The new SAFe version 4.5 – what does it mean for the application

The new version 4.5 of SAFe has just been released and this provides an opportunity to reflect not only on the changes in SAFe itself, but also on developments in agile in general.

New competitors are apparent: the LeSS framework is ready, now well documented, and has established itself as a clear runner-up in the Agile scaling framework market. So it has become something of a duel. What is also interesting here is the clear demarcation through the considerable conceptual differences: While SAFe focuses on getting started quickly and making an initial proposal for most proposals, LeSS focuses much more on the necessary cultural change as a necessary prerequisite. SAFe relies on cultural changes being implemented on the fly. It is becoming apparent to our customers that the two frameworks are interesting for very different initial situations.

Some of the deployment experiences have also been incorporated into the 4.5 changes: one can see a clear effort to identify and address possible reasons for implementation failures. In particular, the new launch strategy and the significantly expanded and revised delivery pipeline should be mentioned here.

New discussions also create new misunderstandings: just as SAFe can be used as a blueprint (it should be emphasized again: you won’t be able to manage a successful implementation without a deep understanding of the systemic relationships), experience reports like those of the Swedish company Spotify are also applied as a blueprint when talking about agile transformation according to the Spotify framework: Spotify, however, is not a framework, its contribution to agile is not renaming teams to squads, but the contribution is more substantial: how to scale trust and alignment while harnessing to radically decouple the software code base. Deepening the understanding of agile principles is more likely to set the agenda in the application of all frameworks in the near future.

This is even more true as agile is definitely reaching the mainstream: most large companies are embracing agile transformation and for many of them the understanding of agile has also changed: it is a comprehensive and sustainable culture and strategy change, agile is no longer limited to those down there in the “machine room”, it encompasses agile business development and thus the scope of work and responsibilities of top management: agile stands for unlocking new capabilities for companies at all levels. To do this, we need not only the frameworks as tools, but also a comprehensive understanding of all stakeholders at every level.

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