“6 Things You Need to Know Before Your SAFe Transformation” on TargetProcess, August 31, 2018.
1. Be (at least a little bit) Agile before implementing SAFe
I’m not saying that your whole organization has to be Agile—that’s the end goal of a SAFe transformation, after all. I’m just saying that your organization should already adhere to some fundamental aspects of a Lean-Agile culture before you consider implementing SAFe.
How do you know if you’re ready for a SAFe transformation?
Alan Zucker, founding principal of Project Management Essentials, says “the most common symptom” of an organization that hasn’t yet embraced Lean-Agile culture “is that the teams are not empowered or self-managing.” Performing Agile teams are one of the “cornerstones of SAFe” according to Zucker.
2. Ask yourself if you really need to implement SAFe
Implementing SAFe is a huge commitment that will impact your entire organization, so you don’t want to make this decision lightly. Now that you’ve taken stock of your company’s Agile maturity levels, ask yourself if SAFe is what you really need.
As Zucker points out: “SAFe is not an easy, lightweight tool.” You shouldn’t commit your organization to adhering to SAFe methodologies just because you think Agile is trending or because Lean-Agile principles work well for one of your teams.