The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) has consistently been in a pioneering role of innovation. It provides solutions that enhance business agility and promote customer orientation. With the release of SAFe 6.0, the Scaled Agile community can look forward to several updates and improvements. These optimize the framework further. In this article, we explore the main changes in SAFe 6.0.
Why SAFe?
What I like about the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is the fact that it integrates the most important agile frameworks. SAFe does that with the goal of achieving Business Agility. We as organizations want Business Agility so we are able to deliver value to our customers resiliently. “Resiliently” means, that we continue to deliver value in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) markets. Even more: we want to capture the chances that are in a VUCA world. Agile helps us with achieving this. SAFe helps us with achieving Business Agility.
What is new? A summary.
SAFe 6.0 has improved on several things. I rank the changes in the following order. The most important change is on the top. The least important change (from my point of view) is on the bottom.
- Speeding Up Value Flow in SAFe 6.0 – on all levels
- Building a Stronger Foundation for Business Agility
- Adding OKR to SAFe 6.0
- Agility across the Whole Business
- Making Roles and Terminology Clearer in SAFe 6.0
- Bringing AI, Big Data, and Cloud Concepts into SAFe 6.0
1. Speeding Up Value Flow in SAFe 6.0
A major update in the Scaled Agile Framework 6.0 is the focus on speeding up value flow. Welcome more Kanban in SAFe. SAFe looks at properties and accelerators of value flow. It aims to streamline the delivery process and ensure that the right value is delivered to customers in the shortest possible time. This applies to all levels of SAFe: Team, Agile Release Train (ART), Solution Train and Portfolio. These updates help organizations react quickly to what the market wants and better serve their customers.
2. Building a Stronger Foundation for Business Agility
SAFe 6.0 strengthens and clarifies the foundation for business agility. The foundation of SAFe has been updated for more clarity. Especially the two elements of the foundation, Lean and Agile, are highlighted. SAFe now even more emphasizes the importance of Lean-Agile principles, practices, and mindset. On the top of the SAFe picture, SAFe 6.0 highlights the goal: Business Agility. All elements of SAFe are there to enable organizations to become more agile, adaptive, and customer-centric, ultimately leading to improved business outcomes.
3. Adding OKR to SAFe 6.0
The Scaled Agile Framework 6.0 incorporates the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) methodology. By integrating OKR, the framework allows organizations to align their strategic goals with day-to-day operations and track progress towards achieving those objectives. This approach ensures that teams work on the right priorities and deliver value aligned with the organization’s overall vision and mission.
4. Agility across the Whole Business
In addition to the updates mentioned above, SAFe 6.0 emphasizes the need for business agility across all aspects of the organization. SAFe has added articles covering this topic. One example is the Business and Technology article. It helps organizations to gain insights into implementing business agility not only within their development teams but also throughout the entire organization.
5. Making Roles and Terminology Clearer in SAFe 6.0
To optimize the Scaled Agile process, SAFe 6.0 further clarifies the responsibilities of various roles within the framework. This helps team members better understand their roles and responsibilities, ensuring a more effective and efficient implementation of the Scaled Agile Framework. The Product Management role is one example of such a description.
SAFe 6.0 also updates the terminology for better understanding. One example is streamlining the use of “Agile Release Train (ART)” and “Program”. SAFe now only uses the term “ART”. Consequently, all terms related to program are now named “ART”, e. g. ART Backlog.
6. Bringing AI, Big Data, and Cloud Concepts into SAFe 6.0
To stay up to date with technology, SAFe 6.0 adds concepts from Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and Cloud computing. These integrations reflect the fact that organizations need to equip themselves with knowledge about these concepts. Organizations need to embrace cutting-edge technologies to maintain a competitive edge in the market.
Conclusion
SAFe 6.0 introduces several updates and improvements that enhance the Scaled Agile Framework, helping organizations become more agile, customer-oriented, and competitive in today’s market. By accelerating value flow, clarifying role responsibilities and terminology, strengthening business agility, and integrating modern technologies and OKR, the Scaled Agile Framework 6.0 offers a comprehensive solution for organizations seeking to thrive in an ever-changing business environment. Emphasizing business agility across the entire organization further ensures that all aspects of the business are aligned and ready to adapt to an evolving market.
References
Our links are ordered from shorter to longer text.
- Blog by Scaled Agile about SAFe 6.0: https://scaledagileframework.com/blog/say-hello-to-safe-6-0/
- What´s new in SAFe 6.0: https://scaledagileframework.com/whats-new-in-safe-6-0/
- Scaled Agile Framework: https://scaledagileframework.com
