Overview

In SAFe, a Stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that has an interest in the solution being developed. Stakeholders represent the voices of customers, business owners, end-users, and other parties who depend on the solution for value. Engaging stakeholders early and often ensures alignment and trust throughout the Agile Release Train (ART).

Key Stakeholder Roles

• Business Owners – accountable for business outcomes and guiding value delivery
• Customers & Users – provide feedback, validate solutions, and define value
• Enterprise Executives – ensure strategy alignment and funding
• Compliance & Governance – safeguard regulatory and policy adherence
• Suppliers & Partners – contribute capabilities or integrations essential to the solution

Engagement in SAFe

Stakeholders are actively engaged in key SAFe events, such as:

• PI Planning – where they help define objectives and set priorities
• System Demos – to inspect progress and provide direct feedback
• Inspect & Adapt – ensuring continuous improvement and alignment

Objectives

• Ensure alignment between business strategy and ART execution
• Promote transparency and trust across teams and leadership
• Gather and incorporate customer and user feedback
• Support Lean Portfolio Management with informed investment decisions

Related SAFe Practices

Stakeholder engagement is tightly connected to practices such as Customer Centricity, Design Thinking, and Lean Portfolio Management. Their input ensures that the flow of value is guided by real business needs and delivers measurable outcomes.