Scaled Agile Framework

Scaled Agile Framework

🔥 The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a comprehensive methodology designed to help large organizations scale up and implement agile practices across multiple teams and departments at an enterprise scale. It was initially coined by software systems development methodologist Dean Leffingwell in 2011.

Core Components of the Scaled Agile Framework

The following are the core components of SAFe, working together to create a cohesive framework to scale up agility across large enterprises:

Agile Release Train (ART):
The ART is the heartbeat of SAFe. It’s a long-lived, cross-functional team that delivers value incrementally. They follow a fixed cadence, typically 8-12 weeks, known as a Program Increment (PI).
Program Increment (PI):
The PI is a timebox during which an ART delivers a set of features. It provides a structured rhythm for planning, execution, and review, involving all ART members, stakeholders, and product owners.
Value Streams:
A value stream represents the steps required to deliver a specific solution or product. It includes all the people, processes, and tools involved in creating value for the customer.
Agile Leadership:
Lean-Agile leaders empower teams, remove impediments, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. They focus on outcomes, not just outputs.
Continuous Delivery Pipeline:
The pipeline ensures a smooth flow from idea to implementation through automation and collaboration. It includes continuous exploration, integration, deployment, and release on demand.
Epics, Features, and User Stories:
Epics represent large initiatives or themes; features are smaller, customer-centric functionalities; user stories break down features into actionable units of work.
Architectural Runway:
The architectural runway supports future features and enablers. It ensures that the system architecture evolves in sync with business needs and that technical debt is addressed regularly.
DevOps and Release on Demand:
SAFe emphasizes DevOps practices for faster, reliable releases; teams aim for Release on Demand, which allows them to deploy at any time. Automation, testing, and collaboration are essential for both.
Metrics and Inspect & Adapt (I&A):
SAFe encourages data-driven decision-making, Metrics like velocity, lead time, and quality help teams assess performance; I&A workshops occur at the end of each PI for teams to reflect, learn, and improve.
Communities of Practice (CoPs):
CoPs foster knowledge sharing, best practices, and learning. They cut across ARTs and provide a platform for expertise exchange often with focus on areas like architecture, testing, or user experience.

4 Configurations of the Scaled Agile Framework

SAFe offers four configurations to accommodate different levels of scale and complexity within an organization:
4 configurations

Essential SAFe:
• This configuration provides the minimal elements necessary for Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to deliver solutions. It serves as the simplest starting point for SAFe implementation. Essential SAFe focuses on core practices, roles, and ceremonies to enable value delivery at the team and program levels.
• Key roles:
- Scrum Master: Facilitates team processes and removes impediments.
- Product Owner: Represents the customer and prioritizes the backlog.
- Development Team Members: Collaborate to deliver value.
- System Architect/Engineer: Ensures technical excellence.
Large Solution SAFe:
• Large Solution SAFe is designed for enterprises working on large and complex solutions. It allows for coordination and synchronization across multiple ARTs. It’s ideal for organizations with intricate solution architectures and interdependent programs.
• Key roles:
- Solution Train Engineer (STE): Facilitates ARTs and ensures alignment.
- Solution Architect/Engineer: Guides solution design.
- Release Train Engineers (RTEs): Coordinate ARTs and manage dependencies.
- Business Owners: Define value and priorities.
Portfolio SAFe:
• Portfolio SAFe addresses concerns related to strategic direction, investment funding, and Lean governance. It provides a structured approach to managing the organization’s portfolio of initiatives by prioritizing and funding value streams, epics, and features to align business strategies with execution.
• Key roles:
- Portfolio Manager: Aligns strategy with execution.
- Epic Owners: Define and prioritize epics.
- Lean Portfolio Management (LPM): Manages funding and investment.
- Enterprise Architect: Ensures architectural alignment.
Full SAFe (aka Extended SAFe Guidance):
• Full SAFe combines the other three levels (Essential, Large Solution, and Portfolio) and extends the SAFe body of knowledge beyond the core framework. Full SAFe includes additional guidance on topics such as accelerating flow, agile contracts, applying Kanban, and more.
• Key roles include Agile Coaches, Value Stream Engineers, and Kanban Methodologists, who provide specialized guidance for specific contexts and challenges.

In short, SAFe provides a structured and scalable approach to implementing agile practices across large enterprises, helping them to improve time-to-market, enhance customer satisfaction, and deliver more value with increased efficiency. 22-4-2024

Comments by date▼

Comments by rating

Rating

Hong Sun
Management Consultant, Canada

Core Competences of SAFe

7 Core Competences of the Scaled Agile Framework

The seven competencies are the primary lens for understanding and implementing SAFe. They enable business agility and drive significant benefits for both organizations and individuals.
7 core competences

Lean-Agile Leadership:
Lean-Agile leaders play a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s agility. They inspire adoption of Agile practices, empower teams, remove impediments, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
Team and Technical Agility:
The goal is to enhance team capabilities and technical skills. Teams continuously improve their processes, tools, and practices with technical excellence to ensure high-quality solutions and faster delivery.
Agile Product Delivery:
It’s about delivering the right product at the right time. Teams collaborate to create valuable features and enhancements, and deliver customer value through fast, integrated delivery cycles in response to changing market needs.
Enterprise Solution Delivery:
The focus is on end-to-end value delivery across the enterprise with large-scale, complex solutions. It requires perfect coordination among multiple ARTs (Agile Release Trains) and suppliers to ensure alignment, quality, and timely delivery of integrated solutions.
Lean Portfolio Management:
The goal is to align strategy and execution. It involves prioritizing value streams, epics, features, and balancing capacity, demand, investment to ensure that the right initiatives are adequately funded and timely delivered.
Organizational Agility:
It aims to encourage risk-taking, creativity, and continuous learning, and to create an environment that fosters collaboration, innovation, and relentless improvement. It requires the organization to shift from a traditional, functional structure to organizing around value streams.
Continuous Learning Culture:
It’s about a growth mindset which deems learning as an integral part of the organization’s DNA. Such a culture encourages teams and individuals to embrace continuous learning through constant experimentation and adaptation.

29-4-2024