SAFe-Agilist Leading the Change Practice Question
An organization is preparing to launch its first SAFe transformation. The Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) has been formed and is composed of change agents from various departments. To ensure the LACE can effectively guide the transformation, what is the primary focus of its initial activities?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming the LACE is a technical or project management body rather than a change leadership coalition.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Establishing a sense of urgency and communicating the vision for the change.
The LACE's initial priority is to create urgency and communicate the vision, which aligns with Kotter's first steps and SAFe's Leading the Change guidance. This sets the stage for alignment and engagement across the organization. Without a compelling why, subsequent transformation efforts often stall. The LACE must inspire action before implementing structures.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Defining detailed technical solutions for each Agile Release Train to implement.
Why it's wrong here
The LACE is not responsible for defining technical solutions; that is the role of the Agile Release Trains and their teams. The LACE's initial focus is on enabling the transformation by building awareness, fostering alignment, and establishing the necessary structures and practices. Technical solution definition would distract from its change leadership mandate and undermine the autonomy of the ARTs.
- ✗
Developing a comprehensive project plan with detailed Gantt charts for the rollout.
Why it's wrong here
SAFe transformations are not managed as traditional projects with Gantt charts. The LACE focuses on iterative and incremental change, using SAFe's Implementation Roadmap rather than detailed upfront planning. A Gantt chart would imply a predictive approach, which contradicts Lean-Agile principles of adaptability and continuous improvement.
- ✗
Directly managing the daily work of Agile teams to ensure adherence to SAFe practices.
Why it's wrong here
The LACE is a guiding coalition, not a management layer. Directly managing teams would violate SAFe's principle of decentralized decision-making and self-organizing teams. The LACE's role is to coach, facilitate, and remove impediments, not to micromanage. Such involvement would undermine team autonomy and slow the transformation.
- ✓
Establishing a sense of urgency and communicating the vision for the change.
Why this is correct
The LACE's primary initial focus is to create a sense of urgency and communicate the vision for the Lean-Agile transformation, as emphasized in Kotter's model and SAFe's Leading the Change guidance. By building awareness and excitement, the LACE helps overcome resistance and aligns stakeholders. This foundational work enables subsequent activities such as training and launching ARTs effectively.
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Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
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