Prior to the advent of SAFe®, the existing project management methodologies adopted a classic approach that was inert and intended to create documentation. Plans were not readily executable as they were for longer terms. The Scaled Agile Framework enterprise (SAFe®) has brought about a sea of changes which has resulted in it becoming the leading framework for enterprise agility in the world. This underscores the value and importance of SAFe® Agilist Certification. This article explores the value of SAFe® Agilist Certification from different perspectives.
The certificate is recognized globally. Your Agile credentials, knowledge, and skills would be recognized at par with other trained professionals even if you apply for a job offshore. Your ambitions of working for a renowned MNC can come true with this certification.
Better Salaries Offered
Even at the entry-level, a SAFe® Agilist can fetch higher salaries when compared to other software developers. The salary hike is comparatively more and quicker than other professionals in the same organization. Project managers with this certification are paid almost 25% more than the peers who don’t have a SAFe® certification.
The salaries vary from nation to nation. In the USA, India, Canada, UK, and Australia, the salaries of SAFe® Agilists are the highest. The salaries fetched on an average per annum by SAFe® Agilist is indicated in the table below.
| Country | Currency | Salary per annum |
| United States of America | USD | 80,000 – 135,00 |
| Canada | CAD | 66,000 – 145,000 |
| India | INR | 1,200,000 – 2,000,000 |
| United Kingdom | GBP | 33,000 – 75,000 |
| Australia | AUD | 100,000 – 157,000 |
Source: PayScale
Better Career Advancement Prospects
The demand for SAFe® Agilists outweighs their supply. As such, organizations offer better career progression framework to them to retain them in their corporate fold. Also, Agilists get the opportunity to continuously upgrade their skills by virtue of their exclusive access to the SAFe® Leading Platform and forum. This access is guaranteed by SAFe® certification. Understanding of emerging knowledge, cutting-edge practices, and newer techniques enhance the employability scope of professionals and improve their visibility in the global landscape.
The SAFe® Agilist salaries for various SAFe® job roles are indicated below.
| Job Role | Salary per annum (in USD) |
| Scrum Master | 90,000 – 100,000 |
| Agile Coach | 110,000 – 135,000 |
| Certified Scrum Master (CSM) | 90,000 – 105,000 |
| Product Owner | 80,000 – 95,000 |
| Project Manager | 85,000 – 110,000 |
| Software Engineer | 77,000 – 101,000 |
Source: PayScale
Allows Adapting to Changing Demand Dynamics Quickly
Clients have become fussier with their demands. With SAFe® training, you can quickly make your team adapt to the changing demands of the clients. For effectively catering to clients’ needs, you can test various innovative ideas and creative plans with Lean Start-up Cycle and Lean UX (User Experience).
Building Continuous Delivery Pipeline
The SAFe® certification empowers you to achieve continuous delivery which makes frequent product release possible. Learning ways of implementing and integrating with DevOps, you can easily meet client demands even with a large team set up. You can deliver more value by executing Agile Release Trains and can be a leader in Lean-Agile transformation within a scaled organization. You will be instrumental in promoting the culture of Lean portfolio.
Source: Improuv
Better Decision Making At Enterprise Level
Informed and conscious decision making after factoring in all the pros and cons is important for the survival of any organization. With SAFe® certification, you can confidently facilitate important financial and estimation based decision-making by management through the application of Lean Portfolio Management, as well as Lean Finance. You can also expedite the release of product functionalities which will add more value to clients associating with your organization.
This is the reason why the salaries of SAFe® Agilist grows with increasing experience. This table is indicative of that.
| Years of Experience | Salary per annum (in USD) |
| < 1 | 76,000 - 89,000 |
| 1-4 | 88,000 - 103,000 |
| 5-9 | 100,000 - 116,000 |
| 10-19 | 114,000 - 129,000 |
| 20+ | 132,000 - 141,000 |
Source: PayScale
Other Incidental Benefits
Some of the top global firms which are on the forefront of hiring SAFe® Agilists are indicated in the table below.
| Top Companies | Salary (in USD) |
| USAA Insurance | 77,000 – 102,000 |
| Capgemini | 74,000 – 129,000 |
| Comcast Cable, Inc. | 69,000 – 123,000 |
| Accenture | 106,000 – 146,000 |
| Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) | 67,000 – 133,000 |
Source: PayScale
The Leading SAFe® certificate has become the benchmark for Lean-Agile enterprises. It widens your scope in the industry both in terms of value and career opportunities. The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is the most widely adopted enterprise Agile approach according to most survey data, with 33% using it according to a Forrester Survey on Global Agile Software Application Development.
The Rising Demand for Leading SAFe® Certificate
While Agile methods have been found to be readily applicable to small teams, most organizations today work across collaborative teams, complex systems and geographies. This requires Agile to work across the enterprise to bring in the benefits of faster delivery, better quality products and quick response to customer queries. However, agile transformation across such a large scale is prone to failures due to a lack of proper structure and processes, which results in agile implementations not yielding the expected impact.
The Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) is a complete methodology for large-scale Agile project teams to carry out an Agile transformation seamlessly. Applying Lean/Agile principles and practices across all levels within an enterprise is the first step toward such a change. The SAFe® methodology effortlessly synchronizes the alignment, collaboration, and delivery of multiple Agile teams, leading the way to enterprise success. Now in its latest release (version 6.0), SAFe® promises to bring in full business agility with significant advances in strategy, execution, and leadership competencies that will help individuals and organizations deliver innovative business solutions and supersede the competition.
With more than 70% of US Fortune 100 companies actively employing SAFe®, it is clear that the demand for Leading SAFe® is on a constant rise. Earning the Leading SAFe® 6.0 certification from Scaled Agile, Inc. - a globally renowned accreditation body, gives you a major lead over your peers and places you at the helm of Agile transformation in enterprises.
A Leading SAFe® certificate will not just merit a salary raise in your present organization but also offers several other benefits as listed below:
The average salary of a Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA) is $98k per annum. This is chiefly based on skills, experience, organization and a few more factors. As more and more organizations are defaulting to Agile, there is an exponential rise in the number of jobs for Agile professionals who can scale Lean and Agile practices at different levels. In the present industry, therefore, SAFe® certified professionals have a major competitive advantage.
Get the certification that is topmost on recruiters’ list-- SAFe® Agilist
Yes. As per the 2014 VersionOne State of Agile survey, more than 94% of organizations have embraced Agile practices. This unparalleled popularity has led to a surge in the demand for SAFe® Agilists whose numbers don’t measure up to the open profiles. Hence, a certified Agile professional gets paid more when compared to other IT professionals.
You will be able to leverage Lean, Agile, and Product Development methodologies collectively. By conditioning your project team’s members to adopt the Lean-Agile mindset, you can optimize on the SAFe® principles effectively. By engaging with a Lean portfolio, you will be consistently discovering, incorporating, and deploying new models for delivering better value.
You need to be experienced in Scrum and have 5+ years’ experience in software development, testing, business analysis, and product/project management for completing the SAFe® Agilist certification.
Organizational executives, Project Leaders, Portfolio Managers, Process Leads, PMO, Project or Program Managers, Product Line Managers, Product Managers, Enterprise or Solution Architects, Managers, Directors, CIOs, and VPs.
SAFe® has risen to pre-eminence as more than 70% of Fortune 100 companies have adopted SAFe® delineated practices. More than 150k trained professionals have been working in 100+ nations.
Everything was OK. The trainer (Kiran Ravula) also. Very nice digital workbook and slides. Good division into seven parts (Thriving in the digital age with business agility, Becoming a Lean-Agile Leader, Establishing team and technical agility, Building solutions with Agile Product Delivery, Exploring Lean Portfolio Management, Leading the change, Practicing SAFe).
SAFe Agile training was interactive and we had good discussions among group. The instructor patiently answered all questions and also leveraged his rich industry experience to provide examples. Great learning experience with KnowledgeHut.
The training was provided by an excellent professional, with deep knowledge about SAFe and scrum. He managed to keep the group interested in the contents and with the continuous practice exercises, everybody participated. Thoughtful workshop management by KnowledgeHut.
Step 1: Follow the easy steps to register on KnowledgeHut, a Gold SPCT Partner of Scaled Agile, Inc. (Scaled Agile)
Step 2: Take the 2-day Leading SAFe® 6.0 course instructed by SAFe Practice Consultants (SPCs).
Step 3: Scaled Agile will send you the exam information directly on successful completion of course.
Step 4: Click on the link received from Scaled Agile and take the 1.5 hour “SAFe® 6.0 Agilist Exam” online test which comprises of 45 MCQs.
Step 5: Score a minimum of 80% to pass the SAFe® Agilist test.
Step 6: Scaled Agile will update your profile to disclose the certification, after passing the exam.
Step 7: You will receive 1-year membership with Scaled Agile along with the certification.
Step 8: You have to renew the certification every year.
Any interested individual regardless of experience can attend this course. But, it is highly recommended that those who intend to take the SAFe® 6.0 Agilist (SA) certification exam should have:
Learn from the real-world experience of accredited industry experts and advance your knowledge with in-class activities and simulations.
Interact with accredited SPCs who also have years of experience as active SAFe® practitioners.
Learn directly from active practitioners engaged in implementing SAFe® principles in real projects.
Get access to a wider community of active Scaled Agile experts and enhance your practical knowledge of SAFe®.
Avail continuous support through monthly webinars, e-books, and conferences and keep pace with the latest industry updates.
Get access to tutorials, articles, interview Q&A and case studies prepared by the industry experts with latest updates in the Agile industry.
Learning Objectives:
Get introduced to the fundamental concepts of Business Agility and decipher the major competencies of Business Agility.
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Gain a solid understanding of important SAFe principles and develop a Lean-Agile mindset like successful Agile leaders
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Learn how to manage cross-functional Agile teams and deliver ROI-driven results on a consistent basis.
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Gain a solid understanding of important Agile Product Delivery metrics like PI Planning, Customer Centricity, and more.
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Understand what goes behind a successful SAFe portfolio. Learn to maintain Portfolio vision catering to enterprise goal.
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Build the essential qualities that makes you a successful Agile leader. Lead by an example and be responsible for successful execution.
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Get the skills to put your learnings into action. Implement SAFe to solve complex business challenges under the guidance of industry veterans.
Learn how Lean, Agile, and Product Development Flow form the basics of Scaled Agile Framework®.
Apply SAFe® values of a Lean-Agile mindset to scale Lean and Agile development in your enterprise.
Recognize and apply the Lean-Agile mindset and principles and become a Lean-thinking manager.
Integrate, deploy, and release value to support PI planning and events in Program execution.
Empower with a Lean Portfolio by applying Lean-Agile principles to the roles & principles of SAFe®.
Understand the seven core competencies in SAFe® 6.0 and coordinate the development of large solutions.
Enhance your Lean-Agile leadership skills & create high-performing, purpose-bound Agile teams.
Support a Lean-Agile transformation in your enterprise with the SAFe® Implementation Roadmap.
Establish alignment and execution with Strategic Themes and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM).
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is a complete methodology for large-scale Agile project teams to carry out an Agile transformation seamlessly. It provides a guide to work at the Portfolio, Large Solution, Program, and Team levels. After implementing SAFe®, businesses are yielding benefits that include:
History of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)
Since its inception in 2011, Scaled Agile, Inc. has come up with 5 major updates to its SAFe® framework that reflect the changing industry needs. The latest upgrade is version 6.0, which introduces the ‘Seven Core Competencies’ of the Lean Enterprise. These competencies help SAFe® organizations in building a truly Lean enterprise, which is critical to achieving an advantage over your peers in an increasingly competitive age.
SAFe® consists of different roles at 4 levels of the organization. The responsibilities of the Scaled Agile (SAFe®) roles are as follows.
Team Level:
The roles at this level synchronize and coordinate with the team level events. This helps Agile teams develop and deliver a value in the context of the Agile Release Train (ART). The team level roles include-
Program Level:
The roles at the Program level keep the team aligned to a project goal and support the ARTs with the necessary governance. The roles include-
Large Solution Level:
The roles at the Large solution level coordinate multiple supplier and ARTs and provide the required governance. The roles include-
Portfolio Level:
The roles at the Portfolio level coordinate at the multiple stream level and provide the highest level of governance and accountability.
Other supporting Roles:
Scaled Agile is the certifying body for the Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe. It is a professional certification program that assesses the knowledge, skills, and mindset of professionals. Here are the various SAFe Certifications available from Scaled Agile:
These are SAFe enterprise leadership professionals who are a part of the Lean-Agile transformation. Prerequisites for this certification are:
These professionals are SAFe change agents leading all organizational levels through the Lean-Agile transformation by coaching, training, mentoring, and facilitation. The certification has the following requirements:
This SAFe professional works with development organizations and customers to identify and prioritize requirements. The prerequisites for this certification program are:
These are SAFe Scrum Master Professionals who integrate the Scrum practices into an organization. Here are the requirements for this certification program:
This certification combines the values and principles of Lean-Agile with design thinking for creating viable, sustainable, feasible, and desirable solutions and products. For this certification, you must have the following prerequisites:
These professionals understand how to establish a strategy and investment fund, apply Lean governance and Agile portfolio operation, and build a plan for the implementation of Lean Portfolio Management. Here are the prerequisites for this certification:
These are coaching professionals and program servant leaders who drive end-to-end delivery of value in a value stream or a single program of a Lean-Agile enterprise. Prerequisites for this program are as follows:
These professionals are Scrum Masters who are responsible for improving the results of the team by facilitating relentless improvement and cross-team interactions. Here are the prerequisites for this certification program:
These professionals are a change agent and an effective leader who delivers the Agile Architecture for enabling the creation of business value. The prerequisites for this program are:
These professionals are responsible for applying test-first principles so that they can create alignment between requirements and test, communicate with Agile modelling, apply Lean-Agile principles, build applications with design and code quality, etc. You must satisfy the following requirements for this program:
This program is for the SAFe change agent who uses the principles and practices of SAFe to execute and release value through Agile Release Trainings (ARTs) while leading a Lean-Agile transformation. The prerequisites for this certification are:
This is a SAFe professional who improves the flow of value throughout the Continuous Delivery Pipeline - from idea to the operational solution. Here are the prerequisites for this certification program:
They are SAFe team members responsible to use Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), and Kanban in a SAFe environment. Here are the prerequisites:
Certified SAFe professionals are recognized globally for their knowledge of SAFe. Digital badges. Through these digital badges, they can share their online verifiable certifications online on digital signatures, social media sites, and email signatures. The badges include metadata describing the qualifications of a Certified SAFe professional.
Scaled Agile is partnered with Acclaim for providing digital versions of SAFe certifications. Once the individual has earned their SAFe certification and set their Community Platform privacy reference for sharing their data with Acclaim, they will receive an email from Acclaim to claim their digital badge. All you have to do for activating the digital badge is click the link present in the email, make an account on the Acclaim, claim the badge, and share it through email or social media.
There are no eligibility requirements for the Leading SAFe course. However, basic experience is recommended in software development and testing, product or project management, business analysis, and Scrum before you start the course. The course is created for professionals who want to better execute their roles in the SAFe organization. Here is the target audience for the Leading SAFe course:
Scaled Agile announced a new version of the Scaled Agile Framework, SAFe 6.0 on the 15th March 2023. The updates in 6.0 are focused on six key areas:
SAFe® 6.0 provides highly efficient Lean-Agile methodologies, empowering enterprises to successfully navigate the constantly evolving challenges in today's business landscape.
The SAFe Implementation Roadmap provides a strategy and a set of activities that can help in implementing SAFe successfully. Achieving the benefits of Lean/Agile development and business agility at scale takes a lot of effort. Before you can get the rewards of SAFe, your organization needs to embrace the Lean/Agile mindset and implement the Lean/Agile principles. And even though there are no perfect step-by-step instructions for implementation, the following 12 steps can help in getting the best results to the businesses:
The following individuals will benefit from SAFe® Agilist course:
While there is no eligibility criterion for attending the workshop, participants who wish to take the SAFe® Agilist exam must have at least:
Our SAFe® instructors have the practical understanding of how the framework is implemented within complex organizations as they have hands-on experience working in enterprises that are actively implementing Scaled Agile Framework in their pursuit of business agility. They provide participants with an exceptional training experience by combining leading-edge industry expertise with proven educational training methods. You will hugely benefit from their professional expertise and industrial experience.
No, there is no such Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) online training provided. The SAFe® 6 Agilist Certification requires in-depth knowledge of the SAFe® framework which you get from our certified experts who lead the workshop.
The Scaled Agile Framework certification exam is an online test comprising of 45 multiple choice questions. Candidates will have 90 minutes (1.5 hours) to complete the exam and must score a minimum of 36 questions right to pass the Leading SAFe® 6.0 exam and obtain your SAFe® Agilist certification.
The Leading SAFe® 6 exam is really tough and if you lack experience in SAFe® implementation or Scrum then it becomes very difficult to crack the exam. It is highly recommended to practice SAFe® Agilist certification exam sample questions to pass the exam on your first attempt. You can take mock tests for practice purposes that have the same level of difficulty.
Follow the steps below to access your course exam:
Candidates who have achieved 80% passing score (36/45) in the certification exam will receive the SAFe® Agilist Certification from Scaled Agile.
Follow the steps below to obtain your certificate on successful completion of your exam:
A Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA) is a professional who has completed the Leading SAFe® certification and been successful in the Scaled Agile Framework certification test. By acquiring the SAFe® Agilist certification provided by Scaled Agile, Inc, you will be able to address the critical challenges of creating and delivering enterprise-level software and systems in the shortest time. It gives guidance for all levels of organizations that are actively involved in solution development: Portfolio, Program, Team, and Large Solutions.
Holding the SAFe® Agilist certification shows your proficiency in implementing lean thinking, SAFe® Framework, and Product development flow principles in an organizational context. Our two-day Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) training course gives you practical experience of applying Scaled Agile Framework in large enterprises which is delivered by a SAFe® Practice Consultant, authorized by Scaled Agile, Inc.
While it is easy to apply Lean/Agile principles at the team or department level, replicating these benefits at the enterprise level is often challenging due to the scale of the change. Organizations, therefore, rely on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) that helps seamlessly carry out large-scale, multi-team transformations. SAFe® 6.0 Agilists are in much demand for their expertise in leading this change through carefully thought of program releases and identifying roles and structures required to scale Agile to the program level.
Scaled Agile, Inc. is the provider of SAFe® which is one of the best-known frameworks for enterprise agility. SAFe® was initially released in 2011 by Dean Leffingwell as a knowledge base for enterprises to adopt Agile. It is the leading provider of SAFe® courses for implementing Agile practices at enterprise level. The SAFe® Agilist (SA) Certification is given to those who have undertaken the SAFe® 6.0 Agilist Certification Exam and received the passing score.
The average salary of a Scaled Agile Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA) professional is $ 117,647 per year.
The Scaled Agile Framework certification cost is included in the SAFe® Agilist course fee.
Step 1: Register for a 2-day course
Attend 14-16 hours of training delivered by an authorized training partner.
Step 2: Get access to the exam
Step 3: Take the exam
Step 4: Pass the exam
Score a minimum of 80% (36 out of 45) to pass the SAFe®️ Agilist test.
Step 5: Get the SAFe®️ 6.0 Agilist Certification
Scaled Agile, Inc. will dispatch your certificate within 5-7 business days with a 1-year membership after passing the exam.
Ready to take up the certification? Click here
SAFe® 6.0 Agilist certification renewal needs to be done every 1 year. You need to pay $100 to extend the credential for a further 1 year from the date of your current expiration.
SEUs are Scrum Educational Units, issued by the Scrum Alliance. They can be earned by completing educational training or learning opportunities, which serve to validate your participation and continued proficiency in the principles and practices of Scrum. To maintain your certification from Scrum Alliance, you are required to earn a certain number of SEUs every two years.
PDUs and SEUs are credits awarded by the Project Management Institute and Scrum Alliance respectively. They recognize your dedication to the Project Management and the Agile world through the award of credits for every educational effort you make throughout your career. Scrum Alliance members who hold a credential from Scrum Alliance need to earn SEUs to get recertified every two years. Every PMI® certification, except the CAPM®, requires you to earn a specific number of PDUs per three-year certification cycle in order to maintain your credentials.
Yes, you will get 16 PDUs and 16 SEUs toward your continuing education requirements with the Project Management Institute (PMI)® for PMP® and PMI-ACP® certifications.
