The Role of People Managers in SAFe
By Mikael Broomé, Lean-Agile Coach at Think Flow
Note: This article is part of the Community Contributions series, which provides additional points of view and guidance based on the experiences and opinions of the extended SAFe community of experts.
Introduction
Implementing SAFe requires creating a second operating system alongside the more traditional organizational hierarchy. This second operating system is organized around value streams instead of functional silos. Although a critical step in accelerating value delivery, this can create a challenge for People Managers who are traditionally part of the hierarchy and now find themselves responsible for managing workers who are part of the organization’s ‘virtual value stream network.’ Overcoming this challenge is critical since, at the end of the day, people do all the work; therefore, effective people management is key to unlocking high performance.
Note: This article expands the initial guidance in The Evolving Role of Managers in Lean-Agile Development and refines the people managers' responsibilities in SAFe.
When a company starts using SAFe, People Managers may face significant changes in their jobs, making it hard for them to adjust. They often find it hard to let go of some tasks they used to do and delegate that authority to Agile Release Train (ART) leaders or teams. This is particularly true for managers responsible for Agile team members. However, managers with greater responsibilities in the hierarchy can experience similar challenges. The recommendations in this article can help People Managers at any level within the company.
This article shares practical tips and ways of thinking that have been successful for People Managers who have evolved how they perform their responsibilities in a company using SAFe. It focuses on the following topics:
Transitioning to Being a People Manager in SAFe outlines how People Managers in a SAFe environment have to think and act differently and how some of their duties may change.