Artem Grinakin
What is Scale Agile Framework (SAFe)?
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a framework for scaling agile practices to large organizations. It provides guidance on how to align multiple agile teams and enable them to work together effectively in a larger organizational context.
The goal of SAFe is to help organizations deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization.
SAFe is based on the principles of the Agile Manifesto and Lean thinking, and it includes practices, roles, and principles that help organizations implement agile at scale.
The Lean-Agile principles
These principles guide the development of agile practices and strategies in organizations that adopt SAFe, and are intended to help teams deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently.
Agile Release Train (ART)
Agile Release Train is a group of agile teams that work together to deliver value to customers. The ART follows a cadence of regularly scheduled planning, execution, and review meetings, known as "Iterations" or "Sprints." The goal of an ART is to coordinate the work of multiple agile teams and enable them to deliver value to customers in a predictable and consistent manner.
ARTs are a key feature of SAFe, and they are designed to help organizations scale agile practices to large, complex projects. Each ART is composed of multiple agile teams that work together to deliver a potentially releasable increment of value to customers every Iteration. The ART also includes a number of supporting roles, such as a Release Train Engineer (RTE) who is responsible for facilitating the ART's planning and execution, and a Product Manager who is responsible for defining and prioritizing the work to be done by the ART.
The goal of an ART is to enable organizations to deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization.
Lean Portfolio Management
Lean Portfolio Management is a method for aligning strategy, investment, and execution at the portfolio level. It is based on Lean principles, which focus on maximizing value and minimizing waste. In the context of the Scaled Agile Framework, Lean Portfolio Management involves setting clear goals and objectives for the portfolio, identifying and prioritizing value streams, and aligning resources to deliver value to customers.
Lean Portfolio Management involves defining a vision for the portfolio and setting clear strategic objectives that align with the overall mission of the organization. It also involves identifying the value streams that will help the organization achieve its strategic objectives, and prioritizing these value streams based on their potential impact and feasibility. Once the value streams have been identified and prioritized, resources are aligned to deliver value to customers in a consistent and predictable manner.
The goal of Lean Portfolio Management is to help organizations deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization. It is a key feature of SAFe and is intended to help organizations scale agile practices to large, complex projects.
Lean-Agile Leaders
Lean-Agile Leaders are individuals who are responsible for driving the adoption of Lean-Agile principles and practices within an organization. In the context of the Scaled Agile Framework, Lean-Agile Leaders are responsible for creating a culture of continuous improvement and enabling teams to deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently.
They can be found at all levels of the organization, from executives and managers to team leaders. They are responsible for leading by example and embodying the principles and values of Lean-Agile thinking. This includes encouraging collaboration and self-organization, continuously improving processes, and focusing on delivering value to customers.
Lean-Agile Leaders are also responsible for promoting a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, and for supporting teams in their efforts to continuously improve their work processes and deliver value to customers. They are an important part of the SAFe framework, as they help organizations to effectively adopt and implement agile practices at scale.
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is helpful for organizations because it provides a framework for scaling agile practices to large, complex projects:
The goal of SAFe is to help organizations deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization.
SAFe is based on the principles of the Agile Manifesto and Lean thinking, and it includes practices, roles, and principles that help organizations implement agile at scale.
- Lean-Agile principles: SAFe is based on the principles of the Agile Manifesto and Lean thinking, which focus on delivering value to customers, adapting to change, and continuously improving processes.
- ARTs (Agile Release Trains): SAFe recommends organizing agile teams into ARTs, which are groups of teams that work together to deliver value to customers. ARTs follow a cadence of regularly scheduled planning, execution, and review meetings, known as "Iterations" or "Sprints."
- Lean Portfolio Management: SAFe recommends using Lean Portfolio Management to align strategy, investment, and execution at the portfolio level. This involves setting clear goals and objectives, identifying and prioritizing value streams, and aligning resources to deliver value to customers.
- Lean-Agile Leaders: SAFe recommends developing Lean-Agile Leaders at all levels of the organization, who are responsible for driving the adoption of Lean-Agile principles and practices. These leaders include executives, managers, and team leaders, who work together to create a culture of continuous improvement.
The Lean-Agile principles
- Deliver value to customers through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
- Welcome change and continuously improve processes in order to deliver value more effectively.
- Use a collaborative, self-organizing approach to decision-making and problem-solving.
- Measure progress through working software.
- Build and maintain a sustainable pace of work that allows for long-term success.
- Strive for technical excellence and good design in order to improve the ability to deliver value.
- Keep things simple and focus on what is necessary in order to deliver value.
- Optimize the whole system, not just individual parts, in order to deliver value more effectively.
These principles guide the development of agile practices and strategies in organizations that adopt SAFe, and are intended to help teams deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently.
Agile Release Train (ART)
Agile Release Train is a group of agile teams that work together to deliver value to customers. The ART follows a cadence of regularly scheduled planning, execution, and review meetings, known as "Iterations" or "Sprints." The goal of an ART is to coordinate the work of multiple agile teams and enable them to deliver value to customers in a predictable and consistent manner.
ARTs are a key feature of SAFe, and they are designed to help organizations scale agile practices to large, complex projects. Each ART is composed of multiple agile teams that work together to deliver a potentially releasable increment of value to customers every Iteration. The ART also includes a number of supporting roles, such as a Release Train Engineer (RTE) who is responsible for facilitating the ART's planning and execution, and a Product Manager who is responsible for defining and prioritizing the work to be done by the ART.
The goal of an ART is to enable organizations to deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization.
Lean Portfolio Management
Lean Portfolio Management is a method for aligning strategy, investment, and execution at the portfolio level. It is based on Lean principles, which focus on maximizing value and minimizing waste. In the context of the Scaled Agile Framework, Lean Portfolio Management involves setting clear goals and objectives for the portfolio, identifying and prioritizing value streams, and aligning resources to deliver value to customers.
Lean Portfolio Management involves defining a vision for the portfolio and setting clear strategic objectives that align with the overall mission of the organization. It also involves identifying the value streams that will help the organization achieve its strategic objectives, and prioritizing these value streams based on their potential impact and feasibility. Once the value streams have been identified and prioritized, resources are aligned to deliver value to customers in a consistent and predictable manner.
The goal of Lean Portfolio Management is to help organizations deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization. It is a key feature of SAFe and is intended to help organizations scale agile practices to large, complex projects.
Lean-Agile Leaders
Lean-Agile Leaders are individuals who are responsible for driving the adoption of Lean-Agile principles and practices within an organization. In the context of the Scaled Agile Framework, Lean-Agile Leaders are responsible for creating a culture of continuous improvement and enabling teams to deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently.
They can be found at all levels of the organization, from executives and managers to team leaders. They are responsible for leading by example and embodying the principles and values of Lean-Agile thinking. This includes encouraging collaboration and self-organization, continuously improving processes, and focusing on delivering value to customers.
Lean-Agile Leaders are also responsible for promoting a culture of continuous learning and experimentation, and for supporting teams in their efforts to continuously improve their work processes and deliver value to customers. They are an important part of the SAFe framework, as they help organizations to effectively adopt and implement agile practices at scale.
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is helpful for organizations because it provides a framework for scaling agile practices to large, complex projects:
- Improve the ability to deliver value to customers: SAFe helps organizations deliver value to customers faster and more efficiently, by aligning strategy, execution, and delivery across the entire organization. This can result in faster time-to-market and increased customer satisfaction.
- Enhance the coordination and collaboration: SAFe helps teams work together more effectively, by providing a framework for coordinating the work of multiple agile teams and enabling them to deliver value in a predictable and consistent manner.
- Increase the flexibility and adaptability: SAFe is designed to be flexible and adaptable to change, which helps organizations respond more quickly to changing market conditions and customer needs.
- Improved quality: SAFe promotes a focus on technical excellence and good design, which can lead to improved software quality and reduced defects.