This course will be held over Zoom and includes a lunch break each day.

This course teaches the Lean-Agile principles and practices of the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®), taught by a and an instructor with real world experience as an Agile Coach, Release Train Engineer, Development Team Member, and Scrum Master within multiple SAFe and Agile implementations at Intel Corporation and BP.

You’ll learn how to execute and release value through Agile Release Trains, how to build an Agile Portfolio, and how to lead a Lean-Agile transformation at enterprise scale. You will gain an understanding of the Lean-Agile mindset and how to apply the principles and practices of SAFe to support Agile teams, programs, program portfolio management, and to coordinate large Value Streams.

Attending the class prepares you to take the exam and become a certified SAFe® Agilist (SA). 

• Executives and Leaders, Managers, Directors, CIOs, and VPs
• Development, QA and Infrastructure Management
• Program and Project Managers
• Product and Product Line Management
• Portfolio Managers, PMO, and Process Leads
• Enterprise, System and Solution Architects

After this course, you should be able to:

• Apply SAFe to scale Lean and Agile development in your enterprise
• Support the execution of Agile Release Trains
• Coordinate large Value Streams
• Manage a Lean-Agile Portfolio
• Align the organization to a common process model
• Configure the Framework for your context
• Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers
• Support a Lean-Agile transformation in your enterprise

• Introducing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Embracing a Lean-Agile Mindset
• Understanding SAFe Principles
• Implementing an Agile Release Train
• Experiencing PI Planning
• Executing and Releasing Value
• Building an Agile Portfolio
• Coordinating Large Value Streams
• Leading the Lean-Agile Enterprise

• Electronic course workbook
• A practice exam and an exam study guide
• Certificate of course completion
• The certification exam for SAFe Agilist (SA) to be taken at your convenience within 30 days of course completion 
• Digital SA certification badge upon successful completion of the certification exam
• 1 year access to the SAFe Community Platform
• Eligibility to apply for 15 PDUs to help maintain certifications such as PMP, PgMP
• Eligibility to apply for 15 Scrum Alliance SEUs (Category C) upon completion of the course

has been helping organizations implement SAFe since 2013. She is currently an Agile Coach for BP, an instructor in Agile Project Management at UC Berkeley, teaches Agile courses for PMI - San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, and is an Agile Coach at her company Sprint Ahead. Darcy previously worked at Intel Corporation as an Agile & Lean Coach where she launched the company's first eight Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) agile release trains and eventually scaled to thirty agile release trains by the end of her tenure.

Since then, she has started her own company Sprint Ahead where she and her team of instructors have led Lean, Agile, and Scaled Agile transformations, coached over 100 Scrum teams, and provided Agile training across numerous industries including companies such as IBM, Mercedes-Benz, Wells Fargo, Boeing, Google, Chevron, Genentech, State of California, the US Navy, and Kaiser Permanente.

Darcy brings the course material to life with her real-world stories and experiences, having participated in multiple Agile roles including Scrum Team Member, Scrum Master, and Release Train Engineer in a Scaled Agile enterprise.

Student feedback:

"Darcy’s professional experience and training in SAFe was evident in her apparent comfort with and ease of sharing practical experiences related to course materials and contextual discussions throughout the course."

"Great communication ahead and during the course, very well organized, open atmosphere, questions were always welcomed and fully answered."

"Not only was she able to teach the course material perfectly, but was also able to add her past experiences to exemplify the importance of the principles."

"Darcy is a great speaker and really took the time to understand the students current situations and relate the material accordingly."

"Darcy was able to gauge the knowledge level of each course attendee and was able to answer even the most detailed question in a manner that helped every participant."

"Beyond just complete knowledge of the course content, Darcy was able to provide real-world examples and additional context to anchor the material."

"Great instructor. She provided a unique insight to the training and was able to provide validation to the material based on her experience."

"Darcy has real world experience to apply to this course which is really valuable for practical application- she was excellent!"

"Ms. Kruse was clearly a Subject Matter Expert and was able to weave real world examples into the course material which I found invaluable."

Cancellation policy: Full refunds will be issued for cancellations made more than 30 days from the start of the course. For cancellations less than 30 days prior to course start, registrants may contact us to change their registration to another offering. Do note that future offerings of the same course type are not guaranteed.

Notice: If 5 or more students do not register for the course, the course will be canceled or rescheduled and you will be notified of cancellation or rescheduling at least 2 weeks prior to class.

For group discounts, team training for your group, or to request an alternate course or date contact ZGFyY3kgISBrcnVzZSB8IGdvc3ByaW50YWhlYWQgISBjb20=.