SAFe 4.

0 Introduction

Overview of the Scaled Agile Framework

for Lean Software and Systems Engineering

TEAM

PROGRAM

VALUE STREAM

PORTFOLIO

A Scaled Agile, Inc. White Paper

July 2016

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Foreword
To understand why there is a need for the Scaled Agile Framework (also known as SAFe), Im
reminded of Jack Welchs words: If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the
inside, the end is near.
Digital disruption is now causing the rate of change to accelerate in ways that are leaving some of the
worlds largest brands eating the dust of their newer competitors. Its no longer happening to just a few
organizations in select industries. Its a reality for every enterprise and government, regardless of size,
geography, or industry. Its easy to see that market leaders have turned that disruption into opportunity,
finding ways to quickly adapt to the change, and leverage the disruption to their advantage.
This is the new norm. To succeed in this digital adapt-or-die environment, enterprises must be able to
rapidly change the way they create and deliver value to their customers. Their ability to do that is highly
dependent on their dexterity in developing software and systemsthe underpinnings of nearly every
function in every industry across the globe. As those software and cyber-physical systems become
increasingly complex, the methods used to develop those systems must allow the work culture to
embrace collaboration, innovation, and speed.
The assumptive, one pass, stage-gated, waterfall methods of the past have not scaled to the new
challenge. A more responsive development method is needed to take on the demands of the modern
technological and cultural landscape. Agile is a major step in that direction, but Agile was developed
for small teams, and by itself, does not scale to the needs of the larger enterprises and the systems
they create. Thats where SAFe comes into the picture. It applies the power of Agile, but takes it to the
next level by leveraging the more extensive knowledge pools of systems thinking and Lean product
development.
SAFe provides comprehensive guidance for achieving the benefits of Lean-Agile development at
enterprise scale. It is designed to help enterprises deliver value continuously and more efficiently on a
regular and predictable schedule, making them more Agile in the marketplace and more competitive
in their industry. Many of the largest organizations in the world have adopted SAFe, and the adoption
rate is accelerating.
As you introduce yourself to the Framework, it is important to understand the reasons why these
approaches work, not just what they are. Thats why SAFe is based on Lean-Agile principles. If you
understand why things work, you can more easily apply them to your unique context. Also, know that
SAFe, like the marketplace it serves, is an evolving work of innovation and ideas by people committed to
the same mission that you are. It may look a little different from version to version, but its core purpose
remains steady, which is to help enterprises build better systems, achieve better business outcomes,
and provide better daily lives for the people who build the worlds most important new systems.

Dean Leffingwell
Creator of SAFe, and Chief Methodologist, Scaled Agile, Inc.

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................... 1, 2
SAFe Core Values.............................................................................................................3
The Lean-Agile Mindset............................................................................................4, 5
SAFe Lean-Agile Principles.................................................................................6, 7, 8
Program and Team Level...............................................................................................8

The Agile Release Train. ....................................................................................... 8,

The Spanning Palette.................................................................................................9

Agile Teams Power the Train................................................................................... 10

Planning a Program Increment.......................................................................... 11,

Executing a Program Increment..............................................................................12

Inspect and Adapt. .................................................................................................. 13

Develop on Cadence, Release Any Time................................................................ 13

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Portfolio Level........................................................................................................... 14, 15

Portfolio Value Streams........................................................................................... 16

Lean-Agile Budgeting........................................................................................ 16,

Forecasting................................................................................................................17

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Value Stream Level........................................................................................................ 18

Value Stream Flow................................................................................................... 19

Realizing Value Streams with ARTs.................................................................19,

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Leading the Lean-Agile Enterprise.................................................................. 21, 22

Implementing SAFe............................................................................................... 22, 23
Summary........................................................................................................................... 24

Learn More............................................................................................................... 25

Bibliography.................................................................................................................... 25

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Introduction
The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a freely revealed knowledge base of proven, integrated patterns
for enterprise-scale Lean-Agile development. It is scalable and modular, allowing each organization to
apply it in a way that provides better business outcomes and happier, more engaged employees.
SAFe synchronizes alignment, collaboration, and delivery for large numbers of Agile teams. It supports
both software and systems development, from the modest scale of well under 100 practitioners to the
largest software solutions and complex cyber-physical systems, systems that require thousands of
people to create and maintain. SAFe was developed in the field, based on helping customers solve their
most challenging scaling problems. It leverages three primary bodies of knowledge: Agile development,
Lean product development, and systems thinking.
The SAFe websitescaledagileframework.comprovides comprehensive guidance for scaling
development work across all levels of an enterprise. SAFes interactive Big Picture (Figure 1) provides
a visual overview of the Framework. Each icon on the website is selectable, allowing the user to navigate
to an article which provides extensive guidance on the topic area, along with links to related articles
and further information.
The Big Picture has two views. The default 3-level view (Figure 1, left) is well suited for solutions that
require a modest number of Agile teams, as well as smaller systems, products and services that are
largely independent of each other. The 4-level view (Figure 1, right) supports those building large,
integrated solutions that typically require hundreds or more practitioners to build and maintain.

Figure 1. Big Picture: 3-level and 4-level SAFe

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SAFe can be configured with the three or four organizational levels described above, plus a Foundation
layer, as described below:
Team level SAFe is based fundamentally on Agile teams. Each team is responsible for defining,
building, and testing stories (small pieces of new functionality) from their backlog. Teams deliver
value in a series of fixed-length iterations (also called sprints). Teams use a common iteration
cadence to synchronize work with other teams; this allows the entire system to iterate simultaneously. Teams employ Scrum (primarily) or Kanban methods. Each of these methods is augmented by built-in quality practices. Many software quality practices are derived from eXtreme
Programming, while hardware and system quality practices are derived from contemporary
Lean product development practices.
Program level SAFe teams are organized into a virtual program structure called the Agile Release Train (ART). Each ART is a long-lived, self-organizing team of Agile teams (typically 5 to 12),
along with other stakeholders, that plan, commit, execute, inspect, and adapt together. ARTs are
organized around the enterprises significant value streams. They align teams to a common mission, provide architectural and user experience guidance, facilitate flow, and provide continuous
objective evidence of progress.
Value Stream level The optional Value Stream level supports the development of large and
complex solutions. These solutions require multiple, synchronized ARTs, as well as stronger
focus on solution intent and solution context. Suppliers and additional stakeholders contribute
to this level as well. Pre-and Post Program Increment (PI) planning inform the ARTs (and vice
versa) of the Value Stream mission and objectives.
Portfolio level The Portfolio level organizes and funds a set of value streams. The value
streams realize a set of solutions, which help the enterprise achieve its strategic mission, as
defined in part, by a set of strategic themes. The Portfolio level provides solution development
funding via Lean-Agile budgeting, any necessary governance, and coordination of larger development initiatives that affect multiple value streams.
Foundation layer The Foundation layer holds various additional elements that support development. Elements of the Foundation layer include: Lean-Agile Leaders, Communities of Practice,
Core Values, Lean-Agile Mindset, and Principles.
SAFe is improving business outcomes for government agencies and companies of all sizes across the
globe, resulting in dramatic increases in employee engagement, improved economics, and workplaces
that are more productive, engaging, and fun. Benefits from documented case studies include:
20-50% increase in productivity
30-75% faster time to market
50%+ defect reduction
Happier, more motivated employees
View SAFe case studies from a wide range of industries at scaledagileframework.com/case-studies.

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SAFe Core Values

Find people who share your values, and youll conquer the world together.
John Ratzenberger

The SAFe Core Values are the guiding principles that dictate behavior and action. These values can
help people know what is right from wrong, where to put their focus, and how to help companies
to determine if they are on the right path to fulfill their business goals.
1.

Alignment Global alignment delivers more value than local optimization [1]. Thereby, individuals on Agile teams value the teams iteration goals above their personal
responsibilities and tasks. Teams on Agile Release Trains value the achievement of the
vision and program objectives over their team objectives. ARTs value the achievement
of Value Stream objectives over ART objectives. Value streams most highly value their
ability to contribute to portfolio business outcomes. Management is largely responsible for establishing the mission, but does so with the minimum possible constraints.

2. Built-in quality Large systems have more economic sensitivity to quality than do
the features and subsystems that define them. SAFes built-in quality practices help
every team understand and ensure that each solution element, at every increment,
achieves appropriate quality standards throughout development. The result is fast,
continuous flow with a minimum of delays due to rework, high value delivery velocity,
and the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
3.

Transparency Large-scale solution development is difficult; things do not always

work out as planned. Transparencysharing progress and facts openly across all
levelsis a key enabler of trust. Trust, in turn, enables fast, decentralized decisionmaking and higher levels of employee empowerment and engagement. Lean-Agile
leaders foster trust and transparency by creating an environment of openness, one
where the facts are always friendly.

4.

Program execution The ability of each Agile Release Train to routinely and predictably deliver value is a hallmark of a successful SAFe implementation. To this end,
SAFes Program level provides extensive guidance to the roles and responsibilities
and the most significant activitiesthat help ARTs accomplish this key objective.

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The Lean-Agile Mindset

It is not enough that management commit themselves to quality and productivity, they must
know what it is they must do. Such a responsibility cannot be delegated.
People are already doing their best. The problem is with the system. Only management can
change the system.
W. Edwards Deming

Demings quotes inspire and inform a fundamental premise of SAFe: the ultimate responsibility for the
success of the enterprise, and thereby any significant change to the way of working, lies with management.
To this end, SAFe describes a new style of leadership, one that is exhibited by SAFes Lean-Agile leaders.
SAFe Lean-Agile leaders are lifelong learners and teachers who understand and embrace a Lean-Agile
Mindset, its principles, and practices, and teach it to others. To achieve that effectively, leaders must first
be trained in, and then become trainers of, these leaner ways of thinking and operating. This mindset is
exhibited in SAFe, in part by the House of Lean and the Agile Manifesto, as illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Aspects of a Lean-Agile Mindset

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The SAFe House of Lean metaphor is used to describe a number of fundamental lean concepts:
Value. The goal is the delivery of maximum value and quality to the customer in the shortest sustainable
lead time. High employee morale, physical, intellectual and emotional safety, and customer delight are
further tangible targets and benefits. Value is supported via the four pillars of the house:
1. Respect for people and culture Management challenges people to change and may
recommend what to improve, but the teams learn reflection and problem-solving skills and
make the appropriate improvements. Leaders understand the role that culture plays, and
work to move the culture forward in alignment with the new value system and principles.
2. Flow Establishing a continuous flow of work is critical to fast value delivery. Emphasis is on
avoiding the start-stop-start delay of project-based work, and a high value is placed on work
visibility, long-lived teams, continuous knowledge acquisition and sharing, and decentralized
decision-making.
3

Innovation Flow builds a solid foundation for the delivery of value. But without innovation, both product and process will stagnate. Innovation doesnt simply happenthe right
environment, including dedicated time for innovation must be allocated. One element of this
is SAFes Innovation and Planning iteration, a free-form iteration that provides the time and
intellectual freedom needed for innovation.

4. Relentless improvement An enterprise improves through continuous reflection and

relentless improvement. A constant sense of competitive danger drives the learning organization to aggressively pursue opportunities to improve, and to respond quickly to challenges
and opportunities.
Leadership. The foundation of the House of Lean is leadership. Leaders are trained in these new and
innovative ways of thinking, and personally exhibit these values, principles, and behaviors. The other
element of Lean-Agile leadership is defined in large part by the Agile Manifesto. Along with various
Agile practices, the Manifesto for Agile Software Development provides the foundation for effective,
empowered, cross-functional, self-organizing, and self-managing Agile teams. It provides both a value
system (Figure 2, right) and a set of twelve principles [3] that provide the basic philosophy of the Agile
approach. SAFes Lean-Agile leaders support the Manifesto, and SAFe is fully dependent on Agile teams.

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SAFe Lean-Agile Principles

The impression that 'our problems are different' is a common disease that afflicts
management the world over. They are different, to be sure, but the principles that will help
to improve the quality of product and service are universal in nature.
W. Edwards Deming

SAFes practices are grounded on nine fundamental principles that have evolved from Agile principles
and methods, Lean product development, systems thinking, and observation of successful enterprises.
There is a specific article for each principle on the SAFe website, and the embodiment of the principles
appears throughout the Framework. Each of the principles is briefly described below.
#1 - Take an economic view

Delivering the best value and quality to people and society in the sustainably shortest lead
time requires a fundamental understanding of the economics of the system builders mission. Lean systems builders endeavor to make sure that everyday decisions are made in
a proper economic context. The primary aspects include developing and communicating
the strategy for incremental value delivery, and the creation of the Value Stream economic
framework, which defines the trade-offs between risk, cost of delay, operational and development costs, and supports decentralized decision-making.

#2- Apply systems thinking

Deming, one of the worlds foremost systems thinkers, constantly focused on the larger view
of problems and challenges faced by people building and deploying systems of all types
manufacturing systems, social systems, management systems, even government systems.
One central conclusion was the understanding that the problems faced in the workplace
were a result of a series of complex interactions that occurred within the systems the workers used to do their work. In SAFe, systems thinking is applied to the organization that builds
the system, as well as the system under development, and further, how that system operates in its end user environment.

#3 - Assume variability; preserve options

Traditional design and life cycle practices drive picking a single requirements and design
option early in the development process (early in the cone of uncertainty''). However, if the
starting point is wrong, then future adjustments take too long and can lead to a suboptimal
long-term design. Alternatively, Lean systems developers maintain multiple requirements
and design options for a longer period in the development cycle. Empirical data is then used
to narrow focus, resulting in a design that creates better economic outcomes.

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#4 - Build incrementally with fast, integrated learning cycles

Lean systems builders develop solutions incrementally in a series of short iterations. Each
iteration results in an integrated increment of a working system. Subsequent iterations build
upon the previous ones. Increments provide the opportunity for fast customer feedback and
risk mitigation, and also serve as minimum viable solutions or prototypes for market testing and validation. In addition these early, fast feedback points allow the systems builder to
pivot where necessary to an alternate course of action.

#5 - Base milestones on objective evaluation of working systems

Systems builders and customers have a shared responsibility to assure that investment in
new solutions will deliver economic benefit. The sequential, phase-gate development model
was designed to meet this challenge, but experience has shown that it does not mitigate risk
as intended. In Lean-Agile development, each integration point provides an objective milestone to evaluate the solution, frequently and throughout the development life cycle. This
objective evaluation provides the financial, technical and fitness-for-purpose governance
needed to assure that a continuing investment will produce a commensurate return.

#6 Visualize and limit WIP, reduce batch sizes, and manage queue lengths

Lean systems builders strive to achieve a state of continuous flow, whereby new system
capabilities move quickly and visibly from concept to cash. Three primary keys to implementing flow are to: 1) Visualize and limit the amount of work-in-process so as to limit demand to
actual capacity, 2) Reduce the batch sizes of work items to facilitate reliable flow though the
system, and 3) Manage queue lengths so as to reduce the wait times for new capabilities.

#7 Apply cadence, synchronize with cross-domain planning

Cadence transforms unpredictable events into predictable ones, and provides a rhythm for
development. Synchronization causes multiple perspectives to be understood, resolved and
integrated at the same time. Applying development cadence and synchronization, coupled
with periodic cross-domain planning, provides Lean systems builders with the tools they
need to operate effectively in the presence of product development uncertainty.

#8 - Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

Lean-Agile leaders understand that ideation, innovation, and engagement of knowledge

workers cant generally be motivated by incentive compensation, as individual MBOs (Management by Objectives) cause internal competition and destruction of the cooperation
necessary to achieve the larger system aim. Providing autonomy, mission and purpose, and
minimizing constraints, leads to higher levels of employee engagement, and results in better
outcomes for customers and the enterprise.

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#9 Decentralize decision-making

Achieving fast value delivery requires fast, decentralized decision-making, as any decision
escalated introduces delay. In addition, escalation can lead to lower fidelity decisions, due to
the lack of local context, plus changes in fact patterns that occur during the wait time. Decentralized decision-making reduces delays, improves product development flow and enables
faster feedback and more innovative solutions. However, some decisions are strategic, global
in nature, and have economies of scale sufficient enough to warrant centralized decisionmaking. Since both types of decisions occur, the creation of an established decision-making
framework is a critical step in ensuring fast flow of value.

Program and Team Level

The values and principles of SAFe provide the foundation for the Framework. However, as valuable as they
are, values and principles alone dont provide much guidance on what one must do to achieve the benefits
implied. For that, more specific guidance is needed: practices that identify roles and responsibilities,
activities and events, and the various artifacts Lean systems builder use to manage the work of system
building. Indeed, in an organizational change of any kind, people need to know what to do, and what is
expected of them. Thats only fair. To that end, the remainder of this document describes the specific
practice guidance in SAFe, organized primarily by the four levels introduced earlier.

Figure 3 - Program level

Each ART is a long-lived, self-organizing team-of-Agile-teams: a virtual organization of about 50-125

people who plan, commit, and execute together. The ART is comprised of crossfunctional teams, and
includes all the roles that are necessary to move ideas from concept through deployment, as illustrated
in Figure 4.

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Figure 4. Cross-functional teams and trains

Each Agile Release Train:

Aligns teams to a common mission and vision via a single program backlog
Produces valuable and evaluable system-level solutions every two weeks
Synchronizes team iterations
Accumulates team iterations into a Program increment (PI), a fixed timebox for planning
and execution
Operates under the guidance of architects and user experience designers

The Spanning Palette

The Spanning palette (Figure 5) serves as a floating surface for roles and artifacts that can apply to
multiple levels of SAFe. Most often, the items on the palette apply to the Program or Value Stream
level. Some items can apply to the Portfolio or Team levels (e.g. Metrics, Vision, Roadmap, etc.).
The Spanning palette is an essential part of the configurability and modularity of the Framework.

Figure 5. The Spanning palette

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Agile Teams Power the Train

ARTs include the teams that define, build, and test features and components. SAFe teams have a choice of
Agile practices, based primarily on Scrum, XP, and Kanban. Software quality practices include continuous
integration, test-first, re-factoring, pair work, collective ownership, and more. Hardware quality is supported
by exploratory early iterations, frequent system-level integration, design verification, modeling, and
set-based design. Agile architecture supports software and hardware quality.
Each Agile team has five to nine dedicated individual contributors, covering all the roles necessary
to build a quality increment of value for an iteration. Teams can deliver software, hardware, and any
combination. Team roles include:
Scrum Master The Scrum Master facilitates team meetings, drives Agile behavior, removes
impediments, helps maintain the teams focus by managing input demand, attends Scrum of
Scrum meetings, and helps build a high-performing and self-managing team
Product Owner The Product Owner owns the team backlog, acts as the customer for developer questions, prioritizes the work, and works with Product Management to plan PIs and to
deliver the larger scope of value
Development Team Developers, testers, and various specialists create and refine user stories
and acceptance criteria; they define, build, test, and deliver stories
Agile Teams are supported on the ART mission by other stakeholders, including:
The Release Train Engineer (RTE), who acts as the chief Scrum Master for the train
Product Management owns, defines, and prioritizes the program backlog
System Architect-Engineering provides architectural and technical guidance
Business Owners and the Customer are the key stakeholders on the Agile Release Train
The System Team helps with infrastructure, assists with integration, performs ART-level testing, is capable of evaluating conformance to nonfunctional requirements, and assists with the
system demo
DevOps builds the deployment pipeline and facilitates automation and cooperation between
Agile Teams and Operations
Shared Services assists the train with specialty functions that cannot be dedicated to the train
(database administrators, business analysts, etc.)
The supporting roles ensure that teams are capable of defining, developing, testing, and delivering
working solutions at least every iteration.

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Planning a Program Increment

The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team
is face-to-face conversation. [4] SAFe takes face-to-face conversation to the next level via Program
Increment (PI) planning. PI planning is a routine event that occurs on whatever PI cadence (usually 8-12
weeks) the train selects. A typical agenda is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 6. PI Planning agenda

The result of the planning event is a commitment to an agreed set of objectives for the next PI. The
meeting is largely face-to-face. However, in geographically distributed ARTs, the event may occur at
multiple locations simultaneously, with real-time communication between the locations.
PI planning requires preparation, coordination, and communication. Prior to the planning session, Product
Management collaborates with Agile teams, stakeholders, and customers to develop the roadmap,
program vision, top features, and milestones. System Architect/Engineering prepares technical briefings
and guidance to support planning.
The Product/Solution vision and roadmap guides the delivery of features. The roadmap communicates
the ART deliverables over a near-term time linetypically six months, or about three PIs. The roadmap
provides visibility into the committed deliverables of the upcoming PI, and it shows forecasts, with medium
confidence, for the following PI or two. Product Management develops and updates the roadmap, as
the vision and delivery strategy evolve.

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The program backlog stores all the upcoming work, and is developed, maintained and prioritized by
Product Management. The backlog holds the features that have gone through the program Kanban and
are ready for implementation in the upcoming or future PIs.
ARTs work in a continuous flow model that helps eliminate delays and keeps the system lean. Product
Management applies weighted-shortest-job-first (WSJF) sequencing to prioritize work. WSJF gives
precedence to jobs that have the highest cost of delay and the shortest duration.

Executing a Program Increment

After planning, various program events are used to create a closed-loop system that keeps the train
on the tracks, as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Program execution events

The RTE facilitates a weekly (or more frequent) Scrum of Scrums meeting to coordinate dependencies
and gain visibility into progress and impediments. Product Managers (PMs) and Product Owners (POs)
meet in the PO Sync to get visibility into how well the ART is progressing toward meeting the program
PI objectives. Some ARTs combine the Scrum of Scrums and PO sync into one ART Sync meeting.
Release Management meetings provide governance for upcoming releases. The System Demo occurs
at the end of every iteration and provides an integrated, aggregate view of the new features that have
been delivered by all the teams on the train. Finally, an Inspect and Adapt workshop is held to capture
opportunities for improvement to be incorporated into the next PI planning session.
Team events form the inner loop and are repeated once per iteration. Individual team ceremonies include:
Iteration Planning, Daily Stand-up, Team Demo, and local team Retrospective. During the iteration,
teams use built-in quality practices and improve flow with Kanban. Teams also build up the Architectural
Runway using emergent design in collaboration with intentional architecture.

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Inspect and Adapt

In order to reflect on the execution and results of the previous PI, and build improvement backlog items
for the next PI, the Inspect & Adapt (I&A) workshop is held at the end of each Program Increment.
The I&A events have three parts:
PI System Demo is a demo of all features completed by the ART during the past PI
Quantitative measurement teams review any quantitative metrics they have agreed to
collect and discuss the data and trends
Problem-solving workshop teams conduct a short retrospective, and then systematically address the larger impediments that are limiting velocity.
Participants in the program I&A workshop include all the people involved in building the system, including
the teams, RTE, System and Solution Architect/Engineering, Product Management, and Business Owners.
Value Stream stakeholders may also attend this workshop, where applicable.

Develop on Cadence, Release Any Time

SAFe provides development teams with the cadence and synchronization tools needed to manage
complexity, uncertainty, and rapid change. Releases, however, are a different matter. Releases may
occur at any time, as the market demands. For example: at the end of a PI, during any iteration, or even
continuously. Separating development concerns from release concerns allows Agile Release Trains to
run on a routine, predictable schedule, without constraints on when releases can occur.

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Portfolio Level
Each SAFe portfolio has the value streams, people, and processes necessary to provide funding and
governance for the products, services, and solutions required to fulfill the overall business strategy. In
small to mid-size companies, one SAFe portfolio may be all thats necessary. In the largest enterprises,
multiple SAFe portfoliosone for each line of businessmay be required, as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8. Portfolio structure by size of business

The constructs of the portfolio are illustrated in Figure 9 below.

Figure 9. SAFe Portfolio level

Elements of the Portfolio include:

Strategic Themes connect the portfolio to the Enterprise business strategy
Program Portfolio Management consists of the stakeholders who have the highest level of fiduciary responsibility to deliver the business results
Value streams are responsible for delivering the solutions, products and services required to
help the enterprise achieve its mission

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 The Enterprise Architect works with business stakeholders and Solution and System
Architects to guide technology initiatives (enabler epics) and drive enterprise standards (NFRS
and other) across value streams
Portfolio Kanban provides visibility, analysis, and governance to initiatives that cut across
value streams
Lean-Agile budgeting and governance funds value streams (instead of projects) and applies objective metrics and milestones. This empowers value streams with their own dedicated budget
for rapid decision-making and flexible value delivery, while Program Portfolio Management
(PPM) retains control of total spending, which is adjusted over time.
Portfolio Epics (large initiatives) are stewarded by Epic Owners from identification through the
analysis and approval process of the Portfolio Kanban system
Portfolio epics are particularly important to an understanding of how the flow of value is managed in
SAFe. Portfolio epics are large-enterprise initiatives requiring analysis of cost, impact, and opportunity
in a lightweight business case, as well as approval, before implementation.
The Portfolio Kanban system manages the flow of epics. It brings structure to analysis and provides
a transparent and quantitative basis for economic decision-making. It uses WIP limits to prevent
overburdening teams with more epics than the teams can responsibly analyze or deliver, prevents
unrealistic expectations, and drives collaboration among the key stakeholders.

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Portfolio Value Streams

Lean and systems thinking drives the enterprise to organize development activities around the long-lived
flows of value that deliver its products and services. In larger enterprises however, it is readily recognized
that the flow of value does not respect organizational nor geographic boundaries, as Figure 10 illustrates.

Figure 10. Value streams often cut across organizational and geographic boundaries

Value streams provide the mechanism for identifying and improving product development flow, but
by themselves, they do not create systems. For that we need Agile Release Trainsthe individuals and
teams that build the value. The typically distributed nature of value creation is one of the reasons that
ARTs are often virtual, rather than physical organizational units. For more information, please refer to
the section entitled "Realizing Value Streams with ARTs."

Lean-Agile Budgeting
The traditional project-based work and funding model inhibits agility, flow, and knowledge acquisition.
In its place, SAFe provides guidance for implementing a Lean-Agile budgeting model that includes:
Funding value streams, not projects
Approving epic-level initiatives vs. funding projects
Empowering Value Stream content authority
Providing objective evidence of fitness for purpose
Exercising fiscal governance with dynamic budgeting

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This approach reduces much of the friction and overhead associated with traditional project cost
accounting, while still providing the appropriate fiduciary controls over what gets built and how that
work is funded.

Forecasting
Given history and the work physics of Agile development, Program Portfolio Management and other
planners can estimate how long a new portfolio epic might take under various scenarios. This provides
a reasonable model for longer term planning and forecasting, as Figure 11 illustrates.

Figure 11. Portfolio forecasting with epic size estimates, capacity allocation, and program velocities

The capacity allocation for epics vs. existing work is negotiated between Program Portfolio Management
and ART business owners. After performing various what-if calculations, the enterprise can reasonably
predict how long it will take to deliver new initiatives, and provide a six-month to one-year roadmap
with reasonable fidelity.

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Value Stream Level

The Value Stream level is optional in SAFe. Enterprises that build systems that are largely independent,
or that can be built with a few hundred practitioners, may not need these constructs. In that case, the
portfolio can operate with the 3-level view. Even then, however, those are far from trivial systems, and
the constructs at the Value Stream level can be used in 3-level SAFe as needed.
The Value Stream level helps enterprises that face the largest systems challenges, building large-scale,
multidisciplinary software and cyber-physical, as well as high-assurance, systems. Building such solutions
in a Lean-Agile manner requires additional constructs, artifacts, and coordination. The constructs of
the Value Stream level are illustrated in Figure 12.

Figure 12 - Value Stream level

Highlights include:
The Economic Framework which provides the financial boundaries for Value Stream
decision-making
Solution Intent that communicates the current and intended future state of the system
Solution Context which provides how the solution fits in the deployment environment
Capabilities which are used to describe the larger behaviors of the solution
Capabilities that are developed and managed through the Value Stream Kanban (see below)
Suppliers who add value and therefore are integral to the Value Stream
The Value Stream cadence is organized around ART PIs, which are used to synchronize all the ARTs in
the Value Stream. Value streams enable cadence and synchronization of multiple ARTs and Suppliers
via Pre and Post-PI planning meetings, Solution Demos, and Inspect and Adapt workshops. The Value
Stream level also typically requires additional roles, specifically Solution Management, Solution Architect/
Engineering, and the Value Stream Engineer.

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Value Stream Flow

The Value Stream Kanban increases the visibility and flow of work and establishes a connection between
portfolio-level and program-level Kanban systems. The Value Stream Kanban has two sections:
1.

Value Stream section is used to analyze and approve Value Stream epics and split them
into capabilities that will be further explored and implemented in the downstream capabilities section.

2.

Capabilities section supports readiness, prioritization, and implementation of capabilities.

Capabilities may originate locally or come from the upstream portfolio Kanban.

Realizing Value Streams with ARTs

Once the flow of valueand the location of the people and systems that deliver that value is understood,
the enterprise can start to consider how to organize Agile Release Trains to build the solution. ARTs are
organized for the explicit purpose of working across boundaries to accelerate delivery. Effective ARTs
typically consist of 50125 people. The upper limit is based on Dunbar's number [2], which suggests a
limit on the number of people with whom one can form effective, stable social relationships.
Given the size constraints, there are three possible value-stream-to-ART organizational outcomes, as
illustrated in Figure 13.

Figure 13. Organizing ARTs depending upon Value Stream size

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Splitting large value streams into ARTs requires significant consideration. Some common patterns for
how to accomplish this include dividing them by:
Solution capabilities or feature areas (see below)
Subsystems (applications, components, platforms, etc. - see below)
Customer or market segment
Subsets of value: enabling flows or Value Stream segments
Other considerations may play a role:
Trains should be focused on a single, primary product or solution objective
Teams with features and components that have a high degree of interdependencies should plan
and work together
Train design requires careful consideration of the trade-offs and often involves a combination of the various
patterns described above. The most common approach for ART design organizes around capabilities
or subsystems.
Capability ARTs are generally preferred and are optimized for value flow and delivery speed.
However, they require additional technical governance to keep architecture from decaying and,
ultimately, decreasing velocity.
Subsystem ARTs are optimized for architectural robustness, critical compnents, or components
that are used by many other elements. However, they may require significant content coordination to manage dependencies, as well as prioritization of different trains to maintain a reasonable velocity.

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Leading the
Lean-Agile Enterprise
The enterprises executives, leaders, and managers are responsible for Lean-Agile adoption and success.
Managers must become leaders who are trained in, and become trainers in, these leaner ways of thinking
and operating. These behaviors are briefly described below.
#1 - Lead the change

Steering an organization toward Lean and Agile behaviors, habits, and results cannot be
delegated. Leaders must exhibit and communicate the urgency for change, collaboratively
build a plan, understand and manage the change process, and quickly solve problems. Leaders must have knowledge of organizational change management and take a systems view for
implementing the transformation.

#2 - Know the way; emphasize lifelong learning

Create an environment that promotes continuous learning, and fosters formal and informal
groups for learning and improvement. Encourage team members to build relationships with
customers and suppliers and expose them to other world views. Strive to learn and understand new developments in Lean, Agile, and contemporary management practices.

#3 - Develop people

Focus on developing peoples knowledge and skills rather than on being the go-to expert or
coordinator of tasks. Create a team that is jointly responsible for success. Learn how to solve
problems together in a way that develops peoples capabilities and increases their engagement and commitment. Respect people and culture.

#4 - Inspire and align with mission

Minimize constraints. Provide an inspirational mission and vision and eliminate demotivating rules, policies, and procedures. Build Agile teams and trains organized around value.
Understand the power of self-organizing, self-managing teams. Create a safe, failure-tolerant
environment for learning, growth, and mutual influence. Build an economic framework for
each Value Stream and teach it to everyone.

#5 - Decentralize decision-making

Establish a decision-making framework. Empower others by setting the mission, developing people, and teaching them to problem-solve. Take responsibility for making and communicating strategic decisionsthose that are infrequent, long lasting, and have significant
economies of scale. Decentralize all other decisions.

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#6 - Unlock the intrinsic motivation of knowledge workers

According to Peter Drucker, knowledge workers are individuals who know more about the
work that they perform than their bosses. Given that context, managers need to change the
system. For example: Understand the role that compensation plays in motivating knowledge
work and change from individual rewards to team rewards. Create an environment of
mutual influence. Eliminate any and all management processes that cause internal competition. Revamp personnel evaluations to support Lean-Agile principles and values. Provide
purpose and autonomy; help workers achieve mastery of new and increasing skills.

Implementing SAFe
Implementing any change, including one as significant as moving to a Lean-Agile way of working, is a
significant effort in any enterprise. Based on the learnings from hundreds of SAFe implementations,
a basic Implementing SAFe 1-2-3 pattern for adopting SAFe has emerged, as illustrated in Figure 14.
Each of the elements in this strategy is described in the paragraphs below:

Figure 14. Implementing SAFe 1-2-3 strategy

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1.

Train implementers and Lean-Agile change agents. The successful adoption of SAFe
requires that most enterprises use a combination of internal and external change agents,
leaders, mentors, and coaches. These people need to be skilled in teaching and delivering
SAFe. To achieve this, Scaled Agile, Inc. (SAI) provides a course, Implementing SAFe 4.0 with
SPC4 Certification. The audience for this course is internal change agents, external consultants, and those managers and leaders responsible for the implementation.

2. Train all executives, managers, and leaders. It is important that leaders are trained, so
they can understand how and why things work in SAFe and help their teams succeed by
exhibiting the new values and behaviors. SAI provides a Leading SAFe with SA Certification
course to provide leadership with the knowledge and skills they need to start the
transformation.
3.

Train teams and launch Agile Release Trains. The primary value delivery mechanism in the
enterprise is the Agile Release Train, but starting these trains is not a trivial task. One proven
starting mechanism is an Agile Release Train Quickstart. Suitable after some significant upfront preparation, the Quickstart is a one-week training and immersion program that:
Organizes 50125 team members into Agile teams, training them simultaneously in the
principles of Lean, Agile, and SAFe.
Aligns the teams on the train to a common mission and spends two days face-to-face
planning the next Program Increment.
Introduces prospective Product Owners and Scrum Masters to the skills and activities
unique to their roles in the new Agile enterprise.
Builds context and a cadence-based, rolling-wave planning and delivery model that
continuously incorporate business objective setting and program commitments, effective and reliable program execution, and adaptive feedback.

SPCs are trained and tooled with a role-based curriculum and courseware in order to provide the above
services. Their role is to effectively prepare the organization, programs, teams, and individuals for success
and continuous improvement, so that the enterprise, and its people, can achieve the larger business
benefits of a Lean-Agile way of working at enterprise scale.

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Summary
This white paper introduces the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), including its core values, principles, and
practices, along with a strategy for implementation.
SAFe provides guidance and training for scaling agile development across the Portfolio, Value Stream,
Program, and Team levels. The Framework is scalable and modular, allowing each organization to adapt
it to its own business model. The Framework can be configured with three or four levels. The "3-level"
view works best for smaller systems and a modest number of Agile teams. The 4-level view supports
building large, integrated solutions that typically require hundreds or more practitioners to build and
maintain.
The Framework has four core values that help make SAFe effective: Alignment, Built-in Quality, Transparency
and Program Execution. SAFes practices are grounded on nine fundamental principles that have evolved
from Agile principles and methods, Lean product development, systems thinking, and observation of
successful enterprises. The House of Lean metaphor is used to describe a number of fundamental lean
concepts used in SAFe. The goal of lean is the delivery of maximum value and quality to the customer
in the shortest sustainable lead time.
The heart of SAFe is the Program level, which revolves around an organization called the Agile Release
Train (ART). The ART includes all the roles that are necessary to move ideas from concept through
deployment. Each ART aligns teams to a common mission and vision via a single program backlog and
produces valuable and evaluable system-level solutions every two weeks. ARTs use a Program increment
(PI), a fixed timebox for planning and execution and operate under the guidance of architects and user
experience designers. The Agile teams in an ART have of choice of methods: Scrum, Kanban, and XP.
They also use built-in quality practices.
Each SAFe portfolio has the value streams, people, and processes necessary to provide Lean-Agile funding
and governance for the products, services, and solutions required to fulfill its business strategy. Based
on the learning from hundreds of SAFe implementations, a basic Implementing SAFe 1-2-3 pattern
for adopting SAFe has emerged.
The Value Stream level helps enterprises that face the largest systems challenges, building large-scale,
software and systems, Building such solutions in a Lean-Agile manner requires additional constructs,
artifacts, and coordination. Value streams are realized through the implementation of one or more ARTS.
ARTs are organized for the explicit purpose of working across silos to accelerate delivery. Given the size
constraints (50-125+ people), there are three possible value-stream-to-ART organizational structures.
Lean-Agile leaders are key to the success and adoption of SAFe. Such leaders are lifelong learners and
teachers who help teams build better systems through understanding and embracing the SAFe Lean-Agile
mindset, principles, practices, and systems thinking.
SAFe recommends coupling the Implement 1-2-3 strategy to the enterprises organizational change
management process, for successfully adopting SAFe.

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Learn More
If you would like to learn more about SAFe, visit these websites:
Learn about real world implementations at scaledagileframework.com/case-studies
Browse the Framework at scaledagileframework.com
Find role-based SAFe training and certification at scaledagile.com
View SAFe presentations and videos at scaledagileframework.com/videos-and-presentations
Read Agile Software Requirements: Lean Requirements Practices for Teams, Programs, and the
Enterprise bit.ly/AgileSWReq

Bibliography
[1] Reinertsen, Donald G. The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean
Product Development. Redondo Beach, CA: Celeritas, 2009.
[2] Dunbar's Number." Wikipedia. Accessed May 31, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.
php?title=Dunbar's_number.
[3] Drucker, Peter F. The Essential Drucker: The Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential
Writtings on Management. New York: Harper Collins, 2001. Print.
[4] Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Manifesto for Agile Software Development
Accessed May 31, 2016. http://www.agilemanifesto.org/

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About Scaled Agile, Inc.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Scaled Agiles mission is to help
system and software-dependent enterprises achieve better
outcomes, increase employee engagement, and improve
business economics through adoption of Lean-Agile principles
and practices based on the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
Scaled Agile supports tens of thousands of practitioners of the
Framework through training, certification, consulting services,
and a global partner network that reaches over 35 countries
and 350 cities.

Contact
Scaled Agile, Inc.
5480 Valmont Rd, Suite 100
Boulder CO 80301 USA
+1.303.554.4367
[email protected]
scaledagile.com

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Implementing SAFe 4.0

with SAFe Program Consultant 4.0 Certification (SPC4 )

The SAFe Program Consultant 4.0 (SPC4) certification is for those who will be directly involved in a SAFe
adoption. This includes practitioners, change agents, and consultants responsible for implementing Agile
programs and portfolios as a part of a Lean-Agile change initiative. SPC4s train SAFe Agilists (SA), SAFe
Practitioners (SP), and Product Managers/Product Owners (PM/PO).

Leading SAFe 4.0

with SAFe Agilist Certification (SA)

The SAFe Agilist (SA) certification program teaches enterprise leadership Lean-Agile principles, how to execute
and release value through Agile Release Trains (ARTs), how to build an Agile portfolio, and how to lead a
Lean-Agile transformation at enterprise scale. It is designed for executives, managers, consultants, and Agile
change agents responsible for leading or supporting a Lean-Agile change initiative in a large software of
systems-dependent enterprise.

SAFe 4.0 for Teams

with SAFe Practitioner Certification (SP)

The SAFe Practitioner (SP) certification program teaches teams how to work in an Agile environment using
Scrum, Kanban, and XP. Using real-world activities, the teams learn how to become Agile teams, build their
backlog, and plan and execute iterations. Agile teams learn about their ART and their role in planning,
executing, and improving with other teams. This course prepares teams to execute the iterations in a Program
Increment (PI), including al meetings at the Team and Program level.

SAFe 4.0 Advanced Scrum Master

with SAFe Advanced Scrum Master Certification (SASM)

This course prepares current Scrum Masters for their leadership role at the Team and Prgram level in a
SAFeenterprise. The course covers facilitation of cross-team interactions in support of the program execution
and relentless improvement. It enhances the Scrum paradigm with an introduction to scalable engineering
and DevOps practices; the application of Kanban to facilitate the flow of value; and supporting iterations
with architects, product management, and other critical stakeholders in the larger program and enterprise
contexts.

SAFe 4.0 Product Manager/Product Owner

with SAFe Product Manager/Product Owner Certification (PMPO)

This course teaches how the roles of Product Manager, Product Owner, Solution Manager, and Epic Owner
drive the delivery of value in the SAFe enterprise. Youll get an overview of the Scaled Agile Framework
(SAFe), the Lean-Agile mindset, and an understanding of how the Product Manager and Product Owner
roles operate in the enterprise to drive the delivery of value. Finally, you will get an in-depth understanding of
the specific activities, tools, and mechanics used to effectively deliver value to the enterprise.

Find out which SAFe training and certification is right for you at:

scaledagile.com/which-course

"In just two weeks, I feel like the 156-year historical cultural barrier
we've created has been broken. Thank you for helping us."
Senior Level Architect, Fortune Global 500 Company

Training is at the core of

customer success
Our most popular courses are offered worldwide through Scaled Agile and our
Global Partner Network, all focused on empowering the enterprise to realize
the maximum benefit that comes from adopting SAFe.

Find SAFe training and certification near you at:

scaledagile.com/calendar

TEAM

PROGRAM

VALUE STREAM

PORTFOLIO

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