There was no doubt in my mind that, for SAFe SPC Training, I wanted to be coached by the best. IJI has been in the industry since before Agile was a word, and the two trainers, Ian Spence and Brian Tucker, are among the most experienced consultants in this domain. No doubt Scaled Agile takes the standard of training seriously, but Ian and Brian’s credentials are so strong that I elected to participate in UK training that was six hours adrift from my regular ‘daytime timezone’ (3am starts for me on Zoom !), despite the local choice options in the USA.
The training itself was exceptionally well run - and certainly exceeded my expectations of an online course. The preparation and thought that had gone into this actually made it feel better suited to a remote method. Zoom breakout rooms were used to good effect, as were the white-boarding tools and their pre-class setup/design. The course made great use of the Scaled Agile ‘standard material’ but I felt that we all got very valuable bonus material from the presenters’ and IJI’s own arsenal of slides, exercises and media. The IJI Scaled Agile ‘playing cards’ are a particularly helpful addition to the SAFe program. Thanks also to the right mix of lecture, exercise, breaks and open conversation, the seven hours a day were full, educational and engaging - and above all…. enjoyable. I would have no hesitation in going back to IJI and Ian/Brian for the next wave of training for my organization.