SAFe-Agilist Leading the Change Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are essential elements of the 'Leading the Change' step in the SAFe Implementation Roadmap?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often include 'training all employees' or 'hiring new coaches' as essential, missing the specific focus on leadership buy-in and change agent preparation required at this stage.
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
✓
Identifying and training Lean-Agile change agents.
The 'Leading the Change' phase focuses on preparing the organization for transformation. It involves identifying change agents and ensuring leadership is aligned. By establishing a guiding coalition and educating leaders, the organization creates a robust foundation. This phase is critical because transformation is not just a process change but a fundamental shift in behavior, mindset, and organizational culture that requires committed and knowledgeable executive sponsorship.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Training all developers on Scrum methodology.
Why it's wrong here
While training is important, training all developers on Scrum is not the primary focus of the 'Leading the Change' phase. This step is about executive alignment and preparing the leadership team. Scrum training typically happens during the 'Train Lean-Agile Change Agents' or 'Train Teams' phases later in the roadmap.
- ✓
Identifying and training Lean-Agile change agents.
Why this is correct
Identifying and training change agents is a core requirement of this phase. These individuals act as catalysts, helping to spread the Lean-Agile mindset across the enterprise. Without these trained advocates, the transformation lacks the necessary internal support structure to navigate challenges and maintain momentum during the initial rollout.
- ✗
Appointing a single Chief Transformation Officer to dictate all process changes.
Why it's wrong here
SAFe discourages centralized, dictatorial approaches to transformation. While a transformation lead or office is helpful, the process must involve collaborative decision-making. Dictating changes from the top down ignores the specific needs of individual value streams and undermines the principle of decentralized decision-making inherent in the Lean-Agile mindset.
- ✓
Establishing a guiding coalition of motivated leaders.
Why this is correct
Establishing a guiding coalition is essential for driving change. This group ensures that the transformation vision is communicated clearly and consistently across all levels. By involving diverse leadership, the organization gains broader perspectives and creates the necessary organizational buy-in required to overcome institutional inertia and resistance to change.
- ✗
Replacing all existing middle management with Agile coaches.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing middle management is not a recommended practice. Instead, SAFe advocates for training middle managers to become Lean-Agile leaders. By shifting their focus from command-and-control to servant leadership, these managers become vital assets in the transition, providing the stability and guidance needed to support teams through the shift.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
This SAFe-Agilist practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scaled Agile certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAFe-Agilist exam.