Why SAFe is the best Scalable Agile Framework
Hi guys, this week I want to explain why I believe SAFe is the best Scalable Agile Framework.
Last week I had a chance to participate at a MeetUp where main topic was LeSS. As you might know, LeSS is one of these new fancy scaling frameworks, or at least this is how it´s sold.
I want to be very clear, I am not a SAFe consultant and I do not get any commission from SAFe. I had an opportunity to work for couple of years with a company that implemented SAFe and I believe SAFe will be the most successful framework. Some time ago I wrote a blog post about the topic “Why SAFe will succeed” but today I would like to elaborate a bit more.
SAFe, LeSS, NEXUS and many others frameworks are sold as “scaling” frameworks. Are they really allowing companies to scale anything? The way how I see it is that they are frameworks that enable parallel work. Let´s be very clear: THIS IS NOT SCALING!!! THIS IS GROWING!
Some time ago I attended the conference where I listened to the speech of a CEO of Munich based company. He was super proud describing to the audience how his company scaled from 10 teams to 100 teams. I just wanted to say out loud: “This is not scaling, it is growing!”
For you to understand what I mean by this saying, I found a great definition of both terms in fundable.com:
Growing means you are adding resources at the same rate that you’re adding revenue. This model occurs constantly in professional services business models – they gain a client, hire more people to service the client, and add revenue at the same exact rate at which they’ve added more costs. While they’ve technically “grown,” they haven’t scaled.
On the other hand, scaling is about adding revenue at an exponential rate while only adding resources at an incremental rate. Google has clearly demonstrated this concept by adding customers at a quick pace while adding very few additional resources to service those customers. That’s why they were able to increase their margin at a rapid rate in just a few short years.
Are you able now to understand why all these frameworks do not really solve any scaling problems? But then again who can blame them? They just create solutions the market wants, after all everyone wants to have a recipe.
Everyone wants to have a silver bullet to solve all the problems, but unfortunately this is not possible and sooner or later companies that implement these kind of frameworks will realise they spent millions for nothing.
In my opinion, if you want to scale you need to identify the constrains in the whole chain and see what is preventing you to have 10x impact in your actions. This is only possible if you have a framework that looks at the organisation in a holistic way. A framework that takes end to end implementation, system thinking, flow, and theory of constrainsinto consideration.
So let´s take a look into three different frameworks.
LeSS
Nexus
SAFe
Which of these frameworks is:
- Really paying attention to the whole system and not only to the software development part?
- Really helping to identify the whole flow, value chain and the end to end implementation?
- Really connecting company strategy with daily operations?
- Really taking a holistic view of the whole organisation?
Yes, SAFe does that.
Why SAFe is the best Scalable Agile Framework
SAFe has its many problems. I personally do not like how SAFe takes care of DevOps/System Team. And especially I do not like how SAFe supports functional teams instead of cross functional teams.
But for example, SAFe integrates portfolio management that no other framework does. In my opinion, this is one of the big enablers for business scalability. Johanna Rothman wrote a fantastic book explaining the benefit of portfolio management in our companies, if you have time take a look into it right here.
The truth is much more painful than what companies want to accept… There are no frameworks that will solve your problems. Frameworks might be a good starting point and I believe SAFe with the right coaches is one of the best places to start.
You can start with functional teams instead of cross functional teams. You will have dependencies all over the place. You will be far of being truly Agile (cross functional teams) but it is a place to start.
With good coaches on board they will be able to map all dependencies. They will be able to coach the organisation to do the necessary changes in order to move to a truly cross functional company. And they will be able to implement improvements along the way.
SAFe is one of the frameworks connecting all the dots… With the right coaches SAFe will make a difference. In my vision, the other frameworks only do parallel work not really solving any scaling issue.
I know this blog post is quite polemic, but this is my opinion. Do you want to start a discussion? Simple click the button below and let´s discuss.
More from our blog
See all posts
The context is not scaling. The question is “scaling is within which context”. Scrum is a core governance tenant on which SAFe & LeSS is built. The problem is that Scrum only works effectively in certain contexts.
Have you seen this recent blogpost - https://medium.com/software-craftmanship/scrum-does-not-work-here-in-asia-72d7bccccb4d#.46jvfzpgo ? This is one example of context. I think that an important point is that if you want to understand scaling you need to understand how to apply systems thinking first.
“The context is not scaling” which context? Because here is what I disagree completely… These frameworks appeared exactly to scale so I do not get your point.
“his is one example of context. I think that an important point is that if you want to understand scaling you need to understand how to apply systems thinking first.” Thats why I say portfolio is super important because only then you can have an overview the whole system.
Luis
Hi Luis,
Of the 3 main scaling frameworks, which are you certified in? Which have you been to official training on?
Hi,
I have been trained in SAFe and being learning a lot about LeSS…
Thanks,
Luis
instead of looking to see what is best, might be better to see what do each do, where do each fail, what is the right mindset, what are the needed practices. As a SAFe SPCT I am obviously a backer of SAFe. But the question shouldn’t be - which is the best framework as what do you have to do and how can we use the existing ones to do what we need?
Luis,
The book you mentioned is project portfolio management. SAFe doesn’t have projects. In fact, SAFe explicitly chooses product-based definition for portfolio management. That is something very very different. Can you explain what you mean with portfolio management?
I could explain how LeSS possibly deals with the need for portfolio management.
Send me an email, this is a too long discussion to have it here… Does not matter if its project or product… The idea is to have Portfolio, that is the main idea.
Scrum does include the business connect, aka Product Owner. That said, Scum is the basis for SAFe and then SAFe builds upon it additional practices that drive to other areas like Portfolio Management. Scrum looks at a product, so it doesn’t fit in Scrum or Nexus, but certainly does fit within SAFe. Nexus too looks at a single product, but multiple teams working on that product. So again, running Nexus in a SAFe environment works quite nicely and we have seen that done and being done.
Thanks for your input
For me the biggest advantage of SAFe over others is that SAFe is not bounded to one method like SCRUM. One cas use Kanban or XP in SAFe and still be successful in an agile world. Isn’t it all about agile to be able to adapt to the situation quickly? SAFe does it in my opinion. Luis, thanks a lot for this post!
Thanks for your input :)
(I’m trying my best to leave my own personal biases out of this)
[1] The “best” in which context? I think that is the first important question to make, when
[2] I am yet to see real-world data on how SAFe actually has helped companies be more prosperous and I would like to see that from companies that are at least 18-24 months down the SAFe journey. I don’t have enough data points to answer the question and the three (each a major big org) that I can think of right now, are all negative.
Best does not mean that actually works ;) I pose the same questions that you did to the other ones ;)
And I belive I was clear :) I am talking about scalability :)
Part of LESS, you also have LESS huge: http://less.works/less/less-huge/organizational-structure.html
I think that is what you are missing
And LeSS huge sounds very simple :D
Thanks Yves, so actually they mention the need of having a scaling framework for few teams? :) Interesting
When I see these framework diagrams my only thought is “OMG! How could we have gotten here?” :facepalm:
> There are no frameworks that will solve your problems.
100%!
> Frameworks might be a good starting point and I believe SAFe with the right coaches is one of the best places to start.
If it needs the “right coaches” to possibly be a “good starting point”, I’d argue that it isn’t a great framework at all.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the allure to top management of having a “framework” to put in place where people can be cogs on a well oiled Agile™ machine, especially in the typical command-and-control style on management so common in our corporations, following the “factory mentality” and the search of reproducible recipes for success.
Yet, true agility is all about *people*, that messy non-standardised resource that is so difficult to “manage”, not about this or that process.
Like a work colleague once said, it would have been interesting if the 5th point of the Agile manifesto was “Knowledge and experience over certifications and seniority”.
Get experienced people on board (managers, coaches, techs) which have the experience and know how to do these things, and they’ll grow/scale the company to become agile within the constraints, culture, etc. of that company.
Then they just need to resist the temptation of making a diagram and slapping an backronym on it to sell as a framework :D
To be clear: no-one gets a commission from SAFe (from Scaled Agile Inc who own it). :-)
Hey Luis,
I enjoyed the article. An interesting thought came to mind though.
Each of these scaling frameworks I see (including the “Spotify Scaling Model”) seems to not really touch on the process of how we work out what to build. The entire art/science of product ownership, product management and portfolio management is usually touched on very briefly if at all. It seems like a lot of these frameworks consider topics outside of software delivery “out of scope”.
Given this, if you were to implement LeSS or Nexus at a company as a coach, you would probably recommend including portfolio management at the C-level, in the same way you would recommend teams to be doing automated testing and continuous delivery.
What are your thoughts? Do you think LeSS and Nexus are inherently opposed to the concept or would they slot in nicely to some portfolio management activities?
Hi Ryan,
Yes I think if LeSS or Nexus would include Portfolio Management it could be a great asset. Like I explained in the article, I believe the biggest value is there.
LeSS and Nexus is pure Scrum which I like but it misses the whole business connection, they are another way to do sw development. If you wanna cause any impact you need to bring Portfolio Management to the equation.
Luis