What Is Scaled Agile Framework? Lifecycle and Process

Enterprises are becoming more agile by shifting to agile methodologies, but usually, it is seen that larger enterprises are change-resistant due to several reasons such as deep-rooted cultural issues, and policy- and process-based barriers. Despite these reasons, some enterprises have been successful in seeking the benefits of agile development with the help of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Let’s now try to understand this framework in more detail.

What Is a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)?

It is an extension of agile methodology that helps larger organizations overcome issues that negatively impact project success. It offers large organizations a framework for becoming more agile so that their deliverables take less time-to-market. It contains a set of principles, processes, and best practices that help enterprises to adopt agile methodologies, such as Lean, Kanban, and Scrum, to develop and deliver high-quality products and services faster. It is built on three pillars i.e. team, program, and portfolio.

What Are the Core Principles of SAFe?

This framework heavily relies on the core principles of lean and agile which are known as SAFe Lean-Agile principles. Here are some of the principles of these frameworks:

1. Take an economic view to deliver the best value and quality to people and society in the shortest lead time. 
2. Implement systems thinking into all areas of development.
3. Assume variability and preserve options by bringing in the concept of set-based design, which calls for retaining multiple requirements and design options for a longer period in the development cycle.
4. Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles to allow customer feedback and reduce risks.
5. Base milestones on objective estimation and evaluation of working systems to ensure better decision making, trust-building, and system thinking
6. Visualize and limit the amount of work in progress, decrease batch sizes, and manage queue lengths to enable continuous flow, maximizing throughput and accelerating value delivery
7. Apply cadence (timing), synchronize with cross-domain planning to reduce complexity, address uncertainty, enforce quality, and instill collaboration 
8. Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers to reach their unseen potential and help leaders move beyond the command-and-control mindset.
9. Decentralize decision-making to become more agile and effective 

What Is the Process of SAFe?

1. Recognize and communicate the need for change: Many factors prompt the need for change such as shifts in industry legislation, best practices, or desired goals. Company leadership should identify and communicate the reasons for the shift to SAFe, and then they should guide and motivate all involved stakeholders to ensure all activities are in lieu of the vision for change.
2. Create a Lean agile center of excellence: Creating a center of excellence helps in widening the scope and ensures optimized performance rather than simply practicing agile project management within specific domains.
3. Identify value streams and agile release trains (ARTs): Leaders have to identify value streams and ARTs to deliver value to customers.
4. Define parameters for each ART launch: Define the ART,  set deadlines, assemble agile teams, train personnel, and perform readiness assessments. It’s also essential to consider backlog program preparation.
5. Train teams and ensure everyone understands their role: To ensure the success ART’s success it is very important that every team member understands its role and responsibility and poses the skills to do their job successfully
6. Execute your ART: To ensure proper execution make sure iteration planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-up meetings, iteration reviews, and system demo, as well as Scrum-of-Scrums, PO Sync, and ART Sync, are in place.
7. Launch more ARTs and value streams: Prioritized ART’s should be launch by providing necessary training to teams, coaching ART execution, and giving each ART the required time and effort to succeed without skipping steps or diligence.

Conclusion

SAFe is an agile development methodology that helps organizations to overcome issues that hinders their project success and helps them to become agile. With the help of the agile framework, enterprises can deliver value to the customer in less time. Though implementing this framework in any enterprise need professional assistance it is advised to take help from an independent QA and software testing services provider.