Essential SAFe

Hi,

I'm reaching out for some guidance from anyone with strong experience in SAFe, as I’m encountering challenges in my current role as a SAFe Product Owner.

Early last year, our organisation went through a significant reorganisation, which included removing several roles – notably, the Business Analyst capability. At the time, I was a Senior Agile BA in a delivery-focused environment.

We also undertook a complete replatforming, resulting in a major change to our tech stack. We are a large enterprise, and I successfully moved into a PO role, with responsibilities aligned to the SAFe framework (I’ve included relevant extracts from the job spec if needed).

Following a period of stability, we began enhancing our feature set and are now delivering new features within two-week iterations. We’ve had a few PI sessions so far, so we’re still relatively early in our SAFe adoption. Our setup includes roles such as the RTE and a Tribe Lead (my direct manager), both introduced during the org changes.

Recently, we brought in a new RTE who has started identifying gaps in how we work — many of which are strategic in nature. As a result, there’s been pressure from above to extend my remit to include strategic ownership.

This is where I’m struggling. My strengths are in delivery and analysis — areas where I believe I add real value. I don’t have the background or skillset for strategic ownership, and frankly, I don’t feel comfortable or equipped to take this on.

While I believe the RTE understands this, it feels like it’s easier for leadership to push these responsibilities down to me than to address the lack of proper role alignment at higher levels. I’m starting to feel backed into a corner.

Many of the other POs in our organisation transitioned from traditional Scrum roles and see themselves more as strategic owners. They don't engage in story writing or acceptance criteria — viewing that as outside their scope. In fact, they often assume strategic ownership outright.

To be honest, I don’t think the distinctions in SAFe PO responsibilities are well understood. I’m still learning myself, but I’ve done a lot of research and shared insights internally to try and clarify the intended PO role in SAFe. Despite that, it feels like I’m banging my head against a wall.

It's very easier to ser the difference using AI. The absence if PM is clear, but this isn't acknowledged.

I'm actually unsure of the Tribe Lead role remit?

Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

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What’s the role?

We are seeking a dynamic and driven Product Owner to join our team and play a pivotal role in our Agile development process within a scaled scrum framework. As a Product Owner, you will be responsible for defining and prioritising the product backlog, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality products that meet customer needs and drive business value. Your expertise in agile practices and principles will be essential in maintaining alignment between stakeholders, product vision, and development efforts.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Connect with the Customer: Act as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, representing their interests and providing transparency into the product development process. Gather feedback, communicate product changes, and manage expectations throughout the development lifecycle.
• Contribute to Product Vision and Strategy: Contribute to the development and refinement of the overall product vision, strategy, and roadmap in alignment with business goals. Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies to ensure the product remains competitive and innovative.
• Manage and Prioritise the Product Backlog: Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business objectives, customer needs, and market trends to create and maintain a well-defined product backlog. Prioritising backlog items based on this understanding.
• Requirement Definition and refinement Gather and translate high-level business and user requirements into clear, actionable user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Agile teams, including developers, designers, and testers, to ensure the successful execution of features and user stories during sprint cycles.
• Support the team in delivering value: Participate in sprint planning and review meetings, ensuring that development efforts are aligned with the product vision and goals. Review and accept completed user stories, verifying that acceptance criteria have been met and the delivered product meets quality standards.

What do you need to be great at this role?

• Strong Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complex concepts and influence stakeholders at all levels. With proficiency in creating clear and concise user stories, acceptance criteria, and technical specifications.
• Agile Knowledge: Familiarity with agile principles and values, as well as knowledge of Scrum framework and related practices. Preferably including familiarity with ART (Agile Release Train) and PI (Program Increment) planning practices.
• Confidence and courage: Ability to make data-driven decisions and continuously improve product features based on value, with the courage to de-prioritise where there is less value.
• Collaboration and Leadership: Ability to foster collaboration, lead by example, and promote a positive team culture.
• Certification: Certifications related to Agile or Scaled Scrum (e.g. Certified Scrum Product Owner) are a plus but not essential.