SAFe Opportunity Sprint
In my work with dozens of enterprises I've learned that diving into training (even leadership or change agent training) or ART launches only makes sense after you align on intent and approach and tackle some of the tough questions.
The SAFe Opportunity Sprint is the result of years of evolving and fine tuning my approach, and is how I start engagements. It's a simple to budget, quick turnaround engagement that results in both a blueprint for how to configure (and potentially customize) SAFe for your context, and a concrete set of next steps for an implementation PI.
Is This For You?
When does exploring your SAFe Opportunities make sense?
The sprint suits organizations at different stages of their SAFe implementation, with a shared focus on applying agility principles at scale.
You're trying to figure out what SAFe looks like in your world and how to approach it in a way that avoids the theater and goes straight to speed and impact.
Some aspects of SAFe are in place but the expected benefits are not materializing.
Your SAFe implementation is working but you want to identify and address challenges to take it further.
SAFe has become theater: you need a reboot with a fresh, principled approach.
If SAFe is just one option on the table, we typically start with an Agility Opportunity Sprint, where we consider the various options for scaling with agility and decide what makes sense in your specific context.
Key Deliverables
What You'll Establish
Enterprise agility needs and goals
Explore pains and opportunities in the current way of working to establish what you need from enterprise agility.
What SAFe means in your organization
Define your Portfolios, Value Streams, ARTs, roles, configuration (3- or 4-level), work items, release cadence, and how SAFe integrates with your existing governance.
Learning from relevant case studies
Review and learn from real SAFe implementations: both from Yuval's field experience and industry case studies.
Context-specific complementary practices
Explore what else is needed: Technical safety, sustainable pace, lean requirements, Kanban, Agile testing, and more.
A high-confidence improvement blueprint
Create a draft blueprint, run a confidence vote, and address risks until a high-confidence improvement plan emerges.
Format
How It Works
1–2 days of focused empathy interviews to understand your context and goals before the sprint begins.
2–3 days of highly interactive working sessions, preferably offsite. Everyone participates and affects the outcome.
Senior leaders in Technology, Product, Transformation, Operations, and Program/Portfolio Management: the people who are responsible for shaping and driving the shift to predictable, agile, high-impact delivery.
How is this different from formal SAFe training?
Training courses, by their nature, focus on learning outcomes. The outcome we focus on here is context-specific clarity. The sprint does include primers on relevant frameworks and concepts, but emphasizes application rather than theory.
Formal training of course has its role, and there are multiple ways to approach it. Sometimes we establish a solid foundation before the sprint (for example, two days of training followed by a two day sprint). Sometimes formal training follows as a next step. We can discuss what makes sense in your context.
Ready to explore your SAFe opportunities?
Yuval Yeret: SAFe Fellow, SPCT, and Scrum.org PST with 15+ years applying agility at scale: will facilitate the sprint and guide your exploration.