Why designers should be formally trained in SAFe Agile
I am a designer by trade. I’ve worked in cultures that suggested that SAFe© Agile training is for product and developers and their managers, leaders and business owners. But what about Product Designers who are often also part of the product or dev org? Product Designers also should know the framework, process, challenges and probably most importantly, the why behind how priorities are decided.
Prior to SAFe© Agile training, I thought of Agile as a proprietary language made for product colleagues, just like Rally and Jira seem like they are made for devs. But to my surprise, it’s actually a philosophy for cross-functional teams to embrace. Capacity plan, Iterations, HIP, Scrum of Scrums — all from the core of Agile and it’s own dialect. As a designer previously not formally trained or experienced in the Agile process, I found jumping into the process rigid and overwhelming. And several times I have started a new role at a new company and jumped right in without much information about how the company practices Agile. But as a designer it is important to understand if and how any company adopts and practices Agile. And as design leaders, we should do our part to fully understand and be integrated into the process. Another way to look at this, if we are asking our colleagues in product and development to use tools such as Figma or InVision, we should use their tools too.
A while back I spent two full work days attending SAFe Agile training. This was completely optional. It was offered for free at work and led by two co-workers who are scrum certified trainers. There are four reasons why I attended, in addition to the convenience:
1. To thoroughly understand the Agile philosophy put into practice as a design leader when relevant
2. To participate as an example of commitment to my colleagues in the product organization
3. To attend as an example to my team of being well-informed about collaborative processes
4. To attend as an example following my motto, ‘always be learning’ (ABL)
I admit that I was not too excited to do SAFe Agile training. Two days from 8:30AM-5PM to participate in something I was not required to attend. But my internal voice kept saying you need to do this. And I am so glad I did. Here’s why:
- The content is pretty good! There is more about leadership, growth, and culture than I expected. In fact, I think everyone in our company should do it just for this reason.
- I got a better understanding of how and why the process is the way it is when it comes to prioritization.
- I learned what elements of Agile our company uses as an organization and where we could improve our process.
- By understanding the framework better, I can look for opportunities to influence the work and priorities from a design and usability perspective.
- Speaking the language of product and development teams will bring design closer to the interrelationships of the product-development-design triumvirate.
After the training I chose to take the certification exam to show I attended and participated, and prove to myself I actually learned the principles and framework of SAFe Agile. After a few rounds of practice exams I passed.
I also sent this email to our leadership team right after taking the course:
“I wanted to send a note about my experience in SAFe training here with Dan and Rene the past two days. It was REALLY GREAT for several reasons: It both enhanced and solidified my understanding of Agile. It was a great cross-collaborative session — many people not from the Product Org attended. Day 1 was very much about people and how we can effectively work together — very good for culture and mindset. And I think it gave attendees better visibility into what it takes to make new features and improvements in software.”
One executive who also attended the training replied to the thread: “I was very impressed, but not surprised, by the high level of intelligence, experience and good nature of the participants in the room. And, Rene and Dan are great Agile teachers. We have great talent here!!
And while I didn’t get much response from others in leadership, the two that ran the training deserved recognition.
There are many flavors of Agile designers will encounter in their careers. It’s worth promoting the SAFe Agile training framework for company culture. The leadership principles can help shift a culture when taught to all and practiced gradually over time. And designers should know the foundation of the framework. It will help them be even more prepared for future roles in their design careers.
