This text is a component one in all Toptal’s scaling Agile collection, designed to information venture managers of their crew growth efforts. The subsequent installment, “Agile Scaling: SAFe Finest Practices for Scrum Masters,” affords sensible recommendation on facilitating occasions in SAFe.
Image this: Initially of a venture, you assemble a single, efficient, cross-functional crew of people dedicated to attaining product objectives. To enhance efficiency, you make sure the crew is proficient in Agile. The demand for the product grows, rising necessities and increasing the backlog. You and different stakeholders notice the crew must be scaled. Sound acquainted?
Scaling permits a number of groups working collectively to take care of their agility. If there may be extra work to be achieved than your crew can deal with in an affordable time frame, it’s time to scale. So as to take action, nonetheless, it is advisable choose the proper framework, and there are a number of to choose from. Select badly and implementation may fail, disrupting productiveness and leading to vital monetary repercussions.
The framework finest suited to your crew will differ, relying on components comparable to accessible funding, organizational method, and product complexity.
When Ought to You Scale?
There are a selection of key standards to fulfill earlier than you must think about scaling:
Are you able to handle the event with just one crew?
Implementing scaled Agile frameworks might be complicated and time-consuming, so don’t scale in the event you don’t must. When your crew’s workload outweighs its capabilities, then scaling is critical.
Is your crew Agile?
Maybe an important criterion is your crew’s proficiency in Agile approaches. In case your crew shouldn’t be skilled in Agile, then scaling will create extra issues.
Do your crew’s improvement practices want enchancment?
In case your crew’s engineering practices usually are not environment friendly, scaling might not produce the specified outcomes. Practices comparable to correct implementation of DevOps and a CI/CD pipeline are very important for consistency throughout groups. Additionally, with out standardized high quality assurance, it might be tough to check new options.
Does your crew ship built-in increments?
Scaling includes integrating a number of groups collaborating on the identical product, the place every crew produces options that work collectively. The next desk particulars the 4 doable configurations of groups and merchandise. Observe that just one necessitates scaling.
| Variety of Groups | Variety of Merchandise | Situation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | One crew manages the event of a single product. No scaling is critical. |
| 1 | Greater than 1 | One crew works on a number of merchandise, so a venture supervisor can both create a queue of merchandise and develop them one after the other or arrange a number of groups that every work on a separate product. No scaling is critical. |
| Greater than 1 | Greater than 1 | The variety of merchandise equals the variety of groups. No scaling is critical. |
| Greater than 1 | 1 | A number of groups work collectively to ship a big product answer—that is the configuration by which a venture supervisor ought to implement a scaled Agile framework. |
Selecting a Scaling Framework
There are quite a few Agile scaling frameworks to select from, however we are going to give attention to 5 of essentially the most broadly used options: Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Nexus, Massive-Scale Scrum (LeSS), Scrum@Scale, and Disciplined Agile (DA). I’ve discovered these to be the simplest frameworks, and they are often utilized to a variety of eventualities and organizations. The next sections will equip you with the data it is advisable make the only option in your distinctive scaling context.
1. Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
SAFe is the preferred framework for Agile scaling. A 2021 survey discovered that 37% of Agile practitioners use it, largely owing to its a number of configurations, all of which give attention to worth streams and have well-defined guides and procedures.
As a result of SAFe is used to ship complicated options that require greater than 50 folks, it organizes groups into agile launch trains (ARTs). To synchronize the groups in an ART, SAFe makes use of program increment iterations—much like Scrum sprints—and every iteration sometimes lasts eight to 12 weeks. This method permits product managers to remain targeted on the general objectives and oversee a posh product roadmap effectively with out introducing extreme modifications.
SAFe is predicated on the Scrum framework however with a pair key variations: SAFe adoption occurs on the enterprise degree moderately than the crew degree; and whereas Scrum provides the product proprietor sole authority over prioritization, SAFe encourages a extra democratic method.
SAFe has 4 ranges of implementation:
Important SAFe
Important SAFe is the inspiration of SAFe and should be mastered earlier than shifting on to any of the next configurations. It makes use of established Scrum roles comparable to Scrum grasp, product supervisor, and product proprietor, and likewise introduces a brand new position: launch practice engineer. This individual acts as a servant-leader and ART coach, guiding groups to align their objectives. There might be between 5 and 12 groups in an ART, with every ART able to delivering a whole answer.
Massive Resolution
This configuration sits atop Important SAFe and introduces an idea known as “answer practice.” It’s used when constructing giant and complicated options that require the coordination of a number of ARTs—doubtlessly a whole lot and even 1000’s of individuals—engaged on the identical worth stream. For instance, in the event you work at Microsoft and have three separate groups programming Excel, Phrase, and PowerPoint, they’re all contributing to the identical worth stream: Microsoft Workplace.
Portfolio
Portfolio consists of a number of ARTs engaged on totally different worth streams. Persevering with with the Microsoft instance: separate groups engaged on the corporate’s Workplace, Skype, or Xbox merchandise.
Full SAFe
This configuration combines all of the layers—Important, Massive Resolution, and Portfolio—to coordinate enterprisewide crew administration.
| Use SAFe If Your Group: |
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2. Nexus
The Nexus framework can also be primarily based on Scrum however is extra light-weight than SAFe, requiring solely small changes that facilitate collaboration amongst three to 9 groups. Implementing Nexus doesn’t require any further roles. Somewhat, one consultant from every crew joins a central integration crew that aligns work towards a single purpose. Much like Scrum, all groups come collectively for a dash planning session, the outcomes of which kind the shared product backlog. To test progress, every crew holds a each day assembly akin to a stand-up, and the mixing crew additionally meets to report their crew’s progress.
Throughout a dash, groups take part in a refinement session to prioritize and estimate the backlog. As a result of the complexity of backlog administration rises with the variety of groups, Nexus mandates refinement periods. Groups convene for critiques and retrospectives following every dash.
| Use Nexus If Your Group: |
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3. Massive-Scale Scrum (LeSS)
LeSS is nearly similar to Nexus, but it surely has minor variations, comparable to naming conventions and extra, team-specific dash planning periods. It additionally differs in its potential to be prolonged with its second configuration, LeSS Large, which helps the collaboration of greater than eight groups.
LeSS Large takes a customer-centric method to organizing improvement. To successfully handle work, it requires the product proprietor to separate the high-level product backlog into smaller “space backlogs” of extra granular objects after which types them additional—into requirement areas.
These requirement areas are managed by space product homeowners (APOs). APOs specialize within the fields associated to every space and work with a number of groups on options for his or her space. Every requirement saved within the backlog belongs solely to 1 requirement space, and every space is managed by only one APO. Collectively, the product proprietor and APOs kind a crew answerable for prioritizing with a productwide view.
| Use LeSS and LeSS Large If Your Group: |
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4. Scrum@Scale
Scrum@Scale is an extension of Scrum and sure the simplest framework to be taught and perceive. It scales from one crew to a crew of groups.
A core part of the framework is the Scrum of Scrums (SoS). Every crew chooses a person to characterize them in SoS conferences, which often happen each day after the person crew stand-ups. The intention of every day’s SoS assembly is to assist coordination and communication amongst groups, and facilitate straightforward administration of any dependencies or overlaps.
The distinctive roles inside this framework embrace the SoS grasp, basically a scaled model of a Scrum grasp, and the chief product proprietor, who works with the crew product homeowners to kind a joint backlog for the SoS.
Scrum@Scale is much less prescriptive than different frameworks, permitting organizations to scale at their very own tempo. If the variety of groups continues to develop and SoS conferences grow to be too giant, organizations can escalate the framework right into a Scrum of Scrum of Scrums (SoSoS).
| Use Scrum@Scale If Your Group: |
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5. Disciplined Agile (DA)
DA differs from the opposite frameworks in that it acts extra as a toolbox from which you’ll be able to select essentially the most applicable scaling methods, moderately than a inflexible framework with guidelines you have to obey. It’s a context-driven hybrid of assorted frameworks, together with Scrum and Kanban, that may be tailor-made to the wants of every venture, centered on the precept “Selection is nice.” DA is constructed on the concept that each crew and group is exclusive in its dimension, distribution, and area, and every crew member is exclusive too, with their very own abilities and experiences.
It may be utilized on the software program improvement crew degree or enterprisewide. For the latter, the DA toolkit identifies what numerous enterprise features—comparable to finance, IT operations, and vendor administration—ought to tackle, and presents a variety of choices for doing so.
DA distinguishes three venture phases—Inception, Development, and Transition—and every includes delivery-oriented course of objectives. As a result of this framework focuses on the total supply life cycle, versus simply the construct, it introduces extra roles than the opposite frameworks. The first roles, discovered on each DA crew, are stakeholder, crew member, crew lead, product proprietor, and structure proprietor. There are additionally 5 supporting roles, typically used on a brief foundation to help scaling: specialist, area skilled, technical skilled, impartial tester, and integrator.
DA can be utilized on prime of the opposite frameworks to scale additional.
| Use DA If Your Group: |
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Select Rigorously and Scale Slowly
Scaling Agile groups and seamlessly integrating their work is tough however might be made simpler by selecting the right framework. Use the flowchart under as a primary step to information your decision-making course of.
I’m assured that you just’ll discover the scaling framework that fits your group’s expertise, method, price range, and merchandise amongst these introduced right here. Whichever framework you select, it’s very important to not rush—scale incrementally to attenuate disruption and plan modifications effectively upfront.
Have you ever utilized these frameworks in any of your scaling actions? Inform us about your experiences within the feedback part.
Learn the following installment of Toptal’s Agile scaling collection, “Agile Scaling: SAFe Finest Practices for Scrum Masters.”
