Scaled Agile Framework

DISCLAIMER: I am not SAFe-certified. However, as an Agile enthusiast with a keen interest in scaling systems and organizations, I have delved into SAFe and found it to be a valuable framework for learning and understanding how to scale effectively.

Introduction

Agile methodologies have become increasingly popular in the software development industry, primarily because they promote collaboration, adaptability, and faster delivery of value. However, as organizations grow larger and more complex, the limitations of Agile become more apparent. Scaling Agile practices across multiple teams, departments, and entire enterprises poses unique challenges. To address these challenges, several frameworks have emerged, such as (S@S) Scrum@Scale, LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum), Nexus, and Disciplined Agile Delivery. Among these frameworks, the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) stands out as one of the most versatile and widely adopted approaches.

While it is impossible to cover all aspects of SAFe in a single article, this is an opportune moment to introduce SAFe and provide an overview of the latest version, SAFe v6.0, which was recently announced in March 2023. In the following sections, we will explore the key concepts of SAFe and highlights of SAFe v6.0, offering a glimpse into the comprehensive approach it takes to scaling Agile practices and effectively managing large-scale development efforts.

What is SAFe?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is designed to scale Agile practices, not replace them. Introduced in 2011, SAFe serves as a comprehensive knowledge base of proven principles, practices, and competencies for achieving business agility. It combines Lean, Agile, and DevOps methodologies to provide organizations with guidance on how to grow and effectively respond to change.

SAFe has become the leading framework for business agility worldwide. One of its key strengths is its configurability and scalability, allowing organizations to adapt the framework to their specific business needs. SAFe supports a broad range of solutions, accommodating both small-scale projects with a few teams and large-scale endeavours that involve hundreds or even thousands of individuals working together to deliver complex systems.

Why SAFe?

The 16th Annual State of Agile Report - Dec 2022

While other frameworks also address the scaling issue, I personally found SAFe is the best framework mainly because of these reasons:

1. SAFe is a comprehensive framework. It provides guidance on all aspects of scaling agile, from team-level practices to portfolio vision & strategies.
2. SAFe is flexible and adaptable. It can be customized to fit the specific needs of your organization.
3. SAFe is the most widely adopted agile scaling framework. This means that there is a large community of users and practitioners who can provide support and guidance. There are also many training and certification programs available for SAFe.

SAFe Fundamentals

At the core of SAFe, particularly in SAFe v6.0, lies the principle of Business Agility with a strong focus on customer centricity. This means that organizations adopting SAFe aim to be highly responsive to market changes and customer needs, placing the customer at the centre of their decision-making processes. By prioritizing Business Agility, organizations can effectively adapt their strategies, products, and services to meet evolving customer demands and stay ahead in the competitive landscape

The illustration provided outlines the seven core competencies crucial for achieving business agility, all with a customer-centric focus. These competencies equip enterprises with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to drive success:

1. Team and Technical Agility: Emphasizes the significance of high-performing teams capable of delivering top-quality solutions. This involves promoting cross-functional collaboration, continuously improving technical skills, and adopting Agile engineering practices.

2. Agile Product Delivery: Concentrates on swiftly and reliably delivering value to customers. It entails applying Lean-Agile principles to prioritize, plan, and execute work, while continuously validating and adapting the product based on customer feedback.

3. Enterprise Solution Delivery: Addresses the challenges of delivering large and complex solutions. This competency involves coordinating and integrating multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs), ensuring alignment across teams, and enabling efficient solution development and deployment.

4. Lean Portfolio Management: Aims to align strategy and execution to optimize the flow of value. This entails applying Lean principles to prioritize and fund initiatives, establishing governance and decision-making processes, and measuring business outcomes.

5. Organizational Agility: Focuses on creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement. It involves developing a learning organization, fostering innovation, and cultivating a culture that embraces change and adapts to market dynamics.

6. Continuous Learning Culture: Highlights the importance of learning and improving at all levels of the organization. This competency promotes a culture of knowledge sharing, provides opportunities for personal and professional growth, and encourages experimentation and learning from failures.

7. Lean-Agile Leadership: Serves as the foundation for driving and sustaining organizational agility. This competency focuses on developing effective leaders who foster a Lean-Agile mindset, lead by example, and champion the adoption of SAFe principles and practices with empowerment and trust.

SAFe Configurations

The SAFe framework has 4 configurations as the combination of 4 levels: Team, ART (aka. Program in previous versions), Solution and Portfolio whereas Team and ART levels are mandatory:

SAFe Core Values

1. Alignment: SAFe emphasizes the value of alignment, which means ensuring that everyone in the organization is working towards a common purpose. This value promotes collaboration, coordination, and shared understanding across teams, departments, and stakeholders. Alignment enables organizations to minimize waste, reduce conflicts, and achieve their strategic objectives more effectively.

2. Transparency: SAFe emphasizes the importance of transparency in fostering trust and enabling effective decision-making. This value encourages organizations to create an environment where information is shared openly and is easily accessible to everyone. Transparency helps teams and individuals understand the context of their work, facilitates collaboration, and enables timely feedback and continuous improvement.

3. Respect for People: SAFe values respect for people, recognizing that individuals are the most important asset in any organization. This value emphasizes creating a supportive and inclusive work environment where people feel valued, empowered, and encouraged to contribute their best. Respect for people involves active listening, acknowledging diverse perspectives, promoting psychological safety, and fostering a culture of trust and mutual respect.

4. Relentless Improvement: SAFe promotes a culture of relentless improvement, where organizations continuously strive to enhance their processes, practices, and outcomes. This value encourages a mindset of experimentation, learning, and adaptation. It emphasizes the importance of retrospectives, feedback loops, and continuous learning to identify areas for improvement, implement changes, and drive innovation. Relentless improvement enables organizations to stay competitive, respond to changing market dynamics, and deliver increasing value to customers.

And many more

This article serves as a brief introduction to SAFe and its core competencies, offering just a glimpse into the vast and comprehensive framework. It’s important to acknowledge that SAFe goes far beyond what we have covered here, with numerous layers and intricacies to explore. Nonetheless, my intention is that this article has provided you with a solid initial understanding of the framework.

As you continue your journey of scaling Agile, I encourage you to delve deeper, uncovering the many nuances and possibilities this framework may offer to your organization. Remember that learning and adapting SAFe to your specific context is key to reaping its full benefits. Embrace the framework as a tool to navigate the complexities of large-scale projects and foster collaboration, continuously seeking improvement and growth.

Embracing SAFe as the fundamental guideline for scaling Agile practices can empower your organization to navigate the complexities of large-scale projects, foster collaboration, and deliver value to customers more effectively. So, keep exploring, learning, and leveraging the power of different scaling frameworks to drive success in your Agile journey.