Applying Lean thinking to budgeting, governance, and portfolio operations
The gap between organisational strategy and what delivery teams are actually working on is one of the most persistent problems in large organisations. Lean Portfolio Management directly addresses this, providing the practices to organise around value, align strategic planning, and guide Agile execution across value streams.
The course equips portfolio executives, PMOs, and senior stakeholders with a concrete model for how to govern and adapt their investments in a way that is both strategically coherent and operationally responsive. It is built around four core areas: connecting strategy to execution, establishing Lean budgets and portfolio flow, running effective portfolio operations, and creating a practical LPM adoption plan for your organisation.
When delivered as a private cohort, the workshop exercises can draw directly on your actual portfolio structure, current epics, and funding patterns, making the learning immediately applicable.
What your people will learn
The course is structured around the four core LPM competency areas defined by Scaled Agile:
- Aligning strategy with execution: Connect portfolio initiatives directly to business strategy and keep investments focused on the most important outcomes
- Lean budgeting and portfolio flow: Fund value streams, establish guardrails, and manage epics using portfolio Kanban to support continuous Lean flow
- Running Agile portfolio operations: Coordinate across value streams, manage change, and support organisational excellence through Agile PMOs and communities of practice
- Designing a plan for LPM adoption: Capture your current state, define your portfolio vision, and build a step-by-step implementation plan for your organisation
Who this course is for
- Portfolio executives and senior leaders responsible for strategic direction and investment
- PMO leaders and programme managers transitioning to Lean-Agile governance models
- Senior funding managers who need to understand how Lean budgeting works in practice
- Business stakeholders involved in prioritising strategic initiatives across value streams
- Agile coaches operating at the portfolio level who need a stronger LPM foundation
- Transformation leads who need to design or evolve their organisation's portfolio operating model
Certification and exam
This course prepares attendees for the SAFe® Lean Portfolio Manager (LPM) certification.
- SAFe® Lean Portfolio Manager (LPM) certification
- 45 multiple choice questions
- 90 minutes
- 76% pass mark
- Two exam attempts within 30 days included
- Unlimited practice test with feedback and coaching report
- Perpetual access to the course workbook and SAFe Studio
- Certification renewed yearly
Sitting the exam within the first month of completing the course, while the content is fresh, is recommended by Scaled Agile.
What attendees get after the course
- Course workbook and certificate of completion
- Eligibility to sit the SAFe® Lean Portfolio Manager (LPM) certification exam
- One-year membership to SAFe Studio with portfolio management templates and resources
- Access to practice tools, learning materials, and the wider SAFe community
- Digital badge on successful passing of the certification exam
Prerequisites
Anyone is welcome to attend. For those intending to sit the certification exam, the following background is recommended:
- 2+ years of experience in portfolio, programme, or project management
- Familiarity with programme funding patterns and organisational governance
- Prior or upcoming participation within a SAFe environment
Why organisations choose this course
Many SAFe implementations are highly effective at the team and ART level but struggle to unlock the full benefit because portfolio-level funding and governance have not kept pace. Traditional project funding creates approval delays, discourages adaptation, and makes it difficult for teams to respond to what customers actually need.
LPM solves the funding problem. It is the missing link between strategy and Agile delivery at scale.
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Delivery options
We provide this as a private course for organisations, typically in person. In-person delivery suits the workshop-heavy nature of LPM; the portfolio Kanban, budgeting, and adoption planning exercises work best when a leadership group is in the room together.
In-person delivery can be arranged across the UK, Europe, the USA, and beyond. Remote delivery is available where in-person is not practical.
Optional Part Two workshop
A one-day follow-on workshop is available as an optional add-on at additional cost. It is designed for enterprise teams who want structured facilitation to begin applying LPM in their own organisation immediately after the course.
The Part Two workshop is priced separately and can be scheduled on the day following the main course or at a later date. Ask us for details when enquiring.
Current SAFe curriculum
Scaled Agile Inc. positions LPM as the competency that allows organisations to manage their portfolios with agility, replacing slow, project-based funding with dynamic value stream investment that keeps strategy and delivery aligned even as conditions change.
Lead trainer
Matt Hosking
SAFe Premier Trainer & A-SPC
Matt has been working with SAFe since 2012 and has direct experience helping organisations implement Lean Portfolio Management in practice. Private delivery means the discussions stay grounded in your funding model and portfolio reality.