Scaled Agile Framework

What is the scaled agile framework?

The scaled agile framework (or SAFe) is a group of organization and workflow patterns that guide businesses in scaling lean and agile practices. SAFe is one of the growing numbers of frameworks that aim to address the issues of scaling beyond a single team, along with Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS) and disciplined agile delivery (DAD). 

SAFe encourages coordination, cooperation, and delivery among numerous agile teams. This method draws on three key knowledge sets: agile software development, lean product development, and systems thinking. Many organizations use project management software to adopt agile methodologies of software development.

The scaled agile framework helps organizations to remain relevant in the rapidly changing world. It allows businesses to increase the quality, production, and collaboration of agile team members. Using SAFe, large businesses can achieve their main objectives and produce quality results. 

Benefits of scaled agile frameworks

The scaled agile methodology helps organizations increase reach and execute large, complex projects. This framework offers broad knowledge and experience, benefiting the team and business. 

• Improved quality: SAFe offers good quality practices that help organizations stay relevant. It improves the quality of services provided to customers, ensuring longevity, duration, and performance.
• Better productivity: SAFe means greater output from the same amount of input. The scaled agile framework helps organizations foster team collaboration and efficient teamwork. It enables businesses to comprehend the product plan and carry it out effectively, enhancing output. 
• Transparency: SAFe breaks down traditional silos of development and operations, facilitating cross-functional processes. Team members can share their ideas and knowledge openly.
• Short time to market: By utilizing the scaled agile framework, businesses can quickly provide clients with essential services. Companies that adopt SAFe make quicker decisions about customer needs. 
• Alignment: The scaled agile framework aligns business practices at all levels of the corporate hierarchy involved in solution development. It ensures both top management and agile team members are on the same grounds of goal and vision.
• Better customer engagement:  SAFe aids the company in fulfilling customer requirements. Customers participate in planning the organization's growth by sending their opinions and recommendations regarding prior services. The company can then identify areas for improvement from consumer reviews and feedback.

Scaled agile framework principles

SAFe principles help organizations make decisions at every level of operation. Below are the principles that allow for better business methodologies.

• Adopt an economic perspective. Delays and failures are not avoidable. Industries experience economic shifts that happen suddenly. SAFe mandates developers take time and prioritize quality above quantity. It also suggests forming specialized teams and divisions prepared for financial losses.
• Apply systems thinking to use. Viewing things in isolation can work for a small organization, but as it expands, a systems thinking paradigm should emerge to enable members of the software development team to get perspective on current problems, deadlines, and customer experiences.
• Consider variations. Anything can happen at any time in the world of software development. Introducing a set-based design lets developers organize their time and set objectives for themselves and the entire team. This kind of timeline permits accuracy because the team has more time and freedom to make necessary revisions.
• Build iteratively using quick, integrated learning cycles. Every day, developers learn something new. Keeping this in mind, informing them of progress and any other relevant details is crucial. Incorporating checkpoints into learning and teaching schedules keeps developers updated.
• Base milestones on unbiased assessments of operational systems. Anything used in one business can frequently serve as a good model for other companies. Stakeholders and parent firms are great sources to investigate assistance in particular development areas.
• Set objectives, teams, and acceptable timeframes. Limiting the required output and longer development cycles helps struggling development teams. 
• Synchronize with cross-domain planning and use cadence. A strong development team can switch between brief bursts of reliable output and cyclical procedures. Teams should feel like they’re part of a larger machine by allowing these different forms of workflow to balance each other out, which boosts efficiency.
• Unlock knowledge workers' intrinsic motivation. Teams can operate effectively if leaders are willing to teach people how to lead themselves and pick up new skills. However, for this to happen, leadership must have far more flexibility and less restrictive needs and expectations.
• Distribute decision-making. It’s better to allow teams to develop ideas and projects than to rely solely on one person. Because of this, a fundamental notion of SAFe is to avoid limiting the flow of ideas to a single source.

Why use the scaled agile framework

A scaled agile framework allows team members to take a decisive flow in their work. As its focus is on team-based structures and a comfortable workspace, where everyone’s ideas are heard. This builds content and efficient teams that are prepared to overcome whatever challenges they may encounter. 

However, success depends on transparency and information transfer among different teams and their leaders.  

Scaled agile framework use cases

SAFe can be used: 

• When a team wants to apply an agile methodology consistently to bigger, multi-team programs and portfolios.
• When numerous teams are implementing agile in their own ways, but frequently run into problems, delays, and failures.
• When groups want to operate on their own.
• When someone wishes to share agile throughout the company, but is still determining what new roles are required or how to modify existing ones.
• When trying to grow agile throughout the organization and encountering resistance from leadership.
• When a company needs to reduce the lead time for product development.

Scaled agile framework vs. Scrum

SAFe and scrum methodology differ based on the environment and objectives for implementing agile principles.

Scrum breaks a project into manageable chunks that are then completed by more compact cross-functional teams within a predetermined time. It’s an iterative development method that emphasizes constant delivery speed and relies on cross-functional teams, specialized supporting duties, and several rituals to complete the project's delivery. 

Scrum is primarily founded on process organization, management, and optimization. A scrum master is in charge of directing a particular sprint task. The product owner is the person in charge of organizing, coordinating, and executing corporate communications. 

The scaled agile framework impacts the team and the entire organization. Contrary to how scrum performs, SAFe enables larger teams to work together on the same project and adapts scrum to operate with larger enterprises. Portfolio, program, and team are the three organizational tiers that SAFe describes. 

This structure is often used in large enterprises due to its layered approach to work delivery. It emphasizes release preparation and retrospection more than scrum to make improvements.

Learn more about how scrum masters ensure smooth scrum processes in agile organizations.