Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe): Enabling Enterprise-Level Product Development

Introduction

Know the top ways how Scaled Agile Framework is improving product development.

Agile has emerged as one of the best approaches to enhance your product development proceedings. A small-scale enterprise can bode with an agile manifesto but as the complications rise, you need a more rounded framework.

This is where SAFe chimes in with its mindful integration of System Thinking, Lean, and Agile for improving collaboration, quality, and marketing. SAFe helps you advance from the software development stage to a complete digital transformation.

However, if you are still unaware about the topic, then here you will know everything about it.

What is SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)?

Launched back in 2011, SAFe has emerged as one of the best software development frameworks of the century. The majority of the US-based firms are using SAFe for their proceedings, and the numbers just keep on rising.

So, what is SAFe or to be more precise how can you define SAFe? SAFe is the framework that integrates system thinking, lean mindset, and agile practices to aid in building a complex and large scale software while focusing on the online UX.

SAFe helps you create huge and sophisticated systems comprehensively and quickly.

Why Use SAFe?

So why should your business use SAFe? With the marketing scenario constantly evolving, businesses are getting less time to market their product. This raises the necessity to adapt to the change.

Agile is one of the best software development approaches with its principles and values. It also offers speed and flexibility prioritizing product over project. The framework is ideal for a small team.

While this is all good, SAFe is ideal for large projects aiming to build sophisticated software. It allows enterprises to acknowledge innovation by facilitating organized and swift movements.

Components of SAFe

You can call SAFe the modified version of lean, system thinking, and Agile. SAFe takes their pros and builds the ultimate product development framework. Here are its components:

Agile Development

Agile has been helping developers forever and it was launched as an idea to undo every damage done by waterfall. Now SAFe takes its collaborative and cultural niche as an inspiration.

System Thinking

The approach deems every system as an irreplaceable counterpart and focuses on two major benefits. One is being customer-centric and the other is showcasing the parent organization.

SAFe picks the ideology that the resources, business units, and teams function in unison toward every product development initiative.

Lean Products Development

The approach integrates best of lean thinking and software development processes. It helps you comprehend how the product development works. It facilitates seamless maintenance and MVP production as well.

SAFe takes the lean ideology to minimize wastage and focus on quality and quick product delivery.

Levels of SAFe

If you are looking for the answer of what are the SAFe levels, then look no further. Here are the four levels of SAFe:

Essential SAFe

You can call this the base-level configuration phase that offers limited elements with the best benefits. It works as the foundation for every other configuration.

Large-Solution SAFe

The approach is ideal for large and sophisticated apps as it is also capable of running on portfolio level.

Portfolio SAFe

The configuration works with the existing portfolio initiatives with a well-rounded strategy for enterprise. With this, you can help define investment and strategy for the portfolio value stream.

It also provides Agile operations and lean compliance for every involved team.

Full SAFe

The configuration can be considered an extension including the competency to create huge, integrated, and complex solutions. It is unsuited for teams with 100+ people looking to build and sustain several procedures.

Four Core Values of SAFe

Here are the best values of SAFe:

Alignment

The value facilitates utmost collaboration between the teams and the management so every effort drives towards impeccable customer satisfaction. It helps in handling the process cadence whilst making sure everyone is up-to-date with the proceedings.

In-Built Qualities

The practice for ensuing that every microservice or increment are up to the quality standards is in-built in SAFe. Simply put, SAFe ensures that every development stage is qualified to the desired standards.

Transparency

A misinterpretation or miscommunication can ruin the entire project, and transparency is needed for avoiding any failure. When there is no misunderstanding, the team builds synergy and the reliance on each other increases.

Execution of Program

For ensuing continuous and timely delivery, SAFe uses its essential SAFe form. After comprising sprints, artifacts, and workable roles in the ART, the guidelines for streamlining the program’s execution are presented.

Principles of SAFe

Economic View

The organization should comprehend how their decisions would put an impact on the society. Therefore, you should consider economics in every decision you make.

Applying System Thinking

The system thinking principle ensures that every system and environment aspect applies to the product development stage. The three integral facets of system thinking includes:

• The solution is a full system
• The parent enterprise is a system
• The system thinking is optimizing the full streams value

Speculate Changes and Save Options

During the development process, you are bound to see technical, market, and principle changes. If you ignore them, then there are bound to be consequences.

Building incrementally with integrated and Quick Learning Cycles

You should build solutions after agile scrums series akin to the Agile Development. Your sprints should end in a functional system section. When every microservice is incorporated, a fully-fledged system is created.

Emphasize Values

In this digital era, a product is only considered successful when it proposes values and flexibility to adapt. For achieving such agility, you need to base your enterprise values around values. So whenever there is a modification in the market, you can easily adapt to it.

Best Advantages of SAFe

Improved Quality

SAFe offers flexibility for innovating and ensuring customer satisfaction above everything. It allows you to:

• Decrease the bugs
• Reduce warranty expenses
• Improve user and client satisfaction

Enhanced Productivity

As SAFe facilitates engagement and collaboration your organization is met with an unmatched synergy. This helps you:

• Improve product quality
• Enhance cross-function culture
• Decrease defects and iterations

Streamlined Execution of Product

With SAFe’s principles and values, cadence is brought in the development fray. With this, you get an enterprise capable of timeliness and quality.

It offers qualities like:

• Existing project timeline
• Timely product delivery  
• Positive business reputation

Processes Transparency

With SAFe, you get transparency to establish trust amidst the team. When you have trust, productivity automatically increases.

It also:

• Maintains realistic expectations
• Improves trust
• Calculates upcoming risks

Wrapping Up

Product development is a highly changing market, and the inclusion of SAFe has truly stabilized it. The blog provides a keen insight on what SAFe is and how it can be useful for you. Simply go through the blog and implement the efficiency of SAFe in your organization.