementation
  • Launching an ART
  • Coaching ART Execution
  • Extending to the Portfolio
  • Sustaining and Improving
  • Becoming a SAFe 6 Practice Consultant (SPC)

AI-Empowered Leading SAFe®

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Module 1: Adapting and Thriving with SAFe in an AI‑Driven World

  • The need for business agility in a rapidly evolving, AI‑enabled landscape
  • Overview of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
  • How AI is accelerating transformation and decision-making
  • Key competencies for thriving organizations
  • Role of leaders in guiding AI‑enhanced transformation

Module 2: Building a Foundation with Mindset, Values, and Principles

  • The Lean‑Agile mindset: SAFe House of Lean and Agile Manifesto
  • Core SAFe values: Alignment, Built‑in Quality, Transparency, Program Execution
  • SAFe principles and their application in modern enterprises
  • Integrating ethical and responsible AI practices into leadership decisions
  • Shifting leadership behaviors to support innovation and adaptability

Module 3: Team and Technical Agility

  • Forming and supporting high-performing, cross-functional Agile teams
  • Organizing around value streams vs. traditional hierarchies
  • DevOps, continuous integration, and continuous delivery pipelines
  • Embedding AI tools into team workflows for automation and insight generation
  • Improving collaboration, quality, and speed with technical agility practices

Module 4: Agile Product Delivery with AI Enablement

  • Customer-centric product development and design thinking
  • Defining and managing value streams
  • Product ownership and backlog management at scale
  • Leveraging AI for backlog refinement, user insights, and forecasting
  • Delivering value continuously with built-in quality and rapid feedback loops

Module 5: Lean Portfolio Management

  • Aligning strategy with execution across the organization
  • Funding value streams and managing portfolios dynamically
  • Strategic themes, roadmaps, and governance
  • Using AI to enhance portfolio insights, prioritization, and decision-making
  • Measuring outcomes and optimizing value flow

Module 6: Leading the Change

  • Leading successful Lean‑Agile transformation initiatives
  • Building a culture of continuous learning and improvement
  • Change management strategies in complex organizations
  • Coaching leaders and teams through transformation
  • Applying AI responsibly to accelerate adoption and reduce friction in change

Module 7: Applying Practical, Responsible AI Prompting Techniques

  • Fundamentals of effective prompt design
  • Ensuring responsible, ethical, and secure use of AI tools
  • Use cases for leaders: strategy, communication, and decision support
  • AI-assisted problem-solving and workflow optimization
  • Hands-on practice applying AI in SAFe leadership scenarios

Module 8: Putting It All Together

  • Integrating SAFe principles with AI-enabled practices
  • Case studies and real-world scenarios
  • Action planning for your organization
  • Identifying next steps for SAFe implementation and AI adoption

SAFe® AI-Empowered Product Owner/Product Manager (SAFe POPM)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

  • Lesson 1: Exploring Product Roles and Responsibilities
    • Introducing SAFe for product roles
    • The Lean-Agile mindset
    • Value streams
    • Responsibilities of product roles
  • Lesson 2: Preparing for PI Planning
    • PI Planning
    • The solution vision
    • Solution and PI roadmaps
    • Customer-centric features
    • ART backlog and Kanban
  • Lesson 3: Leading PI Planning
    • Communicate the vision
    • Establish PI objectives
    • Manage dependencies
    • Manage risks
  • Lesson 4: Executing Iterations
    • Stories and story maps
    • Iteration planning
    • The team Kanban and team sync
    • Backlog refinement
    • Iteration review and iteration retrospective
    • Continuous delivery pipeline
  • Lesson 5: Executing the PI
    • Aligning delivery with sync events
    • The system demo
    • The innovation and planning iteration
    • Inspect and adapt
  • Lesson 6: AI for Product Roles
    • An overview of AI
    • Responsible AI
    • Building an AI-augmented workforce

SAFe Framework Overview

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Part 1: SAFe® Overview

  • What is SAFe?
  • Why SAFe?

Part 2: Applying SAFe Principles & Values

  • Lean-Agile Mindset
  • SAFe Core Values

Part 3: Executing SAFe in Cadence & Sync

  • Iteration Execution
  • Developing Cadence
  • Program Increment

Part 4: Continuous Delivery with SAFe

  • Inspect & Adapt
  • PI Planning
  • Shared Operations Teams

Part 5: Essential takeaways for Successful SAFe implementation

  • Roadmap
  • Next Steps

AI-Empowered SAFe® for Teams (SP)

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

AI-Empowered SAFe® for Teams (SP)

Day 1 – Foundations and Team Alignment

Part 1: SAFe and Lean-Agile Principles

  • SAFe overview and Lean-Agile values
  • House of Lean and core principles
  • Alignment, transparency, and quality

Part 2: High-Performing Agile Teams

  • Team roles and responsibilities
  • Collaboration and team dynamics
  • Continuous improvement mindset

Part 3: Agile Release Train (ART)

  • ART structure and purpose
  • Team coordination and cadence
  • Managing dependencies

Part 4: SAFe Practitioner Role

  • SP responsibilities and contributions
  • Applying SAFe in daily work
  • Certification path overview

Part 5: Delivering Customer Value

  • Customer-centric mindset
  • Value streams, features, and stories
  • Aligning work to business outcomes

Day 2 – Execution, Delivery, and Improvement

Part 6: Iteration Planning and Execution

  • Story breakdown and estimation
  • Iteration planning and flow management

Part 7: PI Planning

  • PI Planning structure and objectives
  • Team breakouts, risks, and dependencies

Part 8: Continuous Delivery and DevOps

  • DevOps and CI/CD basics
  • Improving delivery speed and quality

Part 9: Feedback and Improvement

  • Inspect & Adapt and retrospectives
  • Flow metrics and continuous improvement

Part 10: Certification Completion

  • SAFe® Practitioner (SP) exam overview
  • Key concept review and practice
  • Next steps for certification and renewal

Using Jira Align to Implement SAFe

Posted on October 17, 2020 by -

Section 1: Introduction to Jira Align for SAFe Organizations

The opening section will set the groundwork for SAFe and Jira Aligns support of the framework. 

Section 2: Portfolio Management

In this section we will review LPM concepts and practices from the perspective of Agile Portfolio Operations and Lean Governance as described by SAFe. Starting with a demonstration of Strategy & Investment Funding, we will look at how strategic goals and their alignment to Strategic Themes help the APMO/LACe and train leaders make decisions.

The participants will then complete the following guided exercises to understand Lean Portfolio Management concepts and how Jira Align supports each.

  • Create Portfolio Epics and associate them to (pre-created) Themes
    • Allocate portioned theme budgets to Portfolio Epics.
  • Manage Intake using the Portfolio Kanban Board
    • Students will move their Epic through the Portfolio Kanban, ensuring exit criteria Is met
  • Use the backlog to prioritize and rank Portfolio Epics – pulling rank from Themes and modifying the ranking of the Epics In the UI
  • 'Create' Roadmaps
    • Calendar View -aka 'planning view'
      • View Planned & Unplanned work, modify the views
      • Students will adjust epics and sync to the backlog
    • PI View – aka "health & reporting view' Students will
      • Update Health
      • Add Milestones
      • View by Product
      • Briefings views by customer

Section 3: Program/ART Management

In this section, we will cover the 'heart' of SAFe. Connecting strategy to execution begins with prioritized set of portfolio epics, from there our architects and product managers create the execution plans. Participants will:

  • Decompose Portfolio Epics Into Features
  • Use backlog to rank Features (Jira Epics) Pulling rank from Epics –
    • Align features to Jira Projects for the train.
    • Watch as the feature syncs to Jira
  • Backlog Management
    • Ranking – Pull rank from the Epics, Prioritize the backlog and push the new rank to Jira
    • Orphan objects – using the orphan functionality to ensure all work is estimated and aligned to a parent
    • Estimation
    • Kanban column view – pull top features – to get to "close velocity"

Section 4: PI Simulations

  • Prepare for & conduct MOCK PI Planning
    • Select top 10 most Important features (pre-defined list)
    • Program Board – Pre PI Load by PM/RTE role
  • Integration to /from Jira
    • The proper set up of Jira for SAFe
      • Class participants will be able to see stories from Jira Align, write to Jira
      • Class participants creating Feature (Jira Epics) or Stories in Jira
      • Dependencies – 2 per team
      • Risks – 1 per team
      • Objectives
        • Associate 1 to OKR (pre-existing)
        • Program Board View
        • Program Room
      • Monitor PI Progress using the Program Board
        • Show program board In flight – how to resolve problems

Section 5: Report on progress throughout the PI and across the portfolio

  • Work Tree
  • WIP
  • PIP
  • Scope Change
  • Risk report
  • Objective Report/tree
  • PI Progress Report
  • PI Clean up Report
  • Roadmaps
  • INv V Actuals
  • Investment Theme
  • OKR
  • Work Tree Strategy View