Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe Agile is a relatively new practice that was founded to support the use of agile in larger organizations. It’s complicated, has many moving parts, and sometimes the lines are a little fuzzy, but for the organizations that it fits, it’s very worth it.
In this post, we are going to explain what SAFe Agile is, how it’s structured, and when you should use it. We will cover
- What is Agile?
- “Scaled” Frameworks
- What is SAFe Agile?
- The SAFe Principles
- The Core Values of SAFe Agile
- The Four Levels of SAFe Agile
- Benefits
- Drawbacks
- The Key Roles in SAFe Agile
- Project Management’s Role in SAFe Agile
Each of the above sections is explained in detail below.
What is Agile?
Before we jump into the deep end, we always like to review. And if you’re experiencing these concepts for the first time, you must have a baseline.
The agile methodology is a management structure based on the Agile Manifesto that was written in 2001 to give software developers some freedom from the rigid structures in traditional project management. It prioritized autonomy and creativity in the face of a system that lived for planning and structure.
At the time, it was revolutionary. And as more and more creative teams popped up, the use of the agile framework spread like wildfire. Most teams use the iterative approach to complete projects within set times and budgets.
Unlike traditional project management, agile project management allows teams to move freely within the market, making their projects and products more user-friendly and competitive in the marketplace. But, as with any system, it has its flaws.
First, it moves fast—like, really fast. There is no time to plan out the route because once hands shake, and a general direction is agreed upon, they are off to make it. As it was, there was no way to use agile on larger, longer projects because it would quickly turn wasteful. The team would just be pushing out results without cooperation or direction.
Second, agile was built for small teams, and large organizations rarely work anything from small teams. If we are honest, they simply can’t. Legal, sales, marketing, design, and production team members must be involved to ensure things move in the right direction for the company. That was almost impossible with Agile.
Let’s Talk About “Scaled” Frameworks
When you want to use a management system known for its flexibility, iterative processes, and lack of a schedule, but you really need all of those things, it can be hard to cope. Agile was never made for widespread usage. If anything, it was made for the opposite.
You see, aggressive levels of independence don’t jive well inside multinational companies. If anything, it just makes everything worse.
For example, most people prefer to use a system like Microsoft or Google Suite to support administrative processes inside a company. They may even use it for personal organization. Either way, these are great tools because each program works seamlessly with the next.
One great program is great, but if it can’t work with those used in tandem, how great is it, really?
The agile methodology is a wonderful system that enables innovation, quick turnarounds, and team support, but it’s not very useful when companies are trying to entwine working systems and programs to work better together.
That’s where SAFe steps in.
What is SAFe Agile?
The Scaled Agile Framework, or SAFe Agile, is a recently developed management structure that allows larger organizations to enjoy the benefits of the agile framework while maintaining control and structure needed to synergize multiple team efforts.
It allows these larger organizations to work on multiple projects simultaneously or simply complete larger projects that are more complicated than your usual agile structures. But we aren’t going to lie. This system is also far more complex than your typical agile structures.
The focus of this structure includes:
- Flexibility
- Continued Iterations
- Improving Established Programs
- Improvement, In General
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
The Scaled Agile Framework is extremely useful in software development and enterprise product management. It also allows you to have “extended timelines,” meaning you can fit this system over projects that last longer than a few months.
For this reason, it’s the preferred model of many popular mobile app companies that have to navigate large systems while attempting to improve the user experience.
SAFe vs. Scrum
You might wonder how other management systems work with SAFe Agile, but we’d like to spin that language to look more like working within them.
When using a system like SAFe Agile, there are so many teams that almost every off-shoot of agile project management is used in some capacity, such as
- Scrum
- KanBan
- Lean-Agile
One is not ignored for the sake of the other, often when you pit agile vs. waterfall. Scrum, for example, is used in smaller teams to allow for flexible development, creative planning, intuitive decision-making, and light overhead. It’s also wonderful about encouraging communication, but scrum is not a great way to run an organization.
It might even be the worst way.
That’s why scrum is used inside the structure of SAFe and on specific projects that warrant it.
The Original SAFe Principles
Systems are reliant on principles. In 2011, Deal Leffingwell introduced the idea of SAFe Agile and attached it to the following principles.
- Take An Economic View: Work to release outcomes early and reduce delays.
- Maintain A Lean-Agile Mindset: Establish a company culture that places the customer’s needs at the center of everything. Work to continuously improve, collaborate, and cultivate based on that central need.
- Lean On Systems Thinking: Look at the entire organization as if it is a system with interconnected and interdependent parts that work together towards a common goal. Attach that idea to the fact that each part can make decisions that can either support or impact the others.
- Monitor Variability: Rather than seeing change as something to avoid, be proactive by using sets of designs that can be narrowed down as time progresses.
- Work In Increments: Like stairs, lean on the previous step or stage. Learn from them as you go.
- Base Progress On Working Systems: Don’t use documentation or discussions to track progress, but rather use working systems. Also, use them to gather feedback from various stakeholders.
- Limit What’s In Progress: Use KanBan systems to reduce what is currently being worked on. Concentrate efforts on less to enjoy more completion. You can also reduce the size of batches and task queue lengths.
- Find A Rhythm: Use standard agile events (sprint planning, sprint reviews, sprint retrospectives, etc.) to develop a cadence of progress. Create regularity and routine where you can.
- Use Actual Motivation: You must pay people what they are worth, provide them with constructive feedback (not just demerits), and give them as much liberty over their work as possible. This does not mean dismissing project parameters and delivery requirements. It means working with them.
- Wide-Spread Involvement: Gently push leadership to make strategic decisions for the long run and allow team members to have a say, specifically time-critical ones.
- Use Value-Based Organization: Deliver customers value quickly and keep their values and needs in mind as you consider the next right move. This will enable you to react to changes with ease and speed.
- Keep Up The Flow: Kill bottlenecks where you can, continuously adjust for optimized efficiency, and maintain a consistent pace of progress. Support your team as often as possible. Use KanBan.
- Keep It Agile: Not only should the team be agile, but what your building should be, too. As often as possible, use cross-functional teams as they are extremely helpful in making impactful decisions that don’t have to wait for leadership.
- Built-In Quality: Quality assessments, reviews, and tests should be built into development processes rather than done in the end. We recommend attaching them to sprint reviews.
- Program Increment (PI) Planning: When you are looking at the landscape ahead and making major decisions, invite everyone possible into the same room to plan the next increment of work. Try to align the team’s efforts with everyone to allow progress towards the same goals.
Core Values of SAFe Agile
While it’s true that every system has principles, it’s also true that there are only a handful that people focus on. We call these the core values, and each concept has them. Some of those values include
- Alignment of intention and direction across many different divisions, departments, and teams
- Built-in quality assessments that ensure no one is working in the wrong direction
- Transparency by opening up processes, workflows, and the actual work up to be viewed by all different parties
- Collaborative leadership that allows the experts to do their job and gives management the structure to ensure goals are met
Because SAFe was built for larger organizations, it has to be content with higher stakes. There needs to be a level of planning, consideration, and care taken by these organizations, or else they can be bleeding resources in no time.
When we just had Agile, companies had a hard time using it in a way that supported their long-term goals. Now, they are able to enjoy reduced waste and more streamlined processes because the concept is so customizable to each organization’s unique situation.
Four Levels of SAFe
When you step back and look at how a company functions using SAFe Agile, you see that (currently) there are four different ways they use it. There are also certifications to match each level.
Essential SAFe
On the most basic level, SAFe is used by the team(s) to take advantage of the system’s benefits but does not require the entire organization to take the plunge. It’s used best in this setting with a max of three agile teams. It’s a safe, careful way to dip your toes into SAFe Agile.
Large Solutions SAFe
The more complicated the project, the beefier the management system, which means this one is for organizations with extensive and complicated projects. This system has value streams, solution backlogs, and architectural runways built in and is best used for companies with up to 10 teams, especially fast-growing businesses.
Portfolio SAFe
At the point where your organization even has a portfolio, you’ll need to be looking at this level of SAFe. It is all about merging investment and strategic goals with business goals. Now, you are at the point of large-scale prioritization with portfolio backlogs, KanBan, and management. This one is for you if your organization has multiple programs or projects.
Full SAFe
By far the most comprehensive, Fill SAFe is for massive organizations with many programs, portfolios, and projects, all of which are complicated. Multinational organizations also fall into this category.
Below is a visualization of the four levels of SAFe from Agilest.
Benefits of Using the Scaled Agile Framework
As you can see, if you are in the right spot, you’ll enjoy the heck out of this system. Large organizations with a lot going on can be, at the very least, very hectic. So, implementing some sort of structure to help you reach your goals and satisfy customers will feel like a relief.
Just a few of the benefits of using SAFe Agile include
- Enhanced collaboration between usually separate divisions, departments, and teams
- Better teamwork because the company goals are understood along with team, management, and stakeholder needs
- Improved efficiency due to the structure that allows teams to work out urgest issues without communication issues or waiting for management approval
- Higher productivity caused by streamlined work, feedback loops, and progress tracking
- Faster delivery as the team can adjust in real-time with the market and needs of the customer
- Increased innovation, which also means increased competitiveness in the marketplace
- Synchronization of business goals and objectives across the organization, which enables resources to be put in the right places
Scaled agile is amazing for organizations that need creativity and autonomy balanced with structure.
Drawbacks of the SAFe Setup
While each management system has benefits, there are also some drawbacks. SAFe agile is no exception, so this system won’t be an option for some organizations—even if you like the idea.
First, some teams will have a hard time coping with long-term planning. It’s understandable that some departments really need to make plans. While development doesn’t need time, marketing, sales, and legal might need a lot of it. Teams will need to adjust and, perhaps, find a compromise by planning through more than just the average 2-3 iterations out.
Another issue is that management overseeing Agile will have an almost abstract type of responsibility. It’s about guidance more than it’s about management. They’ll have to navigate their roles with more flexibly than they are used to.
On top of that, using SAFe agile means having more stakeholders involved than either traditional or waterfall project management and agile project management is used to. There are few with real authority, but you answer to more people. The buck doesn’t stop anywhere, which can be a challenge for people. Due to that lack of total control, you can see how it would be hard for both management and team members not to be annoyed.
SAFe Agile rides the fence between control needed by larger organizations and the “hands-off” approach that benefits these creative projects, but that is a hard balance to find. When an organization is trying to synchronize its deliveries, you have to include some level of planning, but that doesn’t fit the free flow of agile.
Lastly, a major challenge to SAFe Agile is allowing time for both innovation and planning. Sometimes, companies don’t include testing in their processes. Instead, they opt to hold a final iteration at the end of production to iron out all the kinds (which benefits the traditional side of SAFe much more than the Agile side). In recent years, fewer and fewer organizations are doing this.
The Key Roles in SAFe Agile
While SAFe Agile relies heavily on traditional and agile project management principles, it requires management and team members to hold different roles. Some of the key roles in SAFe Agile include the following.
- Agile Team(s)
- Scrum Master (SM)
- Project or Product Manager (PM)
- Lean Portfolio Manager
- Release Train Engineer (RTE)
- System Architect
- Product (or project) Owner
- Business Owner
Each of these roles is described below.
SAFe Agile Team – This tends to include members of many different teams and departments who are placed together to give the project or product the best chance of success. It’s everyone who is going to have their hands on the product or build it.
Scrum Master (SM) – This role is a coach or a guide to the SAFe Agile teams. They use scrum and agile principles to the best of their ability to make the team autonomous, innovative, and productive.
Project or Product Manager (PM) – This role bridges the business or strategic and development teams. They work to guarantee the features of the project/product, prioritizing customer, stakeholder, and business requirements. They need to understand and communicate each party’s expectations to the others.
Lean Portfolio Manager – Arching over all the projects an organization hosts are the programs and portfolios that carry them. This role ensures that each project inside the portfolio aligns with the organization’s goals. They make investment, capacity, and execution decisions that rely on lean-agile principles.
Release Train Engineer (RTE) – This role is responsible for facilitating Agile Release Trains (ART). They communicate the goals of the next increments or iterations of development teams and work to maintain cross-collaboration.
System Architect – This role provides oversight and leadership to technical teams to be sure that the system (or design) is protected and free of errors. There tend to be multiple system architects inside of an ART.
Product or Project Owner – This role works very closely with the project or program manager to make team-level or feature-level decisions. They also prioritize the backlog, choosing what will be worked on next. They also validate the value of the work delivered and provide feedback.
Business Owner – This role is a member of leadership that sits above the project/product manager. They help define customer requirements, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, and help centralize the main goals of the project. They namely align the organization’s objectives with the customer’s needs and expectations for the project.
A Note On Agile Release Trains (ART)
In SAFe Agile, an agile release train or ART is a large group made up of multiple agile teams that work together in a long-term capacity. It’s cross-function in nature and attempts to work toward a singular goal. They work on a fixed schedule within a collective vision and perform tasks from the same backlog.
Some principles of an ART include
- 12-week timeline
- Meet and perform in 2-week cycles
- Have a well-known and established cadence of performance
- Encourage innovation and planning
- Inspections of product whenever possible
- Adapt wherever necessary
These are extremely important in large organizations because they allow teams to work together rather than only inside their departments, which can lead them apart.
Project Management’s Role in SAFe Agile
As a project management blog, we couldn’t just skip over this part in good faith. You might have already guessed, but in SAFe agile, this role does not look the same as in other management styles. But we will try to make this as simple as we can.
When you watch a project manager work in a SAFe agile environment, you’ll notice that a huge part of their role is turning ideas into innovative solutions. They might also have a hand in breaking these “solutions” into more manageable iterations and tasks. They are also responsible for collaborating with many different people to ensure the agile team can move forward as needed.
They smooth out bumps to ensure development and delivery happen as planned—not so easy in SAFe agile.
SAFe Agile project managers act as a central source of information on the project, which means they also report to a wide variety of groups. You can understand their role in SAFe agile through the following five aspects.
- Exploring the market and understanding where competition fits into that landscape.
- Creating a clearly defined product vision and strategy forward.
- Curating, managing, and prioritizing the ART backlog for the team.
- Support the team by steering them toward success.
- Connecting with the customer and understanding what they need to ensure the best possible delivery of the product.
Who SAFe Agile Was Made For?
Clearly, there are those SAFe Agile will work miracles for and those who will find this system to be the devil himself. To best protect you and your team from wasting your time, let’s talk about who exactly this system was made for.
Generally, this management system is best for large operations with multiple large and complicated projects running at the same time. If these projects require the involvement of multiple teams that have to collaborate with a variety of groups inside and outside of the organization, you should think about implementing this system.
It’s also best for enterprise-level projects that must meet large organizations’ needs while benefiting from more creativity and flexibility inside their processes. Finally, you might consider using SAFe agile if you’ve struggled to get the whole organization on board with certain goals and objectives.
When You Shouldn’t Use SAFe Agile…
We wouldn’t even consider using this management system in the following settings.
- You have small, simple projects that equally small teams can complete.
- Your organization requires firm hierarchical structures to complete projects.
- Your organization has limited resources.
- Your organization benefits from using traditional project management more than it benefits from using agile project management.
- Your organization works in a highly regulated environment and must continue to do so.
You should feel free to try implementing agile project management in the little gaps where it makes sense, but generally speaking, we don’t recommend you switch if you fit even one of the above criteria.
Pushing The Envelope With SAFe Agile
Sometimes, you need to test out your wings and try on a different management system. And, for some organizations, we could not recommend SAFe Agile enough. It balances the best of what agile offers with the stability of traditional project management.
It provides a level of control that you just can’t get with Agile or Scrum alone.
If you want to try this management system, remember that you can always implement it on a team level before you overhaul your whole organization. Just like a dress—it has to fit you, not the other way around.
Let New Ideas Find You
Here at A.McBeth, Inc., we know it’s better to open our thinking caps, receive new ideas, and use them occasionally than act like we know everything. Project management is pretty uncomfortable with that attitude, so we are offering up new (and old) ideas all month long, so sign up to be notified the next time one pops up. You won’t want to miss it!
