Scaled Agile Framework is a set of behaviors, mindsets, principles, and synchronization practices to enable Business Agility for organizations of all sizes. This framework was created by Dean Leffingwell in 2011 as a way for organizations to thrive in the digital age. SAFe is often referred to as a train as it is setup to be a continually flowing system of work. The framework is what keeps it all on the track and moving. In this article I will walk through how SAFe has helped organizations I have worked with, some of the components of SAFe, and a general idea of the roles that make SAFe function best.
What are the benefits of SAFe?
Have you ever worked within an organization that seemed more like a hierarchical prison? One where each decision took weeks to get approved and significant changes seemed to move at the pace of molasses dripping from a spoon? If yes, SAFe would definitely benefit those companies.
I am sure you have heard of Agile and how it assists teams with collaboration, transparency, speed to market, and reduction in project costs. As you know Agile is typically focused on the development or engineering teams and doesn't usually span into Finance, Marketing, Sales, etc. When you think of SAFe, think Agile but add in the entire organization. Provide each layer and level of person a specific role and purpose to allow them more autonomy. This autonomy provides a significant delay reduction and boosts employee morale. Additionally, there are guardrails in place around budget for each Value Stream (think about an assembly line with a trigger, a set of actions, and an end result of value - see below for example). Having these pieces of the framework in place allow your organization to run more smoothly as the rules are defined and you don't have to recreate the wheel or question which decisions should be made by leadership versus the people who work on the teams.
Trigger -> You are hungry | Action: Open food delivery App | Action: Select restaurant and food | Action: Purchase order | Value -> Food is delivered |
Value Stream Image Details: Each aspect of this Value Stream has multiple components that go into it which requires people to build it. The app was built by one to many teams, the restaurants that partnered with the food delivery app were either approached by a Sales team or the restaurant contacted them directly, to purchase the order and navigate the app you need APIs and teams to build those, and you need to hire people to deliver the food.
One of the mindsets within SAFe is Customer Centricity, this is a way to really get to know your customer through Empathy Maps, Personas, and Journey Maps. With this mindset you can have more confidence in the products you delivers as the customer becomes the focus of all the daily actions.
In short, the benefits that SAFe provide are:
Budgetary guardrails
Role definition
Faster time to market
Alignment amongst the entire organization
Autonomy
More engaged and happier employees
More satisfied customers
Key Players in SAFe
It is important to understand your role at any company as the title isn't always equal to the expectation. Within a SAFe organization you can easily understand what is expected of you as the roles are defined within the site. Some of the roles that may be new to you (outside of Agile basics - Agile Teams, Scrum Master, and Product Owner) are below:
Solution Train Engineer (STE) - Prepare solution delivery across multiple Agile Release Trains (ART), conduct PI Planning across ARTs, coordinate solution delivery, measure progress and improve multiple ARTs.
Release Train Engineer (RTE) - Establish and communicate annual calendars for PI Planning and Iterations, facilitate PI Planning event, coach Scrum Masters, leaders, and teams.
Solution Architect - Create and communicate a technical and architectural vision for the entire solution train (multiple ARTs).
System Architect - Provide a technical and architectural vision for a single ART.
Epic Owners - A responsibility (not a job title) for someone to define an Epic with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and Lean Business case. Additionally, once the Epic is approved they would facilitate implementation.
*If you are working with a Safe Program Consultant (SPC) to move your transformation along, they will be familiar with the roles and how to ensure training is rolled out to each group. Need help with your transformation? Contact us here
Cadence and Synchronization
For this train to all be kept on track and deliver as expected there needs to be a common cadence for all the ARTs. SAFe provides this through both PI Planning and Iterations. If you are familiar with Agile the concept of Iterations are not new; however, within SAFe all teams align on the same Iteration schedule. PI Planning is a cross team and department planning where teams can discuss dependencies, risks, architectural concerns and see the vision. At the end of PI Planning the Business owners, Marketing, Finance etc will have a better idea as to what the teams commit to delivering and will understand how this work will impact their areas directly. PI Planning usually takes place every 10-12 weeks and if you are colocated it can be done in two days; if dispersed, this can span a week or more depending on timezones.
Conclusion
In this article, I walked through some of the basic aspects of SAFe and provided several links to assist with your learning journey. To get more hands on instruction please reach out through my website or email me directly moriahcoleman@mogilitytraining.com
The below image is taken from the Scaled Agile website and each icon is clickable which provides a more detailed explanation of each component. Click the Image to learn more.
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