Our Experience with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
Implementations and Optimizations

David is a key influencer and leading consulting in the global revolution of Systems Thinking and the establishment of Adaptive Leadership platforms, realized by Culture Transformation frameworks that realize the Shared Agility Mindset that is obsessed with empowering organization talent to exceed Customer expectations.    He’s been a key part of ushering organizations through the Turning Point in the Digitally-enabled Services era, since 1998.

As of May 2025, David was re certified on the latest SAFe 6.x framework.   He carries the new designation of ADVANCED SAFe SPC.  He conducts frequent public and private Training for Leading SAFe, Lean Portfolio Mgmt, and Agile Product Mgmt.  He was first certified on version 2.x.   He has influenced the maturation of this framework from the early days, directly influencing its CEO Dean Leffingwell and the original thought leaders on many occasions.   Many of his ideas shaped what eventually became the Portfolio and Product Mgmt dimensions.

David has veteran experience in launching, operating and fine tuning 30 Enterprise Portfolios and 90+ Agile Release Trains (31 directly, 60+ indirectly through Portfolio Governance).

Six of those Value Streams predated the SAFe v1.0 publishing in 2012, leveraging fully the concepts of Lean system optimization and economic decision-making, relying on Value System boundary management, Product Flow, and Continuous Delivery.   Each ART that he has directly mentored had on average 10 teams with approximately 200 people in total (including Portfolio, Program, System Team and downstream implementation functions).

David’s career began in Lean Manufacturing, where he served as a part of Transformation teams to optimize large operation teams across entire Value Chains.  Frameworks like SAFe leverage and originate from Lean Systems Thinking/Engineering.   David’s direct implementation experience has influenced the foundation of modern frameworks.   

He is sought after as a premier Embedded Coach and successful implementation mentor.  In his absence, clients have stated that “attempts to change their culture were merely academic aspirations with very few implmentation benefits realized, blocked by improper change priming and management resistance to change, as a key part of inspiring substantial behavioral change at scale”.

Here’s a breakdown of experience by Industry and timing: