SAFe 6.0 Lean Portfolio Management with SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager (LPM) certification

The SAFe Lean Portfolio Management course is essential to any organisation's journey towards achieving true agility. It helps align strategy and execution, optimise the flow of value, ensure proper governance, and drive sustainable growth. Participants will learn skills to manage portfolios at scale, coordinate value streams, and implement Lean budgeting techniques. This course is essential for driving operational excellence in Agile enterprises.

Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) directly solves three critical concerns we frequently hear from executives:

1. Strategy is disconnected from execution. One of the most prominent challenges organisations face is ensuring that their high-level strategies translate into meaningful action. LPM bridges this gap by aligning the work teams do with strategic goals. By providing a structured way to connect portfolio-level strategy with Agile team execution, LPM ensures that every initiative links to broader business goals, fostering coherence and accountability.

2. People in the organisation are suffering from perpetual overload. In many organisations, teams are overloaded with too many initiatives, leading to burnout and inefficiency. LPM helps organisations prioritise the right work through tools like the Portfolio Kanban, which ensures that only high-value initiatives are pursued. This reduces unnecessary multitasking and workload, creating a healthier, more sustainable work environment where teams can focus on delivering value rather than juggling competing demands.

3. Lack of visible data needed to make sound investment decisions. Making informed decisions requires real-time visibility into portfolio performance. LPM introduces metrics and governance practices that provide executives with the data to allocate capacity effectively. With clear insights into which initiatives generate the most value, leaders can make more intelligent, more strategic investment decisions that drive growth and innovation.

By addressing these concerns, Lean Portfolio Management creates an environment where business strategy and execution are in harmony, workload is optimised, and decision-making is data-driven—empowering organisations to achieve greater success in a rapidly changing business landscape.

This course is designed for leaders and influencers who are responsible for the Lean Portfolio Management function. Examples include:

• Executives and leaders (CIOs, CEOs, CFOs, CTOs, VPs and Business Unit managers)
• Portfolio Managers
• Product Managers and Solution Managers
• Enterprise, Solution & System Architects
• PMO/VMO & LACE teams
• SAFe Practice Consultants (SPCs) and enterprise Agile coaches
• Release Train Engineers (RTEs)
• Epic Owners
• Anyone responsible for Strategic Investment, Portfolio Operations, or Lean Governance in an organisation will benefit from the tools and frameworks provided in this training.

If you are not sure if this class is right for you, check out our guide to choosing a SAFe Certification.

There are no mandatory prerequisites for the SAFe Lean Portfolio Management course.  However, this class does assume participants have an understanding of the Scaled Agile Framework; therefore, the following  prerequisites are highly recommended for those wanting to earn the SAFe LPM certification:

• Familiarity with Agile concepts and principles
• Attended a Leading SAFe
• Experience working in a SAFe environment

• Course workbook (physical & digital)
• SAFe Big Picture and Implementation Roadmap handouts
• Access to the SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager exam.
• One-year membership to SAFe Studio with your first class attendance
• Course certificate of completion
• E-learning courses to help you prepare for the class
• Fun Pretty Agile swag, including a certified Lean Portfolio Manager laptop sticker
• Postage of physical materials

Please note: Attendees must attend the first two days of the course in order to qualify for the SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager exam.

Yes, the exam fee for your first attempt is included in the course registration fee. 

The instructor provides access to the exam at the end of the class.

You will have 30 days to take the exam online via SAFe Studio at a time and place of your choosing. You do not need to schedule the exam in advance.

The SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager study guide is on the Scaled Agile website here.

For exam preparation tips and tricks, check our Advice on Taking SAFe Certification Exams (and retaining classroom learning).

This course covers a range of essential LPM topics, including:

• Introducing Lean Portfolio Management 
• Establishing Portfolio Strategy and Vision
• Realising Portfolio Vision through Epics
• Establishing Investment Funding
• Managing Portfolio Flow
• Applying Agile Portfolio Operations
• Applying Lean Governance
• Getting Started with LPM Workshop

• Understand the need for Lean Portfolio Management, lean principles, and the shift from traditional project cost accounting to value-based organisation.
• Develop a portfolio strategy using Strategic Themes and roadmaps for current and future states.
• Define and manage portfolio Epics, including estimation and implementation using the SAFe Lean Startup Cycle.
• Implement Lean Budget Guardrails and Value Stream budgets to align funding with strategy.
• Optimise portfolio flow using Portfolio Kanban and prioritisation techniques like WSJF.
• Coordinate Value Streams and improve Agile Release Train (ART) execution through LACE and VMO support.
• Measure portfolio performance with key performance indicators KPIs)) and ensure continuous compliance while applying SAFe's governance strategies.
• Develop a practical implementation roadmap and prepare for common challenges during LPM adoption.

The SAFe Lean Portfolio Management course is delivered over three days. The first two days focus on learning the core concepts of Lean Portfolio Management and applying them through an interactive simulation, allowing participants to practise the tools and techniques in a realistic environment. The third day is dedicated to the "Getting Started with LPM" workshop, where participants develop a plan to kick off Lean Portfolio Management in their organisations.

At Pretty Agile, we understand the importance of flexible training options. Our public courses are offered online, making them accessible to clients across Australia and internationally. Online training is delivered through highly interactive sessions using Zoom, Mural, and Slack. This ensures a seamless experience, allowing participants to engage in hands-on activities, ask questions, and collaborate with peers—just as they would in an in-person class.

Private in-house courses can be delivered online or in person.

Attendees may be eligible for PDUs and SEUs.

To claim PMI PDUs, please see the instructions on the Scaled Agile website here.

For SEUs, please confirm requirements with Scrum Alliance's SEU policy here.

The SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager certification is highly regarded across industries and demonstrates your ability to manage and align large portfolios with Lean-Agile principles. As organisations increasingly adopt Agile practices, the demand for certified professionals who can oversee the implementation of Lean Portfolio Management is growing. This certification will enhance your career prospects, opening doors to roles such as Lean Portfolio Manager, Agile Transformation Lead, and Portfolio Strategist.

The SAFe Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) course is part of the broader Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and complements other SAFe certifications by focusing on aligning strategy with execution at the portfolio level. While courses like Leading SAFe and SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM) provide foundational knowledge for implementing Lean-Agile practices at the team and program levels, the LPM course extends that knowledge to the strategic management of a portfolio of initiatives.

For professionals who have completed courses such as SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) or SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE), the LPM course provides the next logical step in understanding how portfolio-level decisions and budgeting impact the work managed by Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and value streams. This course offers deeper insights into Lean budgeting, governance, and portfolio flow, ensuring that all organisational layers are aligned to deliver maximum value.

In essence, SAFe's Lean Portfolio Management course ties together the strategic and execution layers of an organisation, building on the knowledge gained in other SAFe courses and enabling participants to manage large, complex portfolios using Lean-Agile principles. It provides the tools to balance investments, prioritise work, and optimise value delivery across distributed teams and programs—SAFe LPM vita certification for professionals looking to drive enterprise-wide Agile transformation.

Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) directly influences an organisation's ability to align its strategic goals with daily operations. The fundamental principles of SAFe LPM—such as transparency, flow of value, and continuous improvement—create a sustainable and adaptable environment that can respond to shifting market conditions. By implementing Lean budgeting and eliminating unnecessary work, organisations can focus on high-value activities, minimise waste, and optimise resources across the entire portfolio. This approach ensures that investments are directed toward initiatives that deliver the most significant business impact, fostering a culture of innovation and agility.

The Scaled Agile Framework allows organisations to move away from traditional, siloed portfolio management approaches, promoting cross-functional collaboration. LPM encourages active participation from leadership to ensure everyone is aligned with the same strategic objectives. This results in faster time-to-market, higher-quality outcomes, and increased customer satisfaction.