Companies are constantly seeking ways to improve their development speed and the customer experience in today's global market. One popular approach is using agile frameworks, which can lead to career growth and higher salaries for those who know how to work in this environment.
Obtaining SAFe certification demonstrates your understanding and proficiency in the framework, making you a valuable asset in an agile role.
What is SAFe?
SAFe, or Scaled Agile Framework, is a widely adopted method developed by Scaled Agile, Inc. It combines lean and agile principles to create a structured workflow for companies. Its goal is to facilitate scaling agile practices across an organization to achieve project and strategic goals.
Initially used primarily in software development, it is now used in various enterprise and government agencies departments. SAFe's popularity is due to its well-documented and proven framework for running projects, which has a people-centric approach that prioritizes delivering quality products and clearly defines roles and events.
What is SAFe certification?
Obtaining the SAFe certification demonstrates an individual's understanding of the skills, knowledge, and mindset required to work effectively in agile environments. A certified professional demonstrates the ability to support a company's lean and agile initiatives and transformations.
Becoming certified involves passing a test that assesses one's understanding of the SAFe principles as they relate to their role. The certification is offered in three levels, allowing individuals to build on their knowledge and skills.
- Foundational
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Why pursue a career in SAFe?
Recent advancements in SAFe have made a career in the field financially lucrative. According to ScaledAgile, the following statistics provide a positive outlook:
- Obtaining a new certification can result in an average salary increase of $13,000 for IT professionals.
- 71% of organizations have recently adopted agile practices, creating a significant opportunity for SAFe-certified professionals.
- 78% of SAFe-certified professionals have reported increased demand for their skills since obtaining certification.
SAFe salary based on job roles
Holding a SAFe Agilist or Leading SAFe certification can lead to a variety of new job opportunities, including the following roles with corresponding salaries:
- Scrum Master - 90,000-100,000
- Agile Coach - 110,000-135,000
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM) - 90,000-105,000
- Product Owner - 80,000-95,000
- Project Manager - 85,000-110,000
- Software Engineer - 77,000-101,000
Benefits of earning the SAFe certification
1. Tackling adoption problems
Implementing agile practices in small organizations with 2 or 3 teams is relatively easy, but achieving the same success in a large organization becomes more difficult. This is because a one-size-fits-all approach is only feasible for organizations of some sizes.
Obtaining the SAFe Agile certification equips individuals with the necessary skills and tools to scale agile practices throughout the organization, resulting in faster time-to-market, increased employee engagement, and improved quality. Additionally, it teaches how to align various functional teams, fostering IT collaboration across departments while delivering value to the organization.
2. Global recognition
A SAFe certification, such as Leading SAFe, is globally recognized as it is provided by Scaled Agile Framework, one of the world's leading agile certification organizations. This means that individuals with this certification have recognized credentials to work in any location worldwide.
3. Understanding new roles in an agile organization
Scaling agile practices in large organizations can be complex, and it often requires the creation of new roles and modifications to existing ones. It can be easier to navigate with a proper understanding of these changes. A SAFe Agilist certification can help overcome these challenges by providing the management skills necessary to support new and old team members in learning agile practices and developing an agile mindset.
By training and development at the program and portfolio level, all roles, such as Product Owner, managers, and executives, will better understand their roles.
4. A 25% increase in salary
Holding a SAFe Agilist certification can result in a salary increase in your current or future job. SAFe Agilist certification provides niche skills that can lead to a 25% higher salary increase than non-certified professionals.
5. Reducing obstacles, failures, and delays during SAFe implementation
One of the common issues large organizations face is that when multiple agile teams come together, they need help to work well together. SAFe Agilist certification training provides the skills to implement a consistent, agile approach throughout the organization.
By learning with SAFe Agilist training, you can train your team to adopt a standardized approach to improve product quality and architecture, and unrealistic agile practices will no longer be an issue. The Leading SAFe certification teaches you to use Agile Release Train to plan, train and deliver value by bringing multiple teams together.
6. Adapting to changing organizational needs
Companies often need to adapt to the demands of their clients, and organizations are looking for client-friendly frameworks. With SAFe Agilist certification, you will be able to implement Lean Startup and Lean UX methodologies, which allow for the efficient testing of ideas, innovations, and creativity.
7. Continuous delivery
Obtaining Leading SAFe Certification equips individuals with the knowledge to implement and integrate DevOps practices, enabling continuous delivery in large organizations. Through the Leading SAFe Certification training, individuals learn to collaborate with the DevOps team to handle a large workload by achieving continuous delivery, enabling frequent releases.
8. Solving project roadblocks
Leading SAFe is a methodology for scaling Scrum-based development. It is an advanced implementation that enables companies to build complex products and create new possibilities by involving multiple scrum teams in a single project. Adopting SAFe will benefit individuals with its ability to handle complexity with clarity, a comprehensive approach, and innovations.
9. Improving organizational-level decision making
Effective decision-making is a crucial aspect of a company's success. It is essential to have the ability to respond quickly to issues, solve pressing problems and consider interrelated variables. The Lean Portfolio Management and Lean Finance training provided through SAFe Agilist certification help companies make faster decisions while understanding the economic and overall impact on the organization.
10. Expertise in the Lean-Agile approach
The Lean-Agile approach is based on the Agile Manifesto, a set of principles, theories, and techniques that SAFe leaders endorse and promote. This approach puts these principles into practice by combining agility and Lean methods, such as Lean Product Development.
The foundation of SAFe is built on three main areas of knowledge: Agile Development, Lean Product Development, and Systems Thinking. Through Leading SAFe Certification Training, individuals can become experts in implementing the Lean-Agile Approach.
The final words
SAFe certification is a popular choice among professionals seeking to advance their careers as it is globally recognized. The SAFe certification on your resume gives you instant credibility, as most employers value the certification process.
It also increases the likelihood of securing a higher salary package in any location. Additionally, it may lead to more job opportunities as you will be in high demand and have access to the SAFe community for networking. It also opens up job opportunities requiring certification, and you can add a digital badge to your resume to showcase your achievement.
