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 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.

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 in section XX.

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.

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. 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. This is in contrast to traditional design and life cycle practices which encourage defining a single design and life cycle practice early in the development process.

4. Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles

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5. Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems

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

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7. Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning

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8. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

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9. Decentralize decision-making

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10. Organize around value

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SAFe Configurations

Describe the 4 available SAFe configurations

Implementation Roadmap

Describe the 10 steps of the implementation roadmap

Limitations

Critically discuss 3-5 examples on limitations of SAFe

References

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