Many leaders pride themselves on setting the high-level direction and staying out of the details. But big picture, hands off leadership isn’t likely to work in a change situation, because the hardest part of change—the paralyzing part—is in the details.

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Any successful change requires a translation of ambiguous goals into concrete behaviors. To make a switch, you need to script the critical moves.

Attend the course. Course completion is the first step toward SAFe certification.; Scaled Agile training classes are designed with the learner in mind. Incorporating active learning techniques with a robust role-based curriculum is a great start to the SAFe learning journey. Safe Auto Group Agency’s compensation from these insurers may vary between the insurers and based on the policy you buy. Safe Auto Group Agency, Inc and/or its affiliates (“Safe Auto”) is located and operated exclusively in the United States of America. SAFE is a member-oriented organization of aviation educators fostering professionalism and excellence in aviation through continuing education, professional standards, and accreditation. If Outlook won't open, try opening it in safe mode, which disables add-ins. Right-click the Start button, and click Run. Type Outlook.exe /safe, and click OK. Tip: If Windows can't find Outlook.exe /safe, try using the full path to Outlook (for example C: Program Files Microsoft Office OfficeXX, where XX is your version number).

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—Dan and Chip Heath, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

This is the home page for the SAFe^® Implementation Roadmapseries, which consists of 12 articles.

Achieving business agility and the benefits of Lean-Agile development at scale is not a trivial effort, so SAFe is not a trivial framework. Before realizing SAFe’s rewards, organizations must embrace a Lean-Agile Mindset as well as understand and apply Lean-Agile principles. They must identify Value Streams and Agile Release Trains (ARTs), implement a Lean-Agile portfolio, build quality in, and establish the mechanisms for continuous value delivery and DevOps. And, of course, the culture must evolve as well.

Based on proven organizational change management strategies, the SAFe Implementation Roadmap graphic and article series describes the steps or “critical moves” an enterprise can take to implement SAFe in an orderly, reliable, and successful fashion.

In order to achieve the desired organizational change, leadership must “script the critical moves,” as described by Dan and Chip Heath [1]. When it comes to identifying those critical moves for adopting SAFe, hundreds of the world’s largest enterprises have already gone down this path (see Customer Stories), and successful adoption patterns have emerged. A fairly standard pattern is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. SAFe Implementation Roadmap

While no two adoptions are identical and there is rarely a perfectly sequential step-by-step implementation in any enterprise, we know that businesses getting the best results typically follow a path similar to that shown in the Implementation Roadmap. It includes the following 12 steps:

This article serves as a launching pad to explore these steps in detail and understand how to apply them to specific implementations.

Start with the first article: Reaching the Tipping Point.

Learn More

Additional Resources

Last update: 10 February 2021

Certification basics

Scaled Agile’s role-based offerings focus on the skills, knowledge, and experience required to successfully perform the job in a SAFe working environment. Before taking the certification exam, individuals are required to attend the relevant SAFe course and are highly encouraged to read recommended books and articles, and take advantage of videos and enablement resources, in addition to gaining real-world experience in the role.Scaled Agile maintains rigorous quality standards to ensure that those who have earned the certification are well prepared to effectively fulfill their role in a SAFe enterprise.

Learning journey: checklist

• Attend the course related to exam
• Study based on the course and exam study materials provided
• Incorporate learnings into real-world experiences
• Take the practice test on the SAFe Community Platform
• Take the actual exam through the SAFe Community Platform
• Become a member of the SAFe Community

Attend the course

• Course completion is the first step toward SAFe certification.
• Scaled Agile training classes are designed with the learner in mind. Incorporating active learning techniques with a robust role-based curriculum is a great start to the SAFe learning journey.
• Receive access to the SAFe Community Platform after the class, which provides access to study materials & the exam.

Review the relevant SAFe® Certification page for complete details on the exam:

Detailed exam study guides are available to help prepare for the exam and are part of the Learning Plan provided to candidates on the SAFe Community Platform. Each study guide provides relevant and content-specific exam information, such as the certification role description, prerequisite skills and knowledge, exam objectives, and a comprehensive reading list.

Practice tests can help prepare for the exam and are part of the Learning Plan on the SAFe Community Platform. With a practice test candidates can ‘test before the test.’ It simulates the actual certification exam in duration, difficulty, and topic area. Passing the practice test does not guarantee passing the certification exam, but it provides a testing simulation, and the score report can be used to identify an individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

Practice tests are available at no additional charge, delivered through the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform, and can be taken as many times as needed. Note that testers will receive the same bank of questions each time, but they will be randomized.

Sample tests provide examples of the type and format of the questions to expect on the certification exam. They are publicly available for all exams under Exam Details on each certification detail page.

Leverage experience. It’s more than being book smart. Scaled Agile exams test specific knowledge, skill, experience, and attitudes related to each SAFe job role. Combining a person’s learning and studying with their real-world experiences is key to becoming SAFe® Certified.

Take the exam

• A link to the exam is included in the Learning Plan on the SAFe Community Platform.
• Candidates have 30 days after course completion to take the exam at no additional charge. However, once they start the exam, they’ll have a fixed time to complete it.
• Complete exam information, including exam time limit, number of questions, and a sample test, is available for all exams under Exam Details on each certification detail page.

Exam retake policy

The following applies to all Scaled Agile exams, except sample tests and practice tests:

• The first time an exam is taken is considered a “first attempt” and not a retake
• If a certification exam is not successfully completed on the first attempt, there is no waiting period before taking the exam a second time
• A second attempt (first retake) of an exam can be done immediately after the first attempt for a fee*
• A third attempt requires a 10-day wait before the exam can be retaken for a fee*
• A fourth attempt requires a 30-day wait before the exam can be retaken for a fee*
• Once an exam is successfully completed, exam retakes are not allowed. The candidate may not take the same exam again, unless there has been an announced update to the exam.

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*There is a fee associated with each retake attempt. See each exam page for the specific retake fee associated with the exam.

Continue the learning journey

Becoming SAFe certified should be the beginning of an ongoing pursuit of learning and knowledge.

• Learn more about SAFe Learning Paths and Roles
• SAFe Principle #8—Unlock the Intrinsic Motivation of Knowledge Workers
• SAFe recommended reading for SAFe Agilists
• Training for executives, managers, and leaders