Not so long ago I told you about my plans for Summer 2023, you can find it here. One of my goals was to upgrade my SAFe 5 certification to SAFe 6 certification, the latest version of the Scaled Agile Framework. I have done it. SAFe 6.0 (Scaled Agile Framework) is a methodology for scaling Agile practices beyond the team level and across an entire organization. It provides a comprehensive approach for coordinating large-scale initiatives and aligning the work of multiple Agile teams. Upgrading was a necessary step. SAFe 6 introduces several new features that aim to improve the user experience and make the framework more efficient.

Here are the highlights of what’s new in the SAFe 6.0 Framework grouped into six themes:

1. Strengthening the foundation for Business Agility. The Lean-Agile Mindset is now represented by the five principles of Lean Thinking and the Agile Manifesto, while the House of Lean has been retired. The SAFe Principles now align with the five principles of Lean Thinking, eight common properties of a flow-based system, and accelerators for eliminating impediments to flow. There is a greater emphasis on developing the Continuous Learning Culture that focuses on relentless improvement and promoting a culture of innovation.
2. Empowering and clarifying roles and responsibilities. Scrum Masters have expanded roles to optimize flow, build high-performing teams, and support organizational agility. As per the Scrum Guide, this was always the intent. Now, it is even clearer that a SAFe Scrum Master is a real Scrum Master. For organizations not using Scrum, “Team Coach” is an alternative title for this role. Updates to the roles of System Architect, Solution Architect, Product Management, and Solution Management reflect the vital collaborations required to support efficient product development flow.
3. Accelerating value flow. The framework now outlines eight properties of flow and eight related accelerators to make value flow faster. New section headers on The Big Picture—Team Flow, ART Flow, Solution Train Flow, and Portfolio Flow—describe incorporating the eight properties of flow and applying the eight flow accelerators from revised Principle #6 “Make value flow without interruptions”. The use of a Kanban (now renamed SAFe Team Kanban) has been clarified, which will help individual teams enhance the flow of value through the ART. Value Stream Management is now formally recognized as an important portfolio-level responsibility. The Agile Program Management Office is now the Value Management Office (VMO), and it has a new focus to support understanding, measuring, and improving the flow of value.
4. Enhancing Business Agility with SAFe across the business. SAFe 6.0 now offers a more robust knowledge base to guide workflows across the entire organization, including a new “Business and Technology” article that highlights five patterns to help organizations integrate business agility with SAFe. These patterns are: – Including business-enabled ARTs. – Launching Agile business trains. -Creating an Agile executive team. – Applying SAFe Lean Portfolio Management. – Engaging the combined portfolio in value streams.
5. Building the future with AI, Big Data, and Cloud. SAFe 6.0 recognizes the importance of AI, Big Data, and Cloud technologies in the future of business and introduces a new competency to provide guidance on how to develop and leverage these capabilities in organizations.
6. Delivering better outcomes with Measure and Grow and OKRs. Updates to the Measure and Grow process aim to help organizations take a more data-driven approach to business agility. Additionally, a new OKR tool is included in SAFe 6.0 to help organizations track objectives and key results.

Upgrading from SAFe 5 to SAFe 6 is a simple process, but it requires careful planning and execution. By understanding the new capabilities and following the steps outlined in this guide, you can take advantage of the improved features and capabilities of SAFe 6.

Here is my certificate:

What about you? Have you already upgraded your certification? Or maybe you are going to be certified for the first time? Please share your news.

Do not hesitate to contact me on Telegram or at LinkedIn – just click one of these words.