How To Update Your Leading SAFe® 4.0 Certification To SAFe® 4.5 Version
8921- by KnowledgeHut
- 28th May, 2018
- Last updated on 12th Sep, 2019
Scaled Agile® has released its most current version SAFe® 4.5 on 22 June 2017. With the advent of a new version of SAFe®, SAFe® 4.5 has revamped with the exciting new features around Continuous Delivery, Lean UX and Lean Startup, Configurability, Implementation Roadmap, and Scalable DevOps.
SAFe® 4.5 is also known as- SAFe® for Lean Enterprises. It provides a better way to improve alignment and implementation of Lean-Agile practices across the entire organization. After implementing SAFe® 4.5, the organization felt that SAFe® 4.5 is leaner, more Agile and an easily configurable framework that promotes better business results, faster innovation and improvements.
This newly configurable SAFe® 4.5 framework is the outcome of research from several implementations, feedback from the customer’s advancements in the knowledge base whereupon SAFe® is built. It can be configured as per your enterprise’s needs. The new version of SAFe® 4.5 allow companies to:
- Update and test the ideas rapidly using the feature called Lean Startup cycle and Lean User Experience (Lean UX)
- Deliver faster using Scalable DevOps and the Continuous Delivery pipeline feature
- Simplify governance and manage portfolio performance with the feature Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
- Shape as per the enterprise requirements
- Execute SAFe® faster and successfully with the Implementation Roadmap
If a company wants to scale its Agile teams, then the SAFe® framework is there to meet the associated challenges. The revamped features in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) like Lean Startup and Lean UX, Lean portfolio Management (LPM), and Lean Budgets help to update and execute the strategy more quickly to get faster business outcomes. Whereas the features like Scalable DevOps and Continuous Delivery supports the ‘build-measure-learn’ cycle implementation for faster delivery.
We, as a whole, realize that organizational change is easier said than done. It requires embracing new practices, leadership styles, and culture. SAFe® quickens Lean-Agile changes with the new Implementation Roadmap, which guides organizations consistently. To be aware of these latest features, you can attend the SAFe® certifications. With the advancement in SAfe® features, there must be an update in the SAFe® 4.5 certification. Let us check out how to update the certification to the SAFe® 4.5 version.
The goal of the course:
The objective of this course is to furnish you with the skills required to lead Lean-Agile transformation at the organization scale. The goal of the course is to provide a deep understanding of the SAFe® principles, educating Lean thinking and embracing Agility, plan, build and implement the Agile Release Train (ART) and values, apply the SAFe® 9 Lean-Agile principles, construct the larger systems in the Lean-Agile environment and impart knowledge on how to execute the Agile portfolio. It also aims at training candidates on the necessary leadership skills and help them understand how to lead the next generation proficient employees smartly.
Expertise Level:
The expertise level needed to attend the SAFe® 4.5 certification training is-
Intermediate to Advanced level
Key Learnings:
- An in-depth overview of the SAFe® principles
- How to embrace Lean-Agile thinking
- How the project is build using Lean, Systems Thinking, and Agile
- Nine SAFe® principles for Lean-Agile development at an organizational level
- What is Team level, Program level, Large Solution and Portfolio level
- Implementing Agile Release Train
- Implement Program Increment
- Building large systems in the Lean-Agile environment
- Manage Agile portfolio efficiently
Who can attend the course?
Below is a list of professionals who are eligible for attending the course-
- Executives, Managers, Consultants, Leaders, Program Managers, and Agile Change Agents;
- Anyone in an enterprise-level software development environment looking to achieve the business benefits of advancing Agile beyond a few teams or projects.
Course Prerequisites:
Following are the prerequisites for taking up the Leading SAFe® 4.5 training-
- 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product or project management;
- Experience in Agile development
Lessons covered in SAFe® 4.5 training course:
We are listing the most important lessons covered in the SAFe® 4.5 training course. It must, however, be noted that the overall course is not limited to the following-
- Introduction to Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)
- How to embrace a Lean-Agile Mindset
- SAFe® principles
- Implementing ART
- How to plan a Program Increment?
- How to explore, execute, and release value?
- Empowering a Lean portfolio
- Building the larger solutions
- How to lead the lean-Agile enterprise
![Lessons covered in SAFe® 4.5 training course]()
Update in the exam pattern:
There is no major update in the Leading SAFe® 4.5 examination pattern as of now.
Requirements for attending the SAFe® 4.5 certification course:
Since SAFe® 4.5 is backward compatible, so there is no need for formal training before taking the Leading SAFe® 4.5 certification.
Certification Update cost:
There is no cost to update to SAFe® 4.5 for individuals who have a SAFe® Community Platform membership.
What if people (SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) and SAFe® Program Consultant Trainer (SPCT)) are already certified prior to SAFe® 4.5 release?
- SPCs and SPCTs are automatically permitted to train on courses like Leading SAFe®, SAFe® for teams, and SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager (PO/PM)
- If SPCTs are SAFe® 4 certified, then they are directly permitted to coach on implementing SAFe®.
- SPCs and SPCTs are urged to finish the Course Delivery Enablement (CDE) for each course they intend to train. They are additionally urged to finish- What's New in SAFe® 4.5 training which is available by means of SAFe® Community Platform.
Concluding Thoughts
The developing interest in making a career in SAFe® and the proven advantages found after embracing Leading SAFe® 4.5 implementation in all the business areas add all the more durable values to the Leading SAFe® 4.5 certification. As SAFe® 4.0 will be accessible until June 2018, in this way, it is smarter to reap the benefits by updating your SAFe® certification to Leading SAFe® 4.5.
This might turn out to be the next big career move you are looking for!
KnowledgeHut
KnowledgeHut is a fast growing Management Consulting and Training firm that is a source of Intelligent Information support for businesses and professionals across the globe.
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The traditional Project Management (waterfall) approach is linear where all the phases of a process occur in sequence. Its concept depends on predictable tools and predictable experience. Each and every project follows the same life cycle which includes the stages such as feasibility, plan, design, build, test, production, support, as shown in the figure above. The entire project is planned upfront without any scope for changing requirements. This approach assumes that time and cost are variables and requirements are fixed. This is the reason why traditional project management faces budget and timeline issues. What is Agile Project Management? When a traditional system focuses on upfront planning where factors like cost, scope, and time are given importance, Agile management gives prominence to teamwork, customer collaboration, and flexibility. It is an iterative approach that focuses more on incorporating customer feedback and continuous releases with every iteration of software development project. The basic concept behind Agile software development is that it delves into evolving changes and collaborative effort to bring out results rather than a predefined process. Adaptive planning is perhaps the biggest feature of Agile and one that makes it a crowd favorite among project managers. Scrum and Kanban are two of the most widely used Agile frameworks. They are very well known for encouraging decision-making and preventing time consumption on variables that are bound to change. It stresses customer satisfaction and uses available teams to fast-track software development at every stage. The table below shows the major differences between Agile project management and traditional project management. Table: Agile project management vs traditional project management Why is Agile Preferred and why not the traditional project management? Agile is preferred by most developers and managers because of a variety of reasons. Let’s have a look at the most common ones: Project complexity Traditional: This method is the best fit for small or less complex projects as it follows linear approach. Sudden changes in the project or any other complexities can block the entire process and make the team go back to step one and start all over again. Agile: This is the best methodology to follow in case of complex projects. A complex project may have various interconnected phases and each stage may be dependent on many others rather than a single one as in simple projects. So, Agile methods are preferred for large complex projects, as they can respond better to such structures. Adaptability Traditional: This approach works with a belief that once a phase is done, it will not be reviewed again. 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Agile There is a high acceptance for feedback and change in this method. The process is very flexible and allows constant feedback that can help to provide better output within the fixed project delivery time. The main reason that managers or developers choose agile direction is for the flexibility it offers. Developers working with Agile management are able to respond to customer requests quickly as they are only addressing small parts of the project at a time and the customer validates each iteration or sprint before finalizing. Some of the important characteristics of Agile development Breaks project into parts Agile divides a project into parts (called iterations) where the release is sent to the customer after every single iteration. Additionally, the success of the project can be easily foreseen through the success of these iterations. This removes the need for upfront planning completely. Self-organized As mentioned above, Agile uses a parallel mode of management. Employees of a company are not managed by a central line of control, but by groups. For example, in Agile, there may be eight teams working on a single project. Each team is managed by itself without external guidance. The teams only interact with each other for project discussion and process linking as they are otherwise not self-sufficient. Generally speaking, an Agile project consists of three parts: The product owner – the expert on the project (for which the product is being developed) and is the main person who oversees the projects The scrum master – this person manages the process involved in Agile. He/she looks after the iterations and its completion The team – individuals who play significant and minor roles in the software development process Customer Engagement In Agile, customer engagement is at the very top. The customer is regarded highly in its frameworks as after every iteration, feedback is generated and acted upon. Overall, Agile is clearly the winner among project management systems. When compared with other traditional approaches, Agile’s features come to the fore and reiterate why it is one of the top software used by companies globally. Can Agile Coexist with Other Approaches? This is a question asked by many project managers, and opinions of experts seem to be divided. While some say it is possible for Agile to coexist with traditional project management systems, they suggest being cautious and using them for different terms. For example, using two different approaches on the same project can be counter-productive and highly explosive. As Agile and most other frameworks are totally contrasting to each other, the projects may go for a toss. On the other hand, some experts believe that it is not possible for Agile and other tools to co-exist because of their contrast. Using them together can cause disorder in the entire company system, making the productivity to go for a toss. Agile vs Traditional- Adoption Growth According to a recent online survey of 601 IT and development professionals, it is proved that Agile is the new typical formula for project success. The majority of projects and development teams are now adopting this methodology, while the traditional waterfall approaches have many flaws. Traditional organizations vs. #Agile organizations #SALC16 pic.twitter.com/bBgxkQB1fI — Scrum Alliance (@ScrumAlliance) January 20, 2016 Agile was first introduced about 15 years ago as a substitute for traditional software development approaches. Many people considered it as challenging to implement traditional approach practices and Agile adopters stated that this new style of software development improves team collaboration and is more customer-centric. Though Agile method was present more than a decade ago, the vast majority of organizations have adopted the practice in the last 5 years. 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