Each week inside SAFe Connect, our spotlight member shares practical insights from their experience applying SAFe in real environments. This week, Tiziana Fortis shares practical guidance on reducing complexity and improving outcomes through alignment, clarity, and continuous learning.
1. Establish governance and alignment early
“One practical tip I would give when applying SAFe in a complex environment is to invest time in establishing clear governance and alignment before scaling Agile practices. In large organizations, complexity often comes from multiple teams, stakeholders, and competing priorities. What helped my teams the most was creating strong alignment between business objectives, portfolio priorities, and delivery teams. In practice, this meant clearly defining roadmaps, ensuring backlog readiness, and making dependencies visible before execution phases such as PI Planning. When governance, priorities, and communication channels are clear, teams can focus on delivering value instead of resolving misunderstandings or conflicting priorities.”
2. Use SAFe resources to build shared understanding
“One resource I always recommend to SAFe professionals is the official SAFe website. It provides a complete and continuously updated view of the framework, including roles, events, artifacts, and implementation guidance. The interactive framework helps practitioners explore how different elements connect across team, program, and portfolio levels. I often use it both as a reference during implementations and as a learning resource for teams who are new to SAFe.”
3. Start with priorities, not tasks
“My go to productivity habit is starting the week by clarifying priorities and outcomes rather than tasks. I align key stakeholders early, review the backlog and dependencies, and make sure teams have clear goals for the upcoming work. In complex environments, a bit of alignment at the beginning saves a lot of time and confusion later.”
4. Combine learning with real world practice
“I stay current by combining formal learning with real world experience. I regularly follow updates from the SAFe community, read articles and books on Agile leadership, and participate in professional discussions. At the same time, I learn a lot from applying Agile practices in complex environments and reflecting on what works and what can be improved.”
