This lesson provides an introduction to the foundational elements of Agile and Scrum within the context of SAFe. It covers the basic principles of Agile development, the roles and responsibilities of Scrum team members, and how Agile teams align with enterprise goals in a SAFe environment. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how Scrum principles are applied at scale and how Agile teams contribute to the overall success of an organization.

Topic One: Basic Agile Development Concepts

• What You’ll Learn: Overview of the principles and practices foundational to Agile methodologies, emphasizing iterative development and collaboration.
  
• This topic explores the core concepts of Agile development, starting with its foundation in the Agile Manifesto. It highlights the principles of customer collaboration, responding to change, and delivering incremental value through iterative cycles. The discussion extends to how Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban align with these principles. Examples include real-world applications of iterative planning, adaptive prioritization, and the focus on sustainable development practices to maintain a balanced team workload.

Topic Two: SAFe as an Operating System for Business Agility

• What You’ll Learn: Introduction to Scrum values, roles, events, and artifacts that support Agile teamwork.
  
• This topic provides a comprehensive overview of Scrum, one of the most widely adopted Agile frameworks. It covers Scrum roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team), the significance of Scrum values (commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect), and the purpose of Scrum artifacts such as the Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog. Additionally, it dives into the importance of time-boxed events like Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, and Retrospectives, which ensure transparency, inspection, and adaptation in the development process.

Topic Three: The Agile Team in a SAFe Enterprise

• What You’ll Learn: Exploration of Agile team roles and their alignment within the SAFe framework.
  
• This topic examines the structure and dynamics of an Agile team within the context of SAFe. Agile teams are described as cross-functional and self-organizing units that deliver value iteratively. The topic also delves into how these teams operate within Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to ensure alignment with organizational objectives. It highlights the critical roles of developers, testers, and other contributors in achieving high-quality deliverables, as well as the role of shared leadership in fostering a collaborative environment.

This lesson focuses on defining and understanding the multifaceted role of the Scrum Master in a SAFe environment. It highlights the responsibilities, traits, and skills required to support Agile teams effectively. Participants will also learn about fostering high-performing teams, managing team events, and using coaching techniques to enhance team performance and resolve conflicts.

Topic One: Responsibilities of the Scrum Master

• What You’ll Learn: Detailed responsibilities of the Scrum Master in facilitating Scrum practices and supporting teams.
• This topic outlines the Scrum Master's pivotal role as a servant leader who enables team success. It discusses their responsibility to facilitate Scrum events, protect the team from external disruptions, and coach the team in Agile practices. Practical examples include helping the team overcome impediments, ensuring adherence to Agile principles, and fostering an environment where the team can thrive and deliver value.
  

Topic Two: Characteristics of an Effective Scrum Master

• What You’ll Learn: Traits and skills necessary for effective team leadership and facilitation.
• Effective Scrum Masters embody leadership qualities like empathy, communication, and adaptability. This topic explores how these characteristics enable Scrum Masters to build trust, guide teams toward self-organization, and facilitate productive discussions. The emphasis is on developing a growth mindset, actively listening to team needs, and acting as a change agent within the organization.

Topic Three: High-Performing Teams 

• What You’ll Learn: Insights into building and sustaining high-performing teams.
• High-performing Agile teams are characterized by collaboration, trust, and accountability. This topic focuses on the strategies Scrum Masters can use to cultivate these qualities. Topics include setting clear goals, creating a safe environment for experimentation, and fostering team empowerment. The discussion extends to identifying and addressing team dynamics that may hinder performance.

Topic Four: Team Events

• What You’ll Learn: Key team events facilitated by the Scrum Master, such as daily stand-ups and retrospectives.
• Scrum Masters play a critical role in orchestrating effective Scrum ceremonies. This topic explains the objectives and execution of events like Sprint Planning (defining deliverables and timelines), Daily Standups (ensuring alignment and transparency), and Retrospectives (identifying areas for improvement). Practical techniques for managing time, engagement, and outcomes are discussed.

This lesson provides an in-depth exploration of Program Increment (PI) Planning, a cornerstone event in the SAFe framework. Participants will learn about the objectives, processes, and outcomes of PI Planning, including drafting and refining PI plans, aligning teams to a common mission, and establishing clear business objectives. This session equips Scrum Masters with the knowledge to facilitate productive and impactful PI Planning events.

Topic One: PI Planning Basics

• What You’ll Learn: Introduction to the cadence-based event that aligns all teams on the ART to a shared mission and vision.
• This topic offers a comprehensive introduction to the concept and structure of PI Planning within SAFe. It explains how PI Planning serves as a collaboration forum for all Agile teams on the Agile Release Train (ART), aligning them with a shared mission and vision. Participants learn about the event's two-day agenda, including presentations by business owners, team breakout sessions, and planning for iterations. Emphasis is placed on the benefits of consistent cadences and cross-functional alignment.

Topic Two: Draft PI Plans 

• What You’ll Learn: Creating preliminary PI plans with prioritized stories and features.
• This topic guides participants through the process of drafting initial PI plans. It includes discussions on breaking down epics into features and prioritizing work based on business needs and technical feasibility. Participants also learn about tools and techniques such as story mapping and estimation to create meaningful and actionable plans.
  

Topic Three: Final Plans and Business Value 

• What You’ll Learn: Refining PI plans to maximize business value.
• Teams refine their initial plans by assessing risks, dependencies, and resource availability. This topic emphasizes stakeholder collaboration to align on priorities and ensure that the highest-value features are included in the final plan. It also highlights the importance of communicating business value to teams and stakeholders.

Topic Four: Final Plan Review and PI Objectives

• What You’ll Learn: Reviewing the final PI plan and defining measurable objectives.
• Participants learn the process of reviewing finalized PI plans to ensure they are realistic, aligned with organizational goals, and supported by stakeholders. This topic explains how to create clear, measurable PI objectives that guide execution and provide a basis for assessing success at the end of the PI.

Topic Five: Facilitating PI Planning

• What You’ll Learn: Scrum Master’s role in organizing and facilitating PI planning sessions.
• This topic focuses on the Scrum Master's critical role in planning and conducting PI Planning sessions. It includes strategies for preparing teams, ensuring productive collaboration, managing logistics, and addressing challenges during the event. Real-world examples highlight best practices and common pitfalls to avoid.

This lesson delves into the execution phase of Agile iterations, providing Scrum Masters with the tools and techniques needed to plan, track, and facilitate successful iterations. It emphasizes the importance of continuous feedback, backlog refinement, and collaboration to ensure iterative progress. Scrum Masters will also learn how to integrate DevOps practices and foster a culture of relentless improvement.

Topic One: Plan the Iteration 

• What You’ll Learn: Steps for setting up iteration goals and team capacity planning.
• This topic walks through the iteration planning process, starting with setting clear iteration goals aligned with PI objectives. It covers techniques for assessing team capacity, prioritizing backlog items, and creating iteration plans that balance ambition with feasibility. Examples include using tools like capacity charts and planning poker.

Topic Two: Track Iteration Progress

• What You’ll Learn: Techniques for monitoring progress during iterations.
• This topic introduces tools and methods for tracking iteration progress, such as burndown charts, cumulative flow diagrams, and dashboards. It emphasizes regular communication through daily stand-ups and the importance of addressing roadblocks early to keep the iteration on track.

Topic Three: Refine the Backlog

• What You’ll Learn: Continuous prioritization and refinement of the product backlog.
• Scrum Masters learn the significance of backlog refinement as an ongoing process that ensures the team is ready for future iterations. This topic includes techniques for decomposing large stories, revisiting priorities, and clarifying acceptance criteria through collaborative discussions with the Product Owner and team.

Topic Four: Facilitate the Iteration Review

• What You’ll Learn: Ensuring valuable feedback and alignment during iteration reviews.
• This topic explains how to structure and facilitate iteration reviews to showcase completed work, gather constructive feedback, and celebrate achievements. Practical tips include creating engaging presentations and managing stakeholder expectations.

Topic Five: Facilitate Relentless Improvement

• What You’ll Learn: Driving continuous improvement within the team.
• Focused on retrospectives, this topic explores how teams can identify challenges and successes from the past iteration and translate them into actionable improvements. Participants learn various retrospective formats, such as start/stop/continue and fishbone analysis, to drive meaningful change.

Topic Six: Support DevOps and Release on Demand

• What You’ll Learn: Leveraging DevOps practices for faster delivery and operational excellence.
• This topic introduces the integration of DevOps principles, including continuous integration and deployment, automated testing, and infrastructure as code. Participants explore how these practices enable Agile teams to deliver high-quality software and respond to changing customer needs efficiently.

This lesson focuses on the concluding activities of a Program Increment (PI), ensuring that teams align their work to overall organizational goals and reflect on their performance. Participants will learn about the critical role of the Innovation and Planning (IP) Iteration, preparing for the Inspect and Adapt (I&A) event, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement across the Agile Release Train (ART).

Topic One: Coach the IP Iteration

• What You’ll Learn: Supporting innovation and planning iterations to foster innovation and address challenges.
• This topic emphasizes the IP Iteration's role in driving creativity, managing technical debt, and facilitating learning opportunities. Scrum Masters will explore techniques to encourage innovation within teams, such as hackathons, technical spikes, and collaborative brainstorming sessions. Additionally, the topic covers planning activities to ensure alignment across teams and how to allocate time effectively for non-functional requirements and backlog refinement.

Topic Two: Prepare for the Inspect & Adapt Event 

• What You’ll Learn: Preparing teams for effective problem-solving and improvement workshops.
• This topic focuses on the steps necessary to prepare for the I&A event, a cornerstone of continuous improvement in SAFe. Participants learn how to collect meaningful metrics, such as team performance and feature delivery rates, to provide a basis for reflection. The topic also includes guidance on structuring the I&A event, facilitating root cause analysis using tools like the "Five Whys," and identifying improvement opportunities that align with organizational objectives.

In the final lesson, participants consolidate their learning by exploring the practical application of SAFe principles in real-world scenarios. The lesson also provides guidance on leveraging available resources for ongoing development and preparing for the SAFe certification exam. By the end, participants will feel confident in applying their knowledge to support teams and organizations in achieving business agility.

Topic One: Practicing SAFe Fundamentals

• What You’ll Learn: Applying the knowledge and tools from the course in real-world scenarios.
• This topic bridges theory and practice by focusing on how Scrum Masters can apply SAFe principles effectively in their unique organizational contexts. It explores case studies and role-playing exercises that mimic real-world challenges, such as resolving team conflicts, managing cross-team dependencies, and facilitating ART-level events. Practical tips include adapting facilitation techniques for distributed teams and aligning team efforts with business goals.

Topic Two: Resources and Exam Preparation

• What You’ll Learn: Overview of tools available on SAFe Studio for ongoing learning and exam preparation.
• This topic provides participants with an overview of SAFe Studio resources, including access to training materials, templates, and community forums. It also offers strategies for preparing for the SAFe Scrum Master certification exam, such as reviewing key concepts, taking practice tests, and leveraging study guides. Emphasis is placed on the importance of continuous learning and professional development to stay current with SAFe updates and industry trends.