Keys to Sustainable Success

This is the number one question I am asked by change agents during a SAFe transformation:

“Mike, how do we maintain long-term sustainable success?”  

It’s a great question that makes me smile.  

There are several factors that can impact the long-term success of your SAFe transformation.  Here are some of the most common ones that I have seen in my experience – 

  • Internal change agents who have received proper training from a qualified and experienced SPC or SPCT.
  • Understanding and use of the SAFe Implementation Roadmap.
  • Engagement of Lean-Agile Leaders.
  • A strong foundation in the SAFe Values and Principles.

While these are all critical, a strong foundation in the SAFe Values and Principles throughout the entire organization stands has particular significance to me – especially the pairing of the SAFe value of Relentless Improvement, and the SAFe principle #4 – Building incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles.  Let’s focus on these for a moment as this powerful combination ensures that you:

  • learn quickly from your releases of value to your customer – Customer Centricity.
  • Take that learning to make informed decisions about your product.
  • Deeply understand the challenges your organization is facing with techniques like the “Five Whys”.
  • Prioritize your improvement backlog items to stay focused on what is most important.

In my experience, these are two of the most critical SAFe values and principles.  They set the tone for the foundation of an experimental approach to product development that leverages feedback and learning from your customer to form the basis of relentless improvement.  In this way, regardless of where your organization is when they start their Lean-Agile journey, they will stay focused on learning and improving long-term.

SAFe training has an intentionally significant amount of time spent on the SAFe Core Values, SAFe Principles, and Agile Manifesto.  I often ask those I am working with to reflect on why they think so much time and effort is spent on these areas.  Remember to reflect on these on to deepen your understanding and embrace them as part of your organizational culture.

There are a lot of reasons that organizations are having success with the SAFe framework.  What have you seen as the keys to the long-term sustainable success of your SAFe transformation?

Share this post

Leading SAFe

Take the Leading SAFe course to discover how companies can build business agility, and how to make SAFe work inside your organization. You’ll learn how SAFe helps you improve quality, productivity, employee engagement, and time-to-market. You’ll come away with an understanding of how to align your entire organization around the same clear objectives, and how to improve the flow of value and work from strategy to delivery. You’ll learn what makes companies more customer-centric and how to run key SAFe alignment and planning events, like PI planning.

Materials presented in this 2 day class are the latest from SAI and upon completion you will be registered for the SAFe SA Certification with Engaged Agility certification exam.

The 2-day course, exam, and 1 year of certification license is included in the price of the course.

All of our classes are “Confirmed to Run” so register with confidence!

Gabriel Pacheco

Gabriel Pacheco is an executive at a multinational company, working as a consultant in Digital Transformation, Organizational Agility, Management, and Leadership for large companies in Brazil and Latin America. With over 20 years of experience in technology and working with Lean/Agile since 2009, he stands out for his strategic vision, ability to lead organizational transformations and develop high-performing leaders and teams.

Gabriel has been a SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC) since 2020 and holds various certifications, including SA, PSM I, CSPO, KMP, KCP, PMP, among others. His passion for sharing knowledge has led him to train over 1000 people in public and private training sessions and speak at some of the largest agility events in Brazil.

In addition to his corporate career, Gabriel is also an entrepreneur and mentor in career growth, management, and leadership.  He is committed to helping people reach their maximum potential.

Confirmed to Run

At Engaged Agility, all of our classes are “Confirmed to Run” – even with just one student. We’re committed to providing high-quality education and personalized attention, no matter the class size. Smaller class sizes offer unique benefits, including more one-on-one time with our expert instructors and a collaborative, intimate learning environment.

You can expect a rich and rewarding educational experience that meets your needs, whether you’re enrolled in a class with one or many students. If you’re the only one enrolled, we’ll let you know before class and give you the option to take the class one-on-one or choose a future class with more students.

Join us for a tailored and flexible learning journey that helps you achieve your goals. Our “Confirmed to Run” classes provide peace of mind and a commitment to your success, every step of the way.