Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Developed by Simon Widmer

The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a framework that helps corporations to adopt the principles of lean and agile project management into a comprehensive operating system allowing large-scale program management for corporations of any size. SAFe combines the power of four bodies of knowledge: Agile development, systems thinking, lean product development, and DevOps. This allows corporations to benefit from cutting down the delivery time of innovative, high-value products and services while increasing predictability and quality. Overall, the most common benefits for corporations implementing SAFe can be quantified as :

• 20 – 50% increase in productivity
• 25 – 75% improvements in quality
• 30 – 75% faster time-to-market
• 10 – 50% increase in employee engagement and job satisfaction

SAFe follows a set of seven core competencies for lean enterprise practices as well as 10 lean-agile principles. Further, the SAFe framework consists of four configurations and is scalable depending on a corporation’s needs, and promotes alignment, collaboration, and delivery across teams of any size working in an agile environment. Further, this article describes a 12-step SAFe implementation roadmap.

SAFe is freely available and developed by Scaled Agile, Inc. The framework was first released in 2011 and since then continuously developed. The current version 5.1 was released in February 2021. Although recognized as the most commonly implemented framework for scaled agile methods in corporations, the SAFe framework shows several limitations which are further outlined below.

This topic has been touched by previous articles such as SAFe and (Re)Introducing Project Management in a SAFe world. This article offers a more generic overview updated to the most recent release of SAFe 5.1 while emphasizing limitations faced by corporations working with the Scaled Agile Framework.

Core Competencies of SAFe

The latest Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe 5) consists of seven key competencies that are crucial in creating and maintaining a competitive advantage for any corporation :

1. Lean-Agile Leadership

   Enabling individuals and teams to leverage their highest potential by advancing and applying Lean-Agile leadership skills which advance and sustain organizational change.

2. Team and Technical Agility

   Empowering agile behavior within teams including technical practices such as Built-in Quality, Behavior-Driven Development (BDD), Agile testing, Test-Driven Development (TDD).

3. Agile Product Delivery

   “Building high-performing teams-of-teams” with the help of design thinking, customer-centricity allowing a continuous flow of valuable products by applying methods such as DevOps, the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, and Release on Demand.

4. Enterprise Solution Delivery

   Developing and sustaining large-scale software applications, networks, and cyber-physical solutions.

5. Lean Portfolio Management

   Spearheading lean portfolio management tasks such as the definition of vision and strategy, lean budgets as well as portfolio prioritization and road mapping.

6. Organizational Agility

   Applying lean and systems thinking methodologies to align strategy and execution for strategy and investment funding, Agile portfolio operations, and governance.

7. Continuous Learning Culture

   Create and sustain a learning organization aimed at continuous improvement and innovation.

Combining some of these seven core competencies provide the building blocks for the four available configurations of SAFe as described in SAFe Configurations:

SAFe Lean-Agile Principles

The following 10 Lean-Agile principles guide practitioners for successful SAFe :

1. Take an economic view

   SAFe aims to deliver the best value and quality in the shortest sustainable lead time required. This requires a framework that incrementally delivers value within a proper economic framework. This is enabled by decentralized decision-making to manage trade-offs between risk, Cost of Delay (CoD), manufacturing, operational, and development costs. Additionally, an approved budget and compliance to guardrails must be managed for every development value stream.

2. Apply systems thinking

   The importance to ensure that the larger aim of the system is understood by everyone is emphasized. This aims to minimize the risk of locally optimizing components within a complex system while the overall goal of the system may shift out of focus. This systems thinking approach promotes transparency and clarity of the mission for all involved stakeholders.

3. Assume variability; preserve options

   SAFe aims to maintain multiple requirements and design options for a longer period in the development cycle allowing potential changes of priorities later on. Additionally, empirical data analysis is applied to determine the optimal design and life cycle practice according to the optimal economic outcome. In contrast to traditional design and life cycle practices, this leaves room for potential changing priorities in a later stage of the project while avoiding excessive time-consuming adjustments and suboptimal long-term design in the early stages.

4. Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles

   Incrementally developed solutions in short iterations allow for quick customer feedback loops, minimized risk, and continuously add value for the customer. As the "system always runs", incremental developments serve as prototypes, for market testing and product validation or to help identify the need to pivot.

5. Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems

   Following Lean-Agile development practices, the solution is evaluated throughout the development life cycle by integration points. These regular evaluations ensure that the developed solution provides the targeted (financial) return at the end of the project. This deviates from a more classic phase-gate-development model.

6. Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths

   A key principle of lean enterprises ensures a state of continuous flow ensuring new systems to quickly move "from concept to cash". In order to enable continuous flow, it is crucial to visualize and limit the work in process (WIP) to increase throughput and limit capacity issues. Additionally, it is recommended to reduce the batch size to smaller pieces. Finally, the queue length is to be managed to reduce waiting time for new features.

7. Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning

   Cadence enables a synchronized rhythm for the development process and increases the overall project predictability. Synchronization supports multiple perspectives to be understood, solved and integrated simultaneously leading to an efficient development atmosphere.

8. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

   Lean-Agile leaders aim to leverage the intrinsic motivation of employees leading to better outcomes for individuals, customers, and the corporation. This is enabled by fostering an atmosphere of autonomy and purpose, minimizing constraints, mutual influence, and better understanding the role of compensation. This is in contrast to the classical approach assuming that employee engagement is primarily driven by an individual's level of compensation.

9. Decentralize decision-making

   While fast value delivery requires decentralized decision-making within the development team, some strategic and global, and economically impactful decisions justify more centralized decision-making by managers. In order to empower employees and ensure a continuous flow of value, it is crucial to create a decision-framework balancing between centralized and decentralized decision-making.

10. Organize around value

    Business Agility requires that organizations are formed to maximize value creation and minimize delivery time. This also requires the ability for quick and seamless reorganization when customer demands change. The classical approach of organizing corporations around functional expertise is outdated and does not sufficiently support the value creation and speed needed to operate in competitive markets.

SAFe Configurations

SAFe is a scaleable framework and provides four out-of-the-box configurations depending on the needs of an organization's development environment based on a combination of the seven SAFe core competencies. The configurations are described in more detail in the following subsection :

1. Essential SAFe

   This configuration builds the starting point for all SAFe configurations providing the most simple starting point for implementation. Essential SAFe includes the first three of seven core competencies of SAFe including Lean-Agile Leadership, Team and Technical Agility, and Agile Product Delivery competencies. A crucial organizational structure builds the Agile Release Train (ART), which makes sure that Agile teams and key stakeholders are streamlined to deliver the targeted solution mission.

2. Large Solution SAFe

   Building on top of Essential SAFe, this configuration is intended for more complex and large-scale projects by including the fourth SAFe core competency Enterprise Solution Delivery on top of the Essential SAFe configuration. This may include coordination and synchronization across multiple programs and teams. Large Solution SAFe is not developed to consider any portfolio management considerations. Examples may include large projects as typically found in industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, and government industries, which focus on large solutions but not portfolio governance.

3. Portfolio SAFe

   Portfolio SAFe is designed for managing strategic direction, investment funding, and lean governance of projects. These competencies are covered by adding two additional SAFe core competencies including Organizational Agility and Lean Portfolio Management on top of the Essential SAFe framework.

4. Full SAFe

   The last configuration combines all the above described SAFe configurations. This framework is the most complex configuration and typically allows the largest corporations by combining the strengths of all seven core competencies of SAFe.

Implementation Roadmap

The following 12-step implementation roadmap provides a comprehensive guideline for implementing SAFe :

1. Reaching the Tipping Point

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2. Train Lean-Agile Change Agents

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3. Train Executives, Managers, and Leaders

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4. Create a Lean-Agile Center of Excellence

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5. Identify Value Streams and ARTs

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6. Create the Implementation Plan

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7. Prepare for ART Launch

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8. Coach ART Execution

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9. Launch More ARTs and Value Streams

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10. Extend to the Portfolio

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11. Accelerate

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Limitations

Critically discuss 3-5 examples on limitations of SAFe

References

© Scaled Agile Framework and SAFe are registered trademarks of Scaled Agile, Inc.