Everything You Need to Know About SAFe® Agile Product Management (APM)

The traditional waterfall approach of project management, which involves a lot of chaos and scratching of the head to understand customer requirements for product improvement, has paved the way for a robust and well-established framework with specific principles and the right direction. This improved workflow is referred to as Agile product management. Most businesses and organizations around the world are looking for individuals with a SAFe^® Agile Product Management (APM) certification.

What is Agile Product Management?

• Agile product management refers to an adaptive approach for product development where a product is guided through multiple iterations.
• In Agile product management, the product and development teams work in close collaboration with each other, iterate frequently, and adopt roadmaps based on the insights and feedback from customers.
• The teams work in short sprints and stay flexible throughout the product development lifecycle.
• The product strategy and vision are decided from the start, but the teams focus on listening to the customer’s needs and making changes based on input received from them.
• Agile product management in software development means informed decision-making, faster timelines, and smarter product innovations aided by precise customer data.

Agile product management vs. waterfall product management

• Compared to the traditional waterfall approach, Agile product management is highly flexible and fluid in nature.
• It is much more organized to cater to the customer’s needs, without the need for any unnecessary back and forth changes, leading to delays.
• Individuals who have completed the SAFe^® Agile Product Management (APM) training are able to implement the changes quickly received from customers.
• The Agile approach is faster and driven by feedback from the user.
• The end product in Agile is better aligned with the customer’s needs.
• Instead of large chances being made towards the end of the projects, small increments are introduced along with milestones that help complete the larger picture of software development.
• Customer feedback is received at each stage of the development process.
• Based on the feedback, the team makes changes and multiple iterations.

Characteristics of Agile Product Management

• The end goal of product development is viewed from the eyes of a customer.
• Frequent delivery in small batches
• Committing as late as possible
• Use of data ranges and estimates instead of a single date
• Focus is on the work, the team, and not an individual worker
• Data-driven decision making
• Faster feedback loops with frequent deliveries
• There is no separate phase for quality assurance. Already ‘built-in’ in every stage

Agile product management fundamentals

Here are the key principles of Agile product management that an individual who has completed the SAFe® Agile Product Management (APM) training will need to know.

• Customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of software products.
• To their competitive advantage, they welcome any changes from customers late in the product development lifecycle.
• Developers and stakeholders must work closely on the project daily.
• Deliver value frequently by focusing on a shorter development cycle and time to market.
• Maintain a constant working pace to promote sustainable development.
• Evaluate team performance to identify areas for improvement.

Benefits of Agile product management

• The iterative approach helps build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) based on customer data and responses.
• With consistent customer feedback, it is possible to introduce features one-by-one before going all out in a single go.
• Improved speed and flexibility due to cross-team functionality.
• Better understanding of customers throughout the product development lifecycle.
• Make adjustments and modifications regularly by incorporating customer feedback.
• Faster review and response cycles due to work sprints and workflows.
• Continuous market release of small, actionable deliverables.
• Agile teams can better reach to emerging changes in technology, thus reducing the risk of failure.
• Better change of matching the customers’ expectations and even surpassing them.
• Data-driven decision making for improved efficiency and productivity
• Enhanced performance from teams and improved visibility and transparency.
• Fosters improved team collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Constant feedback and short sprints allow teams to avoid making expensive and time-consuming changes to the product.
• A strategic roadmap will provide a clear direction and help teams have a unified product vision.

Do you want to pursue a career as a SAFe^® Agile Product Manager? The SAFe^® Agile Product Management (APM) course from AgilityPAD could be the best way to go ahead. A SAFe^® Agile Product Management (APM) certification will help you to know the skills, tools, and right mindset needed to create successful products for clients. For more details on the three-day interactive, instructor-led SAFe^® Agile Product Management (APM) training, contact AgilityPAD today.