SAFe

Developed by Anna Shevchenko

Agile methods of project management are becoming increasingly popular even outside their origins as methods to organize software development teams. While these methods cover the project management aspect, they do not provide guidance as to how to manage programs as a whole, and due to the particularities of agile project management, special methods of program management have been developed to handle project teams using an agile methodology. SAFe is one such method of Program Management focusing on synchronizing agile project teams while also following Lean principles ie. trying to deliver a maximum of value to the customer in the shortest sustainable lead time.

This article's purpose is to explain the SAFe methodology, its concept and its application in order to manage Programs composed of projects following Agile methods.

The SAFe method is articulated around four core values:

• Alignment of management and teams to a common mission,

• Built-in quality practices,

• Transparency,

• Program execution.

In order to pursue these values, SAFe organizes teams in stable teams of teams in the form of one or several Agile Release Train (ART). An ART is a networked organizational structure which relies on decentralized decision making for faster response times and higher reactivity.

SAFe is designed for scalability and is capable of supporting smaller scale programs involving less than a hundred team members as well as complex programs involving thousands of people. It is available in four different configurations depending on the needs of the user:

• Essential SAFe, the basic version of SAFe upon which the other configurations build on;

• Portfolio SAFe to apply the SAFe methodology to Portfolio Management;

• Large Solution SAFe for complex solutions that involve multiple ARTs but do not need to consider Portfolio management;

• Full SAFe that is meant to apply the SAFe methodology at every level.

Bibliography

SAFe® 4.5 Introduction: Overview of the Scaled Agile Framework® for Lean Enterprises, Scaled Agile, Inc., August 2017