Course Description
During this four-day course, attendees learn how to lead a Lean-Agile transformation by leveraging the practices and principles of the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) and the seven core competencies of the Lean Enterprise. Attendees gain insights and practice how to coach programs, launch Agile Release Trains, build a Continuous Delivery Pipeline with DevOps culture, and empower a Lean Portfolio.
The first two days of the course — Leading SAFe® — provide the basis to teach SAFe to leaders. The final two days focus exclusively on what it takes to successfully implement SAFe in the enterprise. Certifying as a SAFe® 5 Program Consultant (SPC), and becoming a change agent, enables attendees to coach and guide the enterprise to succeed in a disruptive marketplace and empower them to implement a Lean-Agile SAFe transformation.
About Implementing SAFe
Duration
4 Day
Level
Advanced
Job role description/target audience
A Certified SAFe ® Program Consultant (SPC) is a Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe) change agent who leads all levels of an organization through a Lean-Agile transformation at scale by training, coaching, facilitating, and mentoring. This servant leader plays a critical role by applying expert knowledge of SAFe.
Key areas of competency
- Design a SAFe implementation
- Develop an enterprise transformation plan
- Launch and facilitate an Agile Release Train (ART)
- Extend the Lean-Agile portfolio by launching additional ARTs
- Assist an organization with change management practices
- Train and coach an enterprise through a SAFe transformation
Learners taking this course are:
- Program or Project Manager
- Scrum Master
- Release Train Engineer
- Business Analyst
- Agile Coach
- Development Manager
- Consultant
- Director
- Manager
- Product Manager
- Product Owner
- Agile Change Agent
- Software Engineer
Course Information
Learning Goals
- Lead an enterprise Lean-Agile transformation
- Implement the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Empower with a Lean Portfolio
- Align the organization to a common language and way of working
- Perform Value Stream identification
- Launch and support Agile Release Trains, and coordinate Large Solutions
- Build and execute an implementation rollout strategy
- Configure the Framework for a specific enterprise context
- Train managers and executives in Leading SAFe®
- Continue their learning journey and become enabled to train other SAFe roles in the enterprise
What Attendees Get
- Attendee workbook
- Preparation and eligibility to take the SAFe 5 Program Consultant (SPC) exam
- One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform
- Course certificate of completion
- Attendees must attend all four days of the course in order to qualify for the exam.
Prerequisites
All stakeholders in a Lean-Agile transformation are welcome to attend the course, regardless of experience.
However, the following prerequisites are highly recommended:
- 5+ years of experience in software development, testing, business analysis, product, or project management
- 3+ years of experience in Agile
- One or more relevant Agile certifications
Exam Details
Completion of this course gives you access to the exam and all related study materials as part of your Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform.
Exam & Certification Details
Exam prerequisite skills
- Facilitation skills
- Classroom management and time management
- Agile experience – ability to teach an Agile class for beginners
- Ability to communicate with all levels of an organization
- Possess experiences or stories, and ability to connect business and IT
- Experience and ability to connect across business contexts and speak the language
- Technical fluency to effectively work with processes and workflows
- Emotional intelligence—at a minimum, understand impact of decisions on people, workflows, and business
Exam requirements
The first step toward becoming a Certified SAFe ® Program Consultant is to attend the Implementing SAFe® course This is a requirement, because attending the course provides access to all the study materials and the exam. Note that attending the course does not guarantee passing the exam.
Exam details
- Exam name –SAFe® 5 Program Consultant Exam
- Exam format – Multiple choice
- Exam delivery – Web-based (single-browser), closed book, no outside assistance, timed
- Exam access – Candidates can access the exam within the SAFe Community Platform upon completion of the Implementing SAFe® course
- Exam duration – Once the exam begins, candidates have 120 minutes (2 hours) to complete the exam
- Number of questions – 60
- Passing score – 45 out of 60 (75%)
- Language – English
- Exam cost – First exam attempt is included as part of the course registration fee if the exam is taken within 30 days of course completion. Each retake attempt costs $250.
- Retake policy – Second attempt on exam (first retake) can be done immediately after first attempt. Third attempt requires a 10-day wait. Fourth attempt requires a 30-day wait.
Exam study materials
The exam is designed to measure knowledge and skill related to the job role. We highly recommend candidates use a variety of resources to prepare for this exam including:
- Course materials – The course materials are an essential artifact from the course and can be downloaded from the SAFe Community Platform. These materials can be used to refer back to the content that was presented during the class.
- Study guide – This comprehensive guide details the job role and all resources related to the exam, including a detailed reading list. Access is available through the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform upon course completion.
- Practice test – The practice test is designed to be predictive of success on the certification exam,* and it has the same number of questions, level of difficulty, and time duration. It is part of the Learning Plan in the SAFe Community Platform and can be taken an unlimited number of times at no cost. *This is not the actual exam, and passing it does not guarantee success on the certification exam.
- Sample Questions – A web-enabled, flashcard style version of the sample questions can be found online and in the study guide.
What you get
Becoming a Certified SAFe® Program Consultant requires an exceptional range of skills and is a career path for many servant leaders. Certification includes:
- Certified SAFe® Program Consultant PDF certificate
- Certified SAFe® Program Consultant digital badge to promote your accomplishment online
- One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform, which includes access to the SPC Community of Practice
- Access to Meetup groups and events that connect you with other SAFe certified professionals
- A variety of learning resources to support you during your SAFe journey
