Stage 2: Customer
The Customer stage aligns the team around real customer needs.
Stage 2: CUSTOMER — End-of-Stage Checklist
By the end of this stage, the team should have:
A shared hypothesis of who the customer is and what they need.
3–5 real customers identified and interviewed.
Interviews that reveal personas, pain points, KPIs, and ways to gather feedback.
A clear Customer Persona built from real data.
A backlog of pain points and challenges derived from the interviews.
A defined method for collecting and measuring customer insights.
A recurring feedback loop in place with real customers.
The team’s purpose validated or updated based on customer insights.
Roles and responsibilities adjusted according to what was learned.
Team
Roles are premature and work is isolated. → Validate the team’s purpose using real customer insights.
Leverage the output from the Team Purpose Workshop.
Delivery
Work lacks customer validation. → Identify who the customer is and what they truly need.
Build Customer Personas and establish a Feedback Loop.
Leadership
Time is spent gathering work for the team. → Provide direct customer access.
Processes & Templates (P&T)
There’s need for more structure. → Keep processes simple and add customer-focused templates.
Use PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) as the meeting rhythm.
Utilize the Customer Persona template and set up a Feedback Loop.
SAFe-Specific Guidance
In SAFe features and user stories roll up to epics.
Don’t assume epics reflect real customer needs.
Teams must validate assigned work directly with customers.