If you’re practicing SAFe then you know it’s designed to help you plan for and manage change. Changing requirements are a fundamental tenet of Agile. Managing variability is a core SAFe principle. But lately the way we work has changed, too.

Almost overnight the world’s priorities have shifted. Most of us now are working, teaching, and collaborating remotely, using digital methods for delivering customer value because face-to-face isn’t an option. Some organizations have been forced to adjust their financial expectations and even second-guess their business models. Many of us have had to figure out how to be productive from home while juggling childcare or sharing space with family members.

Though the world may “return to normal,” I believe how we work will never be quite the same. Remote work and remote learning are here to stay, and for many of us they may become a competitive advantage. Imagine having no physical limits on how you access talent, customer markets, or opportunities for collaboration.

We’re adapting to this new reality, and we want to empower you to adapt, too. 

Our 2020 European SAFe Summit originally was supposed to take place in The Hague, Netherlands. But considering the current circumstances and the well-being of our community members, we made the decision to hold the Summit online instead.

Planning a successful virtual event isn’t as easy as simply offering sessions as webinars: we had to think about the length and format of the talks, design new ways to make the content interactive, and optimize the experience knowing our community members may be attending from a living room sofa. Here’s what you can expect from the experience:

• More than 30 sessions across 8 technical tracks
• Sessions on how to support and facilitate remote PI Planning, ARTs, and other SAFe ceremonies
• Tips and techniques for how to apply SAFe across your business, from marketing to HR to hardware teams
• The ability to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the SAFe Experts at the virtual Coaching Station
• Keynote talks from Tasktop CEO Mik Kersten, corporate innovation expert Dr. Tendayi Viki, musician and author Jade Simmons (and me)
• Stories-from-the-field from SAFe customers like T-Mobile, Siemens, and KBC
• An interactive lobby with exhibitor booths from SAFe Partners and chat with partners and each other

I’m also excited about the talks our team is giving—take a look.

Audrey will pull back the curtain on one of the best-kept secrets in many enterprises today: behind-the-scenes, innovative, people-powered learning networks. Agile enterprises have a unique opportunity to accelerate transformation by tapping into these networks, and her talk will provide tools for fostering a continuous learning culture.

Harry will discuss how Agile tenets like small batch sizes, fast feedback cycles, continuous integration, modular architectures, and test-driven development can be adapted from software to hardware environments, and he’ll share strategies and examples borrowed from hardware companies already practicing these tenets.

Inbar is focusing on how ARTs can collaborate across teams and time zones. He will explore how to prepare and facilitate PI Planning and other ART events when being co-located isn’t possible, and share how SAI and some of our customers have run distributed PI Planning.

Joe and Andrew are confronting what changes COVID-19 will have on enterprise workplaces, and what the “new normal” might be like if more people continue to work outside a central office. They’ll cover how to manage across multiple time zones, create an effective remote working environment, and facilitate team-building.

Marc will explain the importance of DevSecOps in the enterprise. He’ll tackle the obstacles most companies face in preparing to defend their systems against modern cyber attackers, and introduce popular techniques for implementing fast, efficient, and secure Continuous Delivery Pipelines.

Melissa is sharing techniques for how companies can increase their business agility by bringing SAFe fundamentals to marketing. She’ll discuss how to think about Agile marketing in an enterprise context, how to build a validated learning organization, and how to prepare software teams to work with a SAFe-driven marketing organization.

Richard and Deema will provide best practices for how to make remote training effective, keep students engaged, and facilitate virtual group interactions. They will share recommended techniques and lessons learned from trainers around the globe and show how successful approaches integrate a Lean-Agile mindset.

Steve is talking about organizational culture and how the transition to SAFe confronts deeply held beliefs and norms that are not easily altered. He’ll give practical guidance and offer a diagnostic survey to evaluate which type of organizational culture is predominant in your company.

The SAI events team has designed a first-class interactive event and adapted the content to what matters most right now, so I hope you will join us 10–11 June for this year’s Summit. Just like Agile, this time is not a state of being, it’s a journey. We can always improve and grow, and we’re always stronger and better together.

You can learn more and register for the European SAFe Summit at europe.safesummit.com.