Training on Scaling Agile, SAFe, and LeSS for Large Development Programs
Course Overview
Large-scale development programs implemented by governments, international organizations, NGOs, development banks, humanitarian agencies, and private sector partners increasingly operate in environments characterized by complexity, uncertainty, rapid change, and multiple stakeholder interests. Traditional project management approaches often struggle to manage large portfolios of interconnected projects, evolving priorities, cross-functional teams, and dynamic development challenges.
Agile methodologies have transformed project delivery by enabling teams to work iteratively, respond to change, and continuously deliver value. However, while agile practices are highly effective at the team level, many organizations face challenges when attempting to coordinate dozens or even hundreds of teams working across large programs, portfolios, and institutions. This challenge has led to the emergence of agile scaling frameworks designed to extend agile principles beyond individual teams to enterprise-wide initiatives.
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) are among the most widely adopted frameworks for scaling agile practices across large and complex programs. SAFe provides structured governance, portfolio alignment, strategic planning, and coordinated delivery mechanisms that enable organizations to manage large transformation initiatives while maintaining agility. LeSS focuses on simplicity, customer value, systems thinking, and minimizing organizational complexity while scaling Scrum across multiple teams.
For development programs involving multiple donors, government agencies, implementing partners, technical teams, and beneficiaries, scaled agile approaches can significantly improve coordination, transparency, adaptability, stakeholder engagement, risk management, and value delivery. They also help organizations align strategic objectives with operational execution while maintaining responsiveness to changing development contexts.
Successfully implementing SAFe or LeSS requires more than adopting new processes. It involves leadership transformation, governance redesign, portfolio management modernization, organizational change management, cultural adaptation, and continuous learning systems. Organizations must understand when and how to apply different scaling frameworks based on program complexity, organizational maturity, governance requirements, and stakeholder needs.
This course equips participants with practical and strategic expertise in scaling agile practices using SAFe and LeSS within large development programs. Participants will learn how to design scaled agile operating models, manage program increments, align portfolios with strategic goals, coordinate multiple teams, strengthen governance systems, and measure value delivery across complex initiatives.
The course also explores agile portfolio management, adaptive governance, Lean principles, digital transformation, DevOps integration, stakeholder management, performance measurement, AI-enabled program analytics, and global best practices in large-scale agile transformation. Through simulations, case studies, framework design exercises, and practical workshops, participants will develop the competencies required to successfully implement scaled agile approaches in large development environments.
Duration
10 Days
Who Should Attend
- Program Directors and Program Managers
- Project Management Office (PMO) Leaders
- Government Transformation Teams
- Development Program Managers
- Agile Coaches and Scrum Masters
- Product Owners and Product Managers
- Portfolio Managers
- Digital Transformation Leaders
- NGO and International Development Professionals
- Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists
- Organizational Change Managers
- Senior Executives Leading Large-Scale Initiatives
Course Impact
Individual Impact
- Strengthen expertise in scaled agile frameworks
- Improve program and portfolio management capabilities
- Enhance leadership and transformation management skills
- Develop practical skills in coordinating large agile initiatives
- Improve governance and value delivery competencies
- Gain confidence in implementing enterprise agile approaches
Organizational Impact
- Improve coordination across large development programs
- Increase adaptability and responsiveness to change
- Strengthen strategic alignment and value delivery
- Improve stakeholder collaboration and transparency
- Accelerate program execution and outcomes
- Build sustainable agile transformation capabilities
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the principles of agile scaling in complex environments
- Differentiate between SAFe and LeSS frameworks
- Design scaled agile operating models for large development programs
- Align portfolios, programs, and projects with strategic objectives
- Coordinate multiple agile teams effectively
- Apply Lean and systems thinking principles
- Strengthen governance and decision-making in scaled agile environments
- Manage organizational change and agile transformation initiatives
- Measure value delivery and program performance
- Lead enterprise-scale agile implementation efforts
Course Outline
Module 1: Foundations of Agile Scaling in Development Programs
- Evolution of agile and the need for scaling
- Challenges of large-scale program delivery
- Agile principles in complex development environments
- Understanding organizational agility
- Lean thinking and systems approaches
- Overview of major agile scaling frameworks
- Selecting the appropriate scaling approach
- Exercise: Agile maturity and scaling readiness assessment
- Case Study: Scaling agile in large development initiatives
Module 2: Understanding the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Core principles and values of SAFe
- SAFe configurations and implementation levels
- Agile Release Trains (ARTs)
- Program Increment (PI) planning
- Lean portfolio management
- Value streams and flow optimization
- Roles and responsibilities in SAFe
- Exercise: Designing an Agile Release Train
- Case Study: SAFe implementation in complex organizations
Module 3: Implementing SAFe for Large Development Programs
- Strategic alignment and portfolio governance
- Managing multiple teams and workstreams
- Program Increment execution and review
- Dependency management across teams
- Stakeholder engagement and communication
- Risk management within SAFe environments
- Measuring value delivery and outcomes
- Exercise: SAFe program planning simulation
- Case Study: Multi-stakeholder program delivery using SAFe
Module 4: Understanding Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)
- Principles and philosophy of LeSS
- LeSS versus traditional scaling models
- Organizational simplification and systems thinking
- Product ownership at scale
- Multi-team Scrum implementation
- Customer-centric value delivery
- LeSS governance and coordination mechanisms
- Exercise: Designing a LeSS organizational model
- Case Study: LeSS implementation experiences
Module 5: Applying LeSS in Development and Public Sector Programs
- Scaling Scrum across multiple teams
- Managing shared backlogs and priorities
- Coordination and synchronization techniques
- Stakeholder engagement in LeSS environments
- Continuous improvement and learning systems
- Managing complexity through simplification
- Measuring performance and value creation
- Exercise: LeSS implementation planning workshop
- Case Study: LeSS in public sector transformation
Module 6: Portfolio Management and Strategic Alignment
- Agile portfolio management principles
- Aligning portfolios with organizational strategy
- Prioritization frameworks and value-based decision-making
- Investment planning and resource allocation
- Governance structures for agile portfolios
- Managing program interdependencies
- Benefits realization management
- Exercise: Agile portfolio design simulation
- Case Study: Strategic portfolio transformation
Module 7: Governance, Risk, and Compliance in Scaled Agile Environments
- Agile governance frameworks
- Balancing agility with accountability
- Risk management in large-scale programs
- Compliance and regulatory requirements
- Decision-making structures and escalation paths
- Transparency and performance reporting
- Adaptive governance approaches
- Exercise: Governance framework development
- Case Study: Managing governance in scaled agile initiatives
Module 8: Leadership, Culture, and Organizational Transformation
- Agile leadership competencies
- Building agile organizational cultures
- Change management for scaled agile adoption
- Empowering teams and distributed decision-making
- Coaching and mentoring agile teams
- Managing resistance to transformation
- Building learning organizations
- Exercise: Agile leadership assessment
- Case Study: Enterprise agile transformation journeys
Module 9: Technology, DevOps, and Data-Driven Agile Delivery
- DevOps integration within SAFe and LeSS
- Agile technology platforms and collaboration tools
- Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD)
- Agile performance analytics
- AI-enabled program management insights
- Digital transformation and scaled agility
- Monitoring and reporting systems
- Exercise: Agile technology ecosystem mapping
- Case Study: Technology-enabled agile scaling
Module 10: Institutionalizing Scaled Agile and Sustaining Value Delivery
- Scaling agile beyond pilot initiatives
- Continuous improvement and organizational learning
- Measuring agile maturity and success
- Sustaining agile transformation efforts
- Future trends in scaled agile management
- Hybrid governance and adaptive management models
- Building future-ready development organizations
- Capstone Exercise: Develop a SAFe or LeSS Transformation Roadmap
- Case Study: Long-term agile transformation success
Prerequisites
Course Administration and Investment
Whether you join us in a physical boardroom or through our virtual campus, we’ve designed every administrative detail for a seamless, professional experience.
Our fees are all inclusive during course hours.
- Covered: High level tuition, comprehensive materials (digital + physical), mid morning and afternoon refreshments, a full executive lunch, and any scheduled study visits or site tours.
- Not covered: Travel, visa fees, medical/travel insurance, personal expenses, and accommodation.
From registration to the classroom, we keep things clear and efficient.
- Registration: Find your preferred schedule, click “Register,” complete the form, and submit. Need help? Talk to us directly.
- Pre Course Assessment: After registering, you’ll receive a diagnostic survey to help facilitators tailor content to your needs.
- Joining Instructions: Once fees are paid, you’ll receive a Delegate Welcome Pack at least 7 days before the start date (venue maps, virtual access links, and pre reading materials).
We provide premium environments optimized for adult learning and networking.
- Physical Venues: Premium 4 star and 5 star executive boardrooms across our global host cities, with high tier catering.
- Virtual Instructor Led Training (VILT): High definition, interactive platforms featuring breakout rooms, digital whiteboards, and live technical support.
- NITA and Regulatory Compliance: Administrative processes align with national training authorities.
You’ll leave with tools that extend the course value far beyond the final day.
- ForElite Learner Kit: A physical or digital course manual, proprietary templates, and a curated toolkit of industry standard SOPs.
- On Site / In App Support: Dedicated course coordinators handle technical, dietary, or logistical inquiries in real time.
We validate your commitment to excellence with internationally recognized credentials.
- Attendance Tracking: Rigorous daily logging to meet corporate and regulatory accreditation requirements.
- Verifiable Credentials: Upon successful completion, you receive a certificate of course completion.
Our relationship with you doesn’t end when the course closes.
- Feedback & ROI Reporting: Detailed post course evaluations to give sponsors clear insight into training impact.
- Alumni Network Access: Every delegate joins the ForElite Alumni Network for ongoing peer to peer learning and exclusive webinars.
When is the next intake?
UpdatedWe offer customized training solutions tailored to your organization's specific needs (location, dates, content and team size).
Talk to us and we’ll guide you on the best schedule and format for your team.
Training Methodology
We turn knowledge into results. Using our P.E.A.K. Framework (Prepare, Engage, Apply, Know), every participant leaves with practical skills they can use immediately.
Proven Impact
In the last 12 months, over 1,200 professionals have applied the P.E.A.K. Framework to reduce onboarding time by an average of 30% and accelerate project delivery across 14 industries.
The outcome: Participants don’t just learn. They gain the tools, confidence, and strategy to drive measurable impact.
Tailor-Made Training and Customization
Off-the-shelf solutions rarely fit perfectly. At ForElite Training Institute, we built our Tailor-Made Training (TMT) service to embed our expertise directly into your unique strategy, culture, and operations.
We replace generic examples with scenarios from your sector (e.g., public sector, NGOs, financial services, or logistics).
Choose a format that fits your operations: intensive 3 day bootcamps or weekly sessions that minimize work disruption.
We teach directly from your actual templates, brand guidelines, or financial reports.
Host your bespoke training in any of our 21+ global cities, or we'll send facilitators to your office anywhere in the world.
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