SAFe Vs Scrum
By Susan May
Newbies to the world of Agile may have problems figuring out the differences between SAFe and Scrum. Both are popular Agile frameworks; and while they are similar in many ways, there are some significant differences between the two. In this article, you’ll learn what the two frameworks are, and how to choose between them. What is Scrum?The most widely used Agile framework across industries and sectors, Scrum utilizes a lightweight and iterative methodology to develop and deliver products quickly with high success rates. Organizations that are using Scrum can address complex requirements that are continually evolving, while innovatively delivering products of the highest possible value that create customer delight. Designed for teams with ten to twelve members, Scrum works in time-boxed iterations called Sprints which typically last for two weeks or a month. There are three important roles on a Scrum team: that of the Product Owner, Scrum Master and Developers. Together, they plan, schedule, develop and execute incremental releases every sprint. An ordered list of tasks to be completed, called the Product Backlog, is maintained and managed by the Product Owner, and the developers pull items from this list to complete during each iteration. This process is repeated till all the items on the list are completed. What is SAFe?While Scrum works beautifully well for smaller teams that are working on a single project, scaling it across larger projects that are worked on by distributed teams can prove to be quite a challenge. This is where SAFe®, or the Scaled Agile Framework, comes in. SAFe is a development framework which uses best practices across lean and agile methodologies and offers a templated approach for a seamless enterprise-wide Agile transformation. Created by the Scaled Agile, Inc, SAFe is the most popular framework for scaling Agile and provides a knowledge base of principles and practices to enforce enterprise-wide agility, allowing businesses to dramatically increase their productivity. In its latest version, SAFe considers three powerful bodies of knowledge: Agile, Lean and Systems Thinking and is focused on managing Agile at team level, program level and portfolio level, managing the value stream efficiently across all these levels. Scrum vs SAFe: How are they different?The table below lays out the key differences between SAFe and Scrum.ScrumSAFeImplementationScrum works well and offers proven benefits when used on smaller projects, by companies with a simple organizational structure. Teams are usually collocated.SAFe is an agile framework that is used to scale beyond a single team. It has been successfully used in enterprise-wide transformations, and in multi-geography teams.The teamThere are usually less than 12 members in a Scrum team, and the Product Owner, Scrum Master and developers play an important role. SAFe defines key roles at four different levels (Team, Program, Large Solution and Portfolio), which include:Product OwnerScrum MasteDevelopersRelease Train Engineer Program Management teamValue Stream EngineerSolution Architects and Engineers…and so onBasic constructThe basic construct in Scrum is the Scrum Team.In SAFe, the basic construct is the Agile Release Train (ART).Collaboration between teamsAs Scrum projects are small, there are fewer dependencies between teams. Each team is self-organizing and cross-functional, and it required to be capable of managing its own work.SAFe requires a huge amount of coordination and alignment between and across teams at various levels, and synchronization with the management. There are a lot of dependencies between teams.Work cycleA Scrum team carries out work in time-boxed iterations called Sprints, each of which typically lasts between 2 weeks and a month. The schedule is decided at the beginning and is not changed during the project.SAFe also follows time-boxed iterations, but they are not called sprints.Scrum vs SAFe: Key similaritiesScrum and SAFe both work on the foundation of Agile, so it is natural that they share many similarities.ScrumSAFeAgileScrum is the most popular Agile framework. SAFe is the most popular framework for scaling Agile.Iterative developmentScrum works in timeboxed cadences, called sprints.SAfe also works in time-boxed cadences, but they are called iterations.Frequent releasesScrum delivers working software at frequent intervals.SAFe also delivers working software at frequent intervals.Responsive to changeAs both are Agile frameworks, they embrace change.As both are Agile frameworks, they embrace change.Responsive to feedbackBoth methods encourage constant feedback during Reviews and Retrospectives.Both methods encourage constant feedback during Reviews and Retrospectives.Focus on quality and customer delightThe focus is on maximising quality and ensuring that the customer is satisfied.Here, too, the focus is on maximising quality and ensuring that the customer is satisfied.Wrap Up As we have seen, Scrum and SAFe are both Agile frameworks that are proven to be hugely successful. Both are gamechangers that can drive the creation of value, enabling product releaser with quick turnaround times and enhanced quality and functionality. Whether you choose Scrum or SAFe would depend on the context of the project and on organisational objectives. Either way, you cannot go wrong, and there’s no better time than now to start your career in Agile!
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