Validating Investment Opportunities Competency

Why
Learning
Applying
Mastering
Example
Next Steps

Business Problem 


We often make investment decisions based on unvalidated assumptions, leading to wasted resources and delayed or unrealized value leading to diminished competitive advantage.

Business Outcomes

  • Reduce waste from unvalidated investments.
  • Increased innovation through rapid experimentation.
  • Improved strategic alignment and prioritization.
  • Enhanced customer satisfaction and product-market fit.

Why is the Validating Investment Opportunities Competency important?

A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) in SAFe is a small, functional version of a solution designed to test a hypothesis with real customers. By applying a Build-Measure-Learn cycle, Portfolios treat Epics as hypothesis-driven investments, using rapid experimentation to validate assumptions and align with real customer needs. Adopting this method helps reduce waste, de-risk innovation, and accelerate value delivery by preventing unvalidated initiatives from consuming resources. It emphasizes data-driven decision-making, ensuring smarter investment choices and fewer costly failures.

Ultimately, focusing on Epic MVPs promotes a culture of continuous learning and adaptation, breaking down large strategic goals into manageable, iterative steps. This leads to a more Agile, resilient organization better equipped to respond to change and deliver consistent results.

Which roles would benefit from mastering the Validating Investment Opportunities Competency?

This competency should be mastered by the roles that define Epics and their associated MVPs, and those that make ongoing investment decisions. This includes Epic Owners, Business Owners, Portfolio Leadership, Product Management, and VMO members.