SP, SPC, PM/PO: Which Leading SAFe® Certification Is Right For You?

Are you thinking of pursuing Agile certifications? Then you must have already made up your mind to opt for professional certifications in Scaled Agile Framework® for your career and organizational benefit. That is an extraordinary idea and you will reap so much out of it! Before you take the next step, it makes sense in knowing what is SAFe® and why it has become a need of the hour.

What is SAFe®?

SAFe® provides a simple, lightweight Agile framework to the development team for software development. SAFe® 6.0 is the latest version of SAFe®. This new version is configured to harmonize the needs of your organization. SAFe® 6.0 empowers enterprises to -

• Check the plans more quickly (Lean Startup cycle + Lean User experience)

• Enable fastest delivery (Scalable DevOps + Continuous Delivery pipeline)

• Simplify governance and improve portfolio performance (Lean Portfolio management + Lean budgets)

Why is SAFe® crucial for the organizations?

Most people assume that SAFe® is used only to scale Agile (Scrum) in the organization. But it is more than that. The time when SAFe® was not in use, all the Agile transfigurations in an enterprise resulted in hybrids. The reason is Scrum. Scrum is a staple part of Agile and is designed for the small teams working on small projects and for the smaller organizations.

Unfortunately, many companies didn’t get superior outcomes from this Agile transformation and they swung back to the non-Agile methods. This devalued Agile to an alarming extent and cost many companies a lot more without getting any profit.

An additional reason can be the absence of a well-organized structure to follow while initiating the organizational scaling. Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is a crystal clear way to scale Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban. SAFe® provides a set of useful structures that allows the organizations to smoothly transit to the Agile methodology.

Taking any course is an investment in more schemes than one, and it requires to exert some amount of serious energy on your part to receive the most in return. So before you plunge into the pool of the SAFe® certifications, inspect your alternatives and figure out which certification is ideal for you and can help achieve your organizational objectives.

Top SAFe® Certifications List

There is a bucketful of certifications available in the market. Once in a while when you have an immense pool you get confused as to which certification to take up and at what time. This article will genuinely help you to know which SAFe® certification among the following is right for you-

1. SAFe® Practitioner (SP) certification

2. SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) certification

3. SAFe® Program Manager/Product Owner (PM/PO) certification

1. SAFe® 6.0 for teams (SP)

Today, SAFe® 6.0 certified practitioners are in huge demand for their ability to scale the Agile methodology within the enterprise. This provides SAFe training to make the team aware of the Scrum principles, Lean thinking tools, roles and processes. New teams or Scrum teams seeking Agile adoption and scaling within the organizations will find this course much helpful.  

Learning Objectives:

After the SAFe® Practitioner (SP) certification, you will get to learn-

• How to demonstrate SAFe® Agile principles to the team

• How to manage the Agile team on Agile Release Train

• How to plan for sprint iterations

• How to implement iterations and deliver value

• How to develop your team

• How to coordinate with other teams on the train

What will attendees get?

• 16 PDUs and 16 SEUs

• Freely downloadable e-book

• Free access to Agile and Scrum e-training

• On clearing the certification exam, the candidates will receive the SAFe® 6.0 Practitioner (SP) course completion certificate.

The course is for:

• Team members who want to apply Lean and Agile principles

• All team members of an Agile Release Train preparing for the launch

Prerequisites:

The course is free for aspiring attendees. But the following prerequisites are needed to attend the SAFe® Practitioner (SP) exam -

• Familiarity with Agile principles

• Awareness of Scrum, Kanban, and XP principles

• Experience in software and hardware development processes

Exam Details:

• Time-span: Candidates have 90 minutes (1.5 hours), once the exam has commenced

• Number of Questions: 45

• Passing Score: 35 out of 45 (78% passing score)

• Exam cost: For all the courses, the registration fee includes the first exam attempt if the exam is taken within 30 days of course 

• completion. Each retake attempt costs $50.

2. SAFe® 6.0 Program Consultant (SPC) certification

Attendees can be a change agent to get success in a competitive marketplace, once they certify with the SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) certification. The entire course is about leveraging the SAFe® practices to lead a Lean-Agile transformation. After this course, attendees can effectively coach programs, launch ARTs, build a DevOps culture and streamlined delivery pipeline. The course will cover from all the basics of Leading SAFe® to successfully implementing the SAFe® 6.0 practices in the enterprise. 

Learning Objectives:

After the SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) certification, you will get to learn-

• How to manage an organizational Lean-Agile transformation

• How to implement the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)

• How to authorize with a Lean Portfolio

• How to perform value stream identification

• How to launch and support Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and organize large solutions

• How to construct and execute the implementation rollout strategy

• How to configure the framework as a specific enterprise context

• How to train managers and executives in Leading SAFe®

What will attendees get?

Once you register for the classes, you will get-

• Attendee workbook

• Preparation and support to clear the SPC certification exam

• 1-year free membership to the SAFe® community platform

• SPC course completion certificate

• On clearing the certification exam, the candidates will receive the SAFe® 6.0 Program Consultant (SPC) course completion certificate

The course is for:

• Professional Services Consultants

• Business and Technology Executives, Leaders, Managers, and Directors

• Portfolio Managers and Fiduciaries, Project/Program Management Office (PMO) personnel

• Development, QA, and IT management

• Program and Project Managers

• Product and Product Line Managers

• Process Leads and Lifecycle Governance personnel

• Enterprise, System, and Solution Architects

• Internal Change Agents, Lean-Agile Center for Excellence (LACE), Agile Working Group

Prerequisites:

All the Stakeholders in the Lean-Agile transformation are welcome to attend the course. However, the following prerequisites are needed to attend the SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) certification exam-

• 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product, or project management

• 3+ years of Agile working experience

• One or more relevant Agile certifications

Exam Details:

• Time-span: Candidates have 120 minutes (2 hours), once the exam has commenced

• Number of Questions: 60

• Passing Score: 45 out of 60 (75% passing score)

• Exam cost: The course registration fee includes the first exam attempt if the exam is attended within 30 days of course completion. 

• Each retake attempt costs $250.

3. SAFe® 6.0 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)

The SAFe® 6.0 POPM certification is intended to make Product Owner/Product Manager aware of the SAFe® principles, Lean-Agile tools, Agile development practices and SAFe® framework.

Learning Objectives:

After a SAFe® 6.0 (POPM) certification, you will get to learn-

• How to implement SAFe®practices in the Lean enterprise

• How to attach SAFe® Lean-Agile principles and values to the PO/PM roles

• How to combine with Lean Portfolio Management

• How to implement the Program Increment and deliver continuous value

• How to create a PM/PM’s role action plan

What will attendees get?

• Training from a certified, industry expert

• Downloadable courseware

• 16 PDUs from PMI ® (PMI-ACP® / PMP® recertification)

• 15 SEUs for CSP

• Attendee workbook

• Make you ready to attend the SAFe® 6.0 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) exam

• One-year membership to the SAFe® Community Platform

• On clearing the certification exam, the candidates will receive-

SAFe® 6.0 Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) course completion certificate

The course is for:

• Product Managers, Product Line Managers, Product Owners, Business Owners, and Business Analysts

• Solution Managers, Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, PMO personnel, and Process Leads

• Enterprise, Solution, and System Architects

Prerequisites:

The course is free for all attendees. But the following prerequisites are needed to attend the SAFe® 6.0 POPM exam-

• Leading SAFe® course attendees

• Working experience in the SAFe® environment

• Experience in Lean, Agile, or other relevant methods

Exam Details:

• Time-span: Candidates have a total of 90 minutes (1.5 hours)

• Number of Questions: 45

• Passing Score: 35 out of 45 (78% passing score)

• For all the courses, the registration fee includes the first exam attempt if the exam is taken within 30 days of course completion. Each retake attempt costs $50.

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Wrapping up

SAFe® 6.0 classes are tailored to be the right fit for each of the different roles in an organization. You cannot say “I am a Scrum Master and so I can’t attend the Product Owner training”. Anybody involved in developing a software in the SAFe® environment can opt for any SAFe® classes. But if a participants attends a class that is relevant to their present roles, they will get a much better visibility of the course.

Choose your SAFe® certification today!