In the SAFe framework, the Lean-Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) is the permanent team that leads, coordinates, and accelerates organizational change toward a lean-agile corporate culture. It is an institutionalization of change management, comparable to a competence center that sets standards, further develops methods, and ensures the scaling of agile working methods across the entire organization.
Tasks of the LACE
• Driver of change: Formulating and communicating the vision for Lean-Agile working.
• Coaching & Enablement: Supporting managers, RTEs, product managers, and teams.
• Standardization & best practices: Introducing and maintaining common methods, e.g., PI events, WSJF, LPM practices.
• Measurability: Developing KPIs, metrics, and feedback loops to make progress and business value visible.
• Portfolio alignment: Working closely with Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) to align strategy and implementation.
• Communication: Creating transparency throughout the organization, making progress and obstacles visible.
Composition
A LACE is typically interdisciplinary:
• Executives as sponsors and drivers.
• SAFe Program Consultants (SPCs) who provide methodological expertise.
• Representatives from business, IT, and HR to ensure broad support.
• Change agents (e.g., Agile coaches, RTEs) who drive operational implementation.
The size varies greatly: from small core teams (5–7 people) in pilot organizations to larger, distributed structures in global corporations.
Models of LACE structures
There are various organizational approaches to designing a LACE:
1. Centralized model
• Structure: A core team that acts centrally and supports organizational units.
• Advantages: Uniform standards, clear responsibilities, good controllability.
• Disadvantages: Risk of overload, limited proximity to operational teams.
• Area of application: Suitable for medium-sized organizations or in early stages of transformation.
2. Spoke/hub-and-spoke model
• Structure: A central LACE (hub) with decentralized "spokes" in the individual business units or value streams.
• Advantages: Proximity to operational teams, better adaptation to local needs.
• Disadvantages: Greater coordination effort, risk of inconsistencies.
• Area of application: Suitable for large, distributed organizations or corporations.
3. Decentralized model
• Structure: LACE functionality is distributed entirely across business units, no strong central team.
• Advantages: Very close to operational business, high flexibility.
• Disadvantages: Risk of drifting apart, loss of overall consistency.
• Area of application: Works in organizations with highly autonomous units.
Conclusion: The choice of model depends on company size, maturity, and culture. Many companies start out centrally and later develop a hub-and-spoke model.
Challenges & pitfalls
• Lack of mandate: LACE is seen as a project rather than an ongoing task.
• Understaffing: A LACE "on the side" leads to overload and low impact.
• Lack of measurability: Without clear KPIs, LACE quickly loses its legitimacy.
• Loss of focus: LACE teams run the risk of getting lost in details or tool issues instead of driving business outcomes.
• Acceptance problems: LACE is perceived as a control mechanism if it does not act as an enabler.
Best practices from research and practice
• Long-term anchoring: Scientific studies on change management (e.g., Kotter, Senge) confirm the need for a permanent institution for sustainable transformation.
• Stakeholder alignment: Successful LACEs report close ties to HR, finance, and business, not just IT.
• Measurable outcomes: Successful LACE teams define "leading indicators" (e.g., time-to-market, engagement score, flow metrics).
• Community of practice: Build a network of change agents who support the LACE in a decentralized manner.
Role of CALADE
In practice, it has become apparent that many organizations need support in setting up and operating their LACE. Typical areas where CALADE can help:
• Advisory: Support in setting up, focusing, and prioritizing LACE tasks; selection of the appropriate LACE model (central, spoke, decentralized).
• Training: Empowering internal employees through SAFe training, coaching programs, and practical workshops.
• Experts: Temporary filling of roles that are difficult to build internally – such as portfolio experts for LPM, SPCs, RTEs, or STEs.
• Transparency & measurability: Introduction of key performance indicator systems to make the impact and progress of LACE visible.
• Community building: Support in establishing communities of practice so that LACE has a lasting impact on the organization.
All of this is done pragmatically, in partnership, and with the goal of anchoring LACE independently and effectively in the company for the long term.
Related terms
• Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
• Agile Release Train (ART)
• Inspect & Adapt (I&A) Workshop
• Transformation Roadmap
• SAFe Implementation Roadmap
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