Scaled Agile Framework, aka SAFe, is probably the least Agile approach to getting many teams to work together. At the heart of all of Agile approaches has been boiling the system of work down to its essence, finding the simplest way that people could work together. Scrum, eXtreme Programming, and Kanban all embrace this. SAFe takes a different approach. It claims to embrace all of those methods as part of a grab bag. Instead, it takes them and makes key changes. Scrum’s Product Owner loses their responsibility for the product – instead they’re responsible for alignment. SAFe adds a great deal of superstructure around normal Scrum teams. There are so many more reasons I could add but, instead, there is a great quote that I’ll share: “SAFe is where Agile goes to die”.
Resource Links:
- Beware SAFe (the Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise), an Unholy Incarnation of Darkness
- On Agile Methods
- Information for decision-makers considering SAFe (Google doc)
- Is SAFe Really That Bad?
- Is SAFe safe?
- Issues with SAFe
- Large Agile Framework Appropriate for Big, Lumbering Enterprises – an April Fools joke by Mike Cohn that makes a point about SAFe
- Revenge of the PMO
- Reviews of SAFe (Leffingwell’s approach)
- The SAFe Delusion
- SAFe SPC Training: A Reflection
- SAFe: The Infantilism of Management
- SAFe Survival Guide: part 1 – Resisting Planning, part 2— knowing the right solution, part 3— Why Flow is Important, part 4-Why managers insist on fixing teams when they are not the problem, part 5 — The Trap of a Big Bang Implementation and What We Would Have Done Differently If We Could Start from Scratch
- Three years with SAFe: this is what stands out – Fredrik Carleson video
- Un-SAFe At Any Speed: Rethinking Scale and Agility
- Why SaFE is Not the Scaled Agile Approach You Need
See Also:
Scaling and Large Teams
Special Teams
Mark Levison has been helping Scrum teams and organizations with Agile, Scrum and Kanban style approaches since 2001. From certified scrum master training to custom Agile courses, he has helped well over 8,000 individuals, earning him respect and top rated reviews as one of the pioneers within the industry, as well as a raft of certifications from the ScrumAlliance. Mark has been a speaker at various Agile Conferences for more than 20 years, and is a published Scrum author with eBooks as well as articles on InfoQ.com, ScrumAlliance.org an AgileAlliance.org.
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