Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): Adopting a Multi-Team Agile Solution

03.08.19 | Chris Daily |

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) training is coming to beLithe.

As many of you know, the focus of Scrum is creating an environment for a group of people (a team) to get work done.

One of the significant challenges and debates in the Agile community revolves around trying to figure out how to have multiple teams working on the same product.

SAFe: empowering multiple Agile teams.

One popular solution that has emerged: Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).

I have to admit: in my earlier dogmatic Agile days, I was not a fan of SAFe.

It seemed to be overly prescriptive, in that teams were asked to essentially plan their work for the next two to three months, and then synchronize their deliveries on the same schedule.

It seemed very much like traditional project management and not very Agile.

A gradual appreciation.

Over the years, I’ve thawed out a bit. I have become less dogmatic and more focused on understanding customer wants and outcomes.

Recently I’ve had multiple opportunities to teach and coach Scrum in organizations that have adopted SAFe. While the purist in me was not a fan, I started to understand that for some organizations, adopting SAFe might be their best and only chance at starting down their Agile journey. For other organizations, SAFe doesn’t seem to be necessarily a good fit for many reasons.

In early December of last year, I put my biases on a shelf and attended an SPC class in San Jose.

What was surprising to me was that I started to gain an appreciation for some of the aspects of SAFe. While SAFe focuses on scaling Agile across organizations, I’m a fan of the fact that it’s built on the foundation of Scrum and Kanban teams.

What’s next?

I’m excited to announce that beLithe is now offering four unique certifications within SAFe:

• Leading SAFe (MARCH 21-22)
• SAFe Scrum Master (APRIL 4-5)
• SAFe Product Owner*
• SAFe for Teams*

Our hope is that by offering these workshops, that we can help Agilists in the local community prepare themselves to be a part of any SAFe journey.

*We haven’t locked in a date yet for these courses, but if you’re interested in attending, let’s chat.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

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