The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) methodology is an industry-standard framework for helping organizations scale agile and lean practices to an enterprise level. Use this template to establish a SAFe Portfolio project area that enables you to get started quickly to adopt the best practices prescribed by the framework. SAFe is characterized by one or more programs that steer gradual delivery of a system by multiple agile development teams. The article adds a portfolio level for the users who identify enterprise-wide industries and supervise the work of the program teams.
What is scaled agile framework 3.0?
Scaled Agile Inc. (SAI), the provider of the world’s most comprehensive framework for adopting Lean-Agile practices Lean agile best practices across an enterprise, announced the release of Scaled Agile Framework 3.0. If you and your company are set on adopting this framework as a tool to enhance the agile transformation then it may be a good option to take a look at the new SAFe 3.0. The key focus of these changes was to enhance the illustration of how the three levels function (Team, Program, and Portfolio) and how they can be implemented in a large organization.
This version of the scaled agile framework focuses on Lean enterprise and agility as well as the following five key capabilities:
Lean-Agile Leadership: Lean agile leaders steer change and operational superiority, leading by helping assure teams reach their full potential. This involves modeling SAFe’s Lean agile mindset, principles, and practices.
DevOps and release: This institution is a frequent, ongoing pipeline for deliverables that is important for creating significance to meet your customer needs.
Business practices and lean system engineering: The more companies encourage Lean agile practices to start blueprints, development, and deployment, the more innovative they can be.
Team and technical agility: The development teams must have a certain skill set and adhere to Lean agile practices to create well-designed solutions. Securing the technical agility of teams is particularly important, as they are the ones who eventually do the actual job that will be delivered to your clients.
Management of Lean portfolio: Proper organizational planning that involves financial considerations, portfolio management, and compliance-related factors are essential to SAFe 3.0 success.
Scaled agile framework 3.0 agile process flow
There are general processes that an organization should follow to implement Scaled agile framework 3.0 for favorable outcomes, although it is important to note that each step should be adjusted as per your organizational needs.
Identify and communicate the need for change: Numerous factors may drive the need for organizational change including transitions in industry legislation, best practices, or set goals. Company leadership needs to identify and communicate the business reasons for the shift to SAFe, and then mentor and inspire stakeholders to make sure all activities are in line with the vision for the change.
Recognize and train change agents: The leaders must recognize the people within the organization who can change agents and reinforce their training as Certified SAFe Program Consultants. These change agents can take the responsibility of training business leaders and other stakeholders in Scaled Agile Framework practices and processes.
Get managers and administrators involved: Executives must be trained so they can model behavior around the same Lean agile views and practices.
Create a Lean agile center of excellence: Creating a center of excellence (CoE) will help you secure company-wide optimized performance instead of just practicing agile project management within the specified domains.
Recognize value streams and agile release trains (ARTs): Value streams mean the value that a company provides to its customer, and ARTs are the agile teams that develop solutions to create values. It is this mix of people, internal processes, and technology that will deliver value to your clients.
Make roadmaps and prioritize goals: Your goals must be prioritized and a roadmap must be set to achieve the vision for your SAFe transformation. The implementation consists of choosing the first value stream, then the first ART, and implementing them again.
Specify parameters for each ART launch: Specify the ART, establish strict deadlines, build agile teams, train involved team members, and conduct available assessments. Keep in mind that it is also very important to take up backlog program preparation.
Train teams and make sure everyone acknowledges their role: The people that work as a team to take care of the business systems are important to each ART’s success. Every member must fully learn their role and have the skill to perform their job properly.
Carry out your ART: Good execution depends on perfecting iteration planning, filling in any gaps using backlog refinement, regular standup meetings, receiving each iteration, system demo, and iteration retrospectives, including scrum-of-scrums, PO Sync, and ART Sync.
Introduce more ARTs and value streams: Succeeding, prioritized ART should be established upfront, by conducting team training, coaching ART execution, and providing each ART the required time and effort to succeed without neglecting any steps or diligence.
Upgrade to the portfolio level to conduct the business transformation: This is the step where you need to apply all the above steps at the portfolio level to impose the overall culture, enhance company-wide performance, and improve goal accomplishment.
Maintain and work on operational effectiveness throughout the company: Continued success relies on looking for ways to take advantage of new possibilities and head towards advancements. People in charge of the business should also be working with a continuous Lean agile mindset.
Benefits of SAFe 3.0 for your Organization
Faster adaptation to technology changes and economic conditions is an essential factor for succeeding in organizations. Due to this, challenges have come in the form of monitoring, control, communication, change management, etc. Implementing the Scaled Agile Framework has helped teams carry on alignment with the business goals, balancing time, cost, and scope. The framework is improving the outcomes for many organizations, below are some areas it is helping improve:
- Quality
For companies to quickly develop and provide to changing business environments they rely on quality. Scaled Agile Framework 3.0 (SAFe 3.0) has built-in quality methods, providing a fast flow across all groups and teams. Building a sound environment is crucial for large organizations. Lack of quality assurance will lead to rework and slower velocities that will produce unsuitable results.
- Productivity
Scaled Agile Framework 3.0 means the teams are properly lined up with the product; continuous collaboration gives them better transparency. They clearly understand the deliverables and in return set expectations of the stakeholders. This straightforward understanding, work balance in the assigned tasks, and transparency to the customer level significantly increase the work delivered and overall productivity.
- Lesser time-to-market
The implementation of an agile framework lets companies deliver results to the market quicker. It helps to group workload, and reduce group sizes to quickly and continually move work through programs. Improving throughput and value delivery will successively trigger measurable advancements in customer satisfaction and team engagement.
- Team centric environment
Agile teams are cross-functional and self-organizing to plan, manage and deliver outcomes against the objectives of the company. Teams involved in SAFe have a precise idea of what they want to achieve and are excited about the vision because they were part of the project. Communication and transparency create positive relationships bringing in more collaboration and an environment for teams to flourish.
- Transparency
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) provides a comprehensive picture of software development breaking down the traditional ways of development, quality assurance, operations, and implementing cross-functional communication. Transparency brings in confidence that is necessary for development, innovation, and steady improvement.
- Specific
The Scaled Agile Framework proposes specific concepts and techniques to be used by the teams to develop software. It is specially intended on how to use agile and lean practices. Teams are aligned with the same purpose of producing high-quality software and all energy focused on clients.
Should You Use the Scaled Agile Framework 3.0?
SAFe is mostly popular among business enterprise organizations as many of its elements focus on resolving the expected challenges teams encounter when scaling agile. To put it in another way, If your business is just starting to transition to agile, SAFe 3.0 might be a feasible option to reduce the difference because of its more prescriptive procedure than Disciplined agile delivery (DAD) for instance, which provides more flexibility and customization but also needs an organization to fully understand the agile philosophy.
The SAFe’s top-down approach to project management and decision making can diminish some core agile principles like collective ownership, adaptiveness, and unsettled roles that might have brought your team to agile in the first place. It can bring in many benefits at every step of the business but it also comes with more challenges than the simple process of implementing Agile in a single team.
Evon Technologies is an offshore software consulting company that will assist you in implementing the Scaled Agile development process and take care of the challenges. If you are looking to transition to agile and need a software development company in India that has previously worked using Scaled Agile Framework 3.0. Then you are in the right place, contact us today or drop an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.