SAFe® for Government
Applying Lean-Agile Practices in the Public Sector with SAFe
A Certified SAFe® Government Practitioner (SGP) understands and can lead a Lean-Agile transformation program inside a government agency. SGPs drive successful organizational change by building high performing, multi-vendor Agile teams and programs, managing technology investments in Lean flow, acquiring solutions with Agile contracting, launching the program, and planning and delivering value using SAFe.
During this two-day course, attendees will learn the principles and practices of the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®), how to execute and release value through Agile Release Trains, and what it means to lead a Lean-Agile transformation of a program inside a government agency.
Learnig goals
After attending the class, attendees should be able to:
- Transition government programs from traditional software and systems development models to Lean-Agile and DevOps mindset, principles, and practices using SAFe
- Adapt technology strategy, budgeting and forecasting, acquisition, compliance, and governance processes to flow-based practices using emerging government guidelines
- Organise government programs into one or more Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and execute in Program Increments (PIs)
- Explore Large Solution coordination in a government and multi-vendor environment
- Identify and internalise the mindset and leader behaviours essential to successful Lean-Agile transformation
- Build a preliminary outline of next steps to begin and/or accelerate the SAFe implementation in your program or agency
What you get?
- Attendee workbook
- One-year membership to the SAFe Community Platform
- Course certificate of completion
- One Certification exam attempt upon General Availability of the course
Prerequisites
All are welcome to attend the course, regardless of experience. However, the following prerequisites are highly recommended:
- A foundational understanding of the Agile Manifesto, SAFe House of Lean, and SAFe Principles is required using pre-work suggestions
- A foundational understanding the full lifecycle of government technology programs is helpful
- Registered attendees will receive a list of readings and videos specific to Agile in government that will be beneficial to review before the course
Topics Covered
- Advancing Lean-Agile in government
- Embracing a Lean-Agile mindset
- Understanding SAFe principles
- Creating high-performing Agile teams and programs
- Planning with cadence and synchronisation
- Supporting program execution
- Mapping the path to agency and program agility
- Leading successful change
- Becoming a SAFe Government Practitioner.
Duration
2 Days
Level
Foundation
Key areas of competency
- Follow success patterns for SAFe implementations adapted to the government context
- Begin and/or accelerate the SAFe implementation in your program or agency
Learners taking this course are:
- Leaders and Lead Practitioners
- Executives, Directors, Branch Chiefs
- Managers from Development, QA,
- Engineering, Architecture, Operations, and Support
- Project Managers and Program Managers
- Program/Project Management Office (PMO)
- ART and Engineering team member responsible for delivering the government programs
- Anyone who is interested in learning SAFe and implementing them in public sector organizations
Exam information
Requirements
The first step toward becoming an Certified SAFe® Government Practitioner is to attend the SAFe® Government 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.
Details
- Exam name – SAFe® 5 Government Practitioner Exam
- Exam format – Multiple choice; Multiple select
- 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 SAFe® Government course
- Exam duration – Once the exam begins, candidates have 90 minutes (1.5 hours) to complete the exam
- Number of questions – 45
- Passing score – 32 out of 45 (71%)
- 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 $50.
- 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.
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.